You know the pose: the most photogenic, heartwarming, smile-generating canine pose — the head tilt. Dog owners love the upward turned face, curious eyes, and perky ears that accompany the cute head tilt when their dog hears an interesting sound.
Why do dogs tilt their heads when they hear a strange sound?
Dogs have a keener sense of hearing than people do and can detect frequencies and sounds that escape us. But humans have an advantage over dogs in one regard: a person with normal hearing ability can detect a sound regardless of the direction from which it is initiated, while a dog’s directional hearing is more limited.
Dogs have ear flaps that partially or completely cover the ear canal and serve as a barrier to sound transmission, so dogs must change their position to optimize sound detection. Luckily, the canine ear flap (pinna) is movable, so the dog can make the necessary adjustment to focus on the exact location of the sound.
Different breeds face different challenges. A German shepherd’s ear flap covers only the back side of the canal and limits the detection of sounds from the rear. A cocker spaniel has heavy ear flaps that entirely cover the ear canals and interfere with sound wave transmission from all directions.
Another reason that dogs may tilt their head is to mentally process what they are hearing. A study showed that dogs who successfully linked a word with a specific object were more likely to tilt their head when hearing that word.
How does head-tilting help with hearing?
Dogs perk up their pinnae and tilt their heads for optimum sound collection, to compensate for the interference of ear flaps. If an interesting sound comes from the front, a dog cocks its head in the direction of the sound. If the sound comes from the rear, the dog may turn before tilting his head. If a sound comes from the side, he may not tilt at all because canine ears are located on the sides of the head and are already in a good position to pick up the sound waves.
Movable ear flaps also help a dog judge a sound’s distance by allowing them to determine the time difference between when the sound reaches the right versus left ear. Essentially, tilting the head and adjusting ear flaps helps the dog assess the location and distance of sound.
Why does my dog tilt his head when I am directly in front of him?
Sometimes dogs look at their owners attentively while tilting their heads and appear to absorb every word. Sound is captured by the external ear canal, funneled to the middle and inner ear, and then transmitted to the brain. The muscles of a dog's middle ear are controlled by the same part of the brain that controls facial expressions and head movements. So when a dog tilts their head to the side, they are trying to hear your words, understand what you are saying, and let you know that they are concentrating on you.
A dog tilts their head to show they are engaged much as a human would nod during a conversation to indicate that they are listening. Social dogs that enjoy human interaction usually tilt their heads more often to encourage the continuation of the conversation and prolong human contact.
Does the head tilt help with communication in any other ways?
Dogs understand us by assessing not only what we say, but how we say it. They assess our facial expressions, eye movements, tone of voice, body language, and inflection to translate human communications. To understand us, dogs must clearly see our faces and tilting their heads may help in this process.
Head and face shape may interfere with what a dog can see. To grasp how a long snout interferes with vision, hold a fist to your nose and look around. You must turn your head to see an object directly in front of you. Dogs do the same thing. They tilt their heads to work around their interfering muzzles and improve their visual perspective. That cute head tilt broadens the range of vision and allows a dog to more clearly see a person’s face. Seeing our facial expressions improves communication. It stands to reason that dogs with flatter faces, like bulldogs and Boston terriers, may tilt their heads less since their short noses do not get in the way as much as long muzzles. That cute head tilt may therefore be a result of physical conformation (structural arrangement of the facial and ear bones).
Do we encourage this behavior?
There are several factors involved in the canine head tilt and it is human nature to respond to the “cuteness” of the head tilt with positive reinforcement. When dogs tilt their heads, we give them a good pat, speak in a kind tone, and smile. So, another reason that dogs may tilt their heads is because we teach them to do it by providing positive reinforcement. Our response to the head tilt encourages repetition, so the more we gush over the cute canine head tilt, the more we get to enjoy it.
When does the head tilt mean a medical problem?
A consistent head tilt that is not associated with communication may indicate a medical problem. Infections of the external ear canal caused by bacteria or yeast may cause pain, itching, and the occasional head tilt. Middle ear infections are more serious and are often accompanied by a more persistent head tilt. Holding the head to the side may also indicate a neurological problem, such as vestibular disease (see handout “Vestibular Disease in Dogs”). If your dog tilts their head when there is no auditory stimulation, take them to your veterinarian.
