Why Do Dogs Bow Their Heads When You Talk To Them?

You are giving your dog an order, and immediately afterwards he tilts  his head, and you automatically think that he is paying attention  to what you are saying. How many times has this happened to you?

Most bosses associate this movement with the same movement that people  do when they don’t understand what someone is saying to them. As if to say: “what do you mean?” Dogs do that too, and it feels very human.

What is this gesture due to? In fact,  there are two theories that attempt to explain why dogs tilt their heads when you talk to them.

Scientists disagree

The phenomenon is being studied by scientists specializing in biology, veterinary medicine and neuroscience. Despite this, there is still no certain answer, and the researchers disagree with each other.

While it sounds incredible, the tilted head of dogs is a subject that generates debate and controversy in current science. There are mainly two postures that try to explain this behavior, and one opposes the other.

Let’s see the reasons for both theories …

Do dogs bow their heads to feel better?

According to some experts in canine psychology,  dogs bend their heads to place their external auricles so that they can pick up the modulations of our voice with greater clarity  and precision.

Remember that  dogs can recognize more than 160 words. Some specimens even exceed this margin.

For this reason,  it is not strange that they tilt their heads to be more careful as we speak to them.

The second hypothesis: dogs tilt their heads to see us better

According to another group of researchers,  dogs perform this very specific gesture because it allows them to see our mouth as we speak. What prevents them from seeing it from the front? The answer is simple: the muzzle.

This would explain why dogs with larger and longer snouts are more likely to assume this facial posture.

It all depends on training

Don’t forget  that how a dog reacts to your orders largely depends on the effectiveness of the training  he has received. When he tries to identify what you are saying to him by sight and hearing, it means that you can get his attention.

According to this theory,  bowing the head is an action by which dogs try to give meaning to the words we say to them. Evidently their intention seems to want to understand us.

On top of that, perhaps it was you who fomented this type of behavior in your animals.

Scheduled response?

Most  owners tend to think that dogs bow their heads as a sign of attention and obedience.

Without being aware of it, after the dog has bowed its head, we respond with a caress. The consequence of this is that we accustom the animal to repeat this action over and over again, to obtain positive stimuli.

If it does this too many times, there may be a problem

If your dog tilts his head frequently and out of control, you need to be careful. In the minor of cases, he may have ear infection.

Any disease of the auditory organ will affect the dog’s balance,  causing him to tilt his head very often. If your friend only tilts his head when you talk to him, that’s a good sign. The normal thing is that it recognizes its master’s voice, which indicates that everything is fine.