Most of us have seen a puppy raise its face in an adorable curious way, whether it’s a bunch of puppies in a popular video or one’s personal dog expecting a snack. It begs the question of why they do it. In a study conducted, the researchers placed objects in one area and asked dog owners (in a separate room) to tell their dogs to bring a certain object by name. Most dogs couldn’t do it even after several months of training. Gifted Word Learner (GWL) dogs, on the other hand, were the ones who could.

When the GWL dogs noticed their master’s request for a certain object, they turned their heads to one direction 43% of the time, while other dogs tilt their heads only 2% of the time. There appears to be a link between being successful in collecting a particular object and having regular head tilts on hearing its name.

The experts claim that this is the first study to examine dog head tilting, although they pointed out that it’s not the same with every dog. As a result, it can’t be said that only gifted dogs can tilt their heads.

If turning their heads is so adorable that it attracts special attention, that’s a huge bonus. According to some animal behaviourists, it’s a form of taught communication. Some people believe that a dog’s head tilting in reaction to a human is the dog’s method of “having a conversation.” When we show appreciation or treat in return, the head-tilting will happen again.

But keep a check on your dog because, if it happens too often, it could be a symptom of a serious medical condition. An ear inflammation, swelling, or other problem could be indicated by a tilted head.

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