If you are one of those who loves to have conversations with their dog, surely more than once you have been amused when they turn or tilt their heads a little when you talk to them, since sometimes they even adopt an expression that appears to be confused or inquisitive.
There are various theories that try to explain why dogs turn their heads when they talk to them, so if your furry friend does This will surely interest you in this article that our site offers you. Keep reading!
Your dog tilts his head to hear you better
It's no secret that dogs' hearing is much more developed than that of humans, so they are able to perceive more sound frequencies, many of which we don't even notice.
Based on this, some researchers maintain that the dog tilts his head when you talk to him to position his ears in such a way that he can better perceive the sounds you make. Now why would you want to do this? Even though they can't understand what you're saying, dogs have been shown to recognize over 200 human vocabulary words, including commands and instructions you've taught them and those related to positive reinforcements. So, when you speak to him, perhaps he is waiting to hear that he will go out for a walk, that he will receive a rich reward or even that you call his attention for something he is doing at that moment, because in addition to the word he also analyzes the intonation you use to address yourself. to the.
Needs to see you
From a young age, your dog gets used to looking up when he is with you, always looking for your face and your facial expressions, which help him to identify what you expect of him and your state of mind Thus, one of the theories about why dogs tilt their heads when we talk to them focuses on this fact to try to explain this phenomenon, postulating that for some breeds, due to their physiognomy, it would be difficult for them to look at humans from the front, so by tilting their heads they would have a complete view of our face.
In what cases would this assumption be valid? Well, in those breeds characterized by a long snout, which prevents the dog from having a full view of your face when it looks at you from the front, tilting its head so as not to miss any gesture and have more opportunity to interpret what you say.
Do you have any discomfort?
Sometimes the head tilting gesture may be due to the dog suffering from some ear disease, so I would turn it as a way to seek relief from the discomfort you feel, which is usually itching or pain. Of course, when this is the reason the dog does not turn his head once, but many and in a row, so it is not difficult to detect. In addition, it is accompanied by different signs, such as redness of the pinna of the ear, scabs or accumulation of abnormal wax, among others. Thus, if you suspect that this could be the cause, do not hesitate and go to the vet.
On the other hand, a dog that is deaf in one ear will cock its head to try to hear you better, so that's a possibility that you should also take into account when ruling out why your dog turns his head when you talk to him.
It is a conditioned behavior
Dogs learn many things from us, and above all they learn what are the things that please us and that provide some reward for them. If when your dog tilts his head it causes you so much tenderness that you approach him to hug him and do thousands of cuddles, it is normal for him to repeat the gesture to get the same attention, which is pleasant for him.
Although there are several reasons that can lead your dog to turn his head when you talk to him, the dog can have this behavior by a count of some, or by only one, so it is possible that try to listen to you better and, at the same time, earn those caresses that you like so much.
