Theory No 1 on Why Dogs Tilt Their Heads
Most often, a dog will tilt his head to the side in order to hear more clearly. When they turn and tilt their heads the ear becomes more exposed in an up-and-more-forward position. The result is that the inaudible sounds (fuzziness) that they were catching will become clearer to the ear.
Other Dogs Tilt Their Heads For Different Reasons
Many dogs have learned to cock their heads to the side simply because they get a reward. What is the reward? Well remember at the beginning of this article how I mentioned that this gesture is just too cute?
Your immediate response is to say something like, “Awwwww, like at Buddy with his head turned to the side, how cute!”, followed by lots of petting and soothing tones. This is a reward, and some dogs may have turned their heads to the side a few times in the beginning, but soon enough learned that this will give them lots of that lovable attention.
So if you have ever given a dog this kind of attention after it has tilted it’s head in a really cute way then you have just positively reinforced that behavior. And you know what? The dog will remember this and might do this more often – not to hear better, but to feel better.
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By K9 Magazine
www.k9magazine.com
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