A dog tilts his head to show that he is engaged much the way a human would nod during a conversation to indicate that he is listening. Social dogs that enjoy human interaction usually tilt their heads more often to encourage the continuation of the conversation and prolong the human contact.
Researchers in Hungary believe they've discovered the reason why dogs tilt their heads at you when you speak. The adorable gesture is a signal that the dog is intently listening and processing what it's hearing. The study was published in the journal Animal Cognition on Oct. 26.
Head tilting in an attempt to see better is more prevalent in certain dog breeds with long muzzles, like greyhounds or German shepherds, compared to dogs with flatter faces, like bulldogs or Boston terriers.
Head tilt in dogs is a head or neck injury, an ear infection or other type of head trauma. It can also be caused by geriatric vestibular disease (idiopathic vestibular disease) and tumours.
The Root of the Behavior
When your dog turns his back to you, he is showing you that he's friendly and trusts you. In the animal world, turning your back to someone puts you in a vulnerable position. Your dog is trusting that you won't attack him from behind.
Reed says, “When a dog respects you, they will respect your space, listen and respond when you ask them to do something.” This also means they aren't constantly pestering you for attention. Respectful behaviors include: Coming when called (and not jumping up on you) Relaxing when you are otherwise occupied.
Dogs of all sizes and breeds show affection and protectiveness by showing and rubbing their butts on humans. They are all equally likely to display affection through their backside. Your dog putting his butt on you is something you should be happy about! It is their way of showing they love you.
Signaling Stress/Avoidance
Conclusion: If your dog is stressed, she will often look in the opposite direction of the stressor. This can be read as “Avoidance”. If someone invades your dog's personal space, and it makes your dog uneasy, she will use a “Look Away” to communicate that.
Head Tilt and Shaking
One of the most common early signs of ear infection in dogs is heat tilt, which often goes along with head shaking. When your dog's ear pressure builds up from the infection present there, they may try to tilt their head to one side to relieve that pressure.
Usually, sleeping with a dog's head on your neck means that the dog wants to protect and keep you safe. Sleeping with your dog is safe and can help ease anxiety and comfort dogs who struggle with isolation.
Dogs, like humans, also release endorphins and oxytocin through methods of touch, so rubbing a dog's belly can help with bonding and affection. Ultimately, dogs like belly rubs because they feel good!
Licking is a natural and instinctive behaviour to dogs. For them it's a way of grooming, bonding, and expressing themselves. Your dog may lick you to say they love you, to get your attention, to help soothe themselves if they're stressed, to show empathy or because you taste good to them!
Dogs tilt their heads as a sign of intelligence
Now scientists say that head tilting can also be a sign of intelligence, a behavior that occurs when dogs process relevant, meaningful information. In June 2022, the journal Animal Cognition published a Hungarian university study that analyzed head tilting in dogs.
1. Border collie. According to The Intelligence of Dogs, which ranks 131 dog breeds in terms of their relative intelligence, the border collie is the smartest dog breed known to man.
Dogs are very intelligent and enjoy learning new things. They may think about the commands they have learned and the treats or praise they receive when they follow them correctly. They may also think about what they could learn next and may be motivated by the desire to please their human companions.
Dogs move their ears to hear better, but also to express a range of emotions. The posture and position of a dog's ears at any given time tells the story of how they're feeling, such as curious, happy, afraid or ill.
Common Reasons Dogs Shake Their Heads
Common reasons include: Itchiness due to skin allergies. Irritant trapped in their ear such as grass seeds, water or insects. Bacterial or yeast infection.
Head shaking is normal dog behaviour. Without fingers and thumbs, dogs instinctively shake their heads to relieve discomfort, itchiness or irritation; it's an effective way to clear the ear canal of water, dirt, or insects.
Unwillingness to turn the head to the right or left may indicate neck pain associated with intervertebral disk disease or bruising.
Lucky for me research shows dogs may actually be able to remember people for several years! The key to remembering is their noses. It is estimated that dogs can smell somewhere between 1,000 to 10,000 times better than humans.
Because they love affection from us, most dogs do like being kissed. However, they don't like the act of being kissed but rather that we give them attention and show affection.
Kiss them
It is not a natural part of their repertoire. Dogs lick each other and will lick humans, too, and though we often call those “doggy kisses,” they're different than human kisses. Putting your face right next to a dog's face can be perceived by the dog as threatening behavior.
Once you bring a dog into your home, you become part of their pack. They enjoy sleeping with you because it makes them feel safe and comfortable. Sleeping together gives dogs an emotional connection to their owners. Dogs feel love and gratitude towards you, just like you feel towards them.
Why do dogs like to sleep with you? If your pup likes to sleep with you, it means they feel secure and comfortable with you. When your dog was a puppy, they cuddled up with their littermates for warmth and comfort, so now they want to do the same with their people.
THEY'RE SIMPLY BEING AFFECTIONATE.
If you're a new dog owner with a pup that prefers sleeping in bed with you or even on top of you, take it as a sign that they're settling in well and feel safer in your presence.