What Makes A Dog Tilt Its Head To The Side?
Possibly one of the most recognizable and lovable gestures dogs have is when they nod their heads as a bewildered gesture of neediness and submission that is extremely touching. Many dog owners may often wonder why this behavior occurs, so let’s look at some of the possible causes for a dog to tilt its head to the side.
The reasons why your dog performs this action are varied, it could be in response to our voice or sound stimuli in general, but it could also indicate that the dog is suffering from some kind of disease. Therefore, it is very important to pay attention to your puppy’s behavior.
Sound stimuli usually cause the dog to nod its head
Unfortunately, so far there are no studies that provide scientific answers about this phenomenon. However, some animal experts suggest that dogs tilt their heads to leave only one ear exposed and hear better.
The same applies to unknown or distant sounds, it is about making room for as much air as possible, to slightly increase your listening and concentration skills, and it can determine, for example, the origin of the sound.
Dogs are extremely curious and want to know about any kind of change in their environment, to try to find the source of what attracts attention and go after it to explore it.
A group of experts suggests that it ‘s a programmed response that we ourselves unwittingly put into our dogs.
One of the easiest ways to teach a dog something is through positive reinforcement and they often reinforce behaviors ranging from sweet to risky.
An example of this is when we are received, and very well received, by them jumping into a state of complete excitement. According to this hypothesis, dogs learn that assuming this position while you talk to them is more likely to receive petting or rewards, so this corresponds to a behavior that he learned.
One of the most innovative postures suggests that this has nothing to do with the ear, but with the eyes. What it demonstrates is that dogs have difficulty seeing their interlocutors’ faces due to the place where the muzzle is located.
If we put our clenched fist over our noses and look up, we can understand a little bit what a dog’s eyesight is like; much of the owner’s face is lost due to blind spots caused by the position of the snout , so they tilt their heads to eliminate this blind spot and look at their interlocutor’s face in its entirety.
Which would be a sign that dogs with short snouts and flat faces would not have much need to do this. However, this does not correspond to a statistical reality and has not yet been proven.
a health problem
If, in addition to frequently nodding your head, your dog suffers from the following symptoms, the ideal is that you take your pet to the veterinarian so that the professional can evaluate and give a more accurate diagnosis of the case:
- He shakes his head a lot, leaning from side to side, doesn’t stay still for long and is visibly irritated.
- Redness or irritation in the pink and hairless part of the inner ear.
- Have bleeding or excess fluid.
- Hair or wax buildup.
- Evidence of pain in the ear area, desquamation and behavioral changes
- Does not listen to calls and orders (it could mean hearing loss).
Hearing-related illnesses can also affect the dog’s balance, if this occurs, the animal may start to walk in circles and appear visibly disoriented.
Some of the causes of these difficulties may be due to congenital problems, ear canal malformations, nerve damage, ear infections, chronic infections, or allergic reactions to food or medication.
So you better be aware of the behaviors that come with nodding your head, you know your pet better than anyone else and you will know when something is wrong.
