Experts Believe this is Why Your Dog Tilts its Head

More than likely your dog has tilted its head a time or two, usually when you're talking to him/her. Researchers believe they know why.

According to the research journal Animal Cognition researchers at Eotvos Lorand University in Budapest, Hungary believe the reason dogs tilt their heads is directly linked to their ability to process the names of certain objects.

According to the study, some dogs can learn the names of objects. For instance, if you name a dog's toy, many dogs will know what you're talking about if you use the toy's name when speaking. The study showed that this was not the case for all dogs. So if you're dog tilts its head when you speak about something the animal enjoys, your dog is probably more intelligent than other dogs.

The publication claims, "head-tilting is related to processing meaningful or relevant auditory stimuli." In other words, if you specifically mention the name of the dog's toy when speaking, the animal will immediately associate the feeling it experiences when playing with the toy and the reaction is head-tilting.

The study was held over a three-month period. Forty Border Collies were used in the panel. The animals had to learn the names of two separate toys. Again, not all dogs had the capability. As with humans, some dogs were smarter than others. "Gifted" dogs tilted their heads 43% of the time, not-so-gifted dogs had an average of only 2%.

Test your dog's intelligence. Think about something your dog is very fond of that has a specific name, like a toy. When your dog is not really paying attention to you, say the name of the toy and watch your dog out the corner of your eye. Try this exercise a few times. If your dog tilts its head, your dog has above-average animal intelligence.