Why do they look sideways when they see something curious?
2007-10-27 21:10:05 · 9 answers · asked by ♥ Leo ♥ 5 in Pets ➔ Dogs
it is a way of communication. our dog does it when she sees food. as i am more 'dominant' in the pack lol, she shows her respect by glancing to and from the food as if to say 'i want it but i wont if you do' it is pack instinct. it also shows concentration...they can get a really good look at something that puzzles them...
2007-10-27 21:38:09 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 9⤊ 0⤋
Lol, my puppy was doing that about 20 minutes ago. He heard a chimp on TV, so he sat in front of the TV and tilted his head from one side to the other. It's sooo darn cute, isn't it?
*taps fingers and waits for an animal behaviorist to to answer the question*
BTW: Did you notice humans do that as well? In dogs, I think it may be to get a different angle on a sound vibration, in order to more easily identify an unfamiliar sound.
2007-10-28 04:35:39 · answer #2 · answered by ♥Carol♥ 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋
GREAT QUESTION!!!
I've never done any research on this question, but because I so enjoy causing my dog to tilt his head with random questions or comments I felt compelled to comment.
Here's my theory...
Dog's know a certain number of commands from their owners right? My belief is that when we speak to them with words that they don't understand (because it's not a command) they don't know what to do, but they are still very curious about what we are saying and "trying" to understand so they can follow our command.
They don't know we don't have a command at that time, but they wish they knew what we were saying so they could do the command if we were giving them one.
That's my humble opinion on why dogs turn their heads when we talk to them in our native tongue.
I'd bet $100 that dogs in Mexico, France or US all do the same thing. It's not the language, it's our energy associated to our verbal communication.
EVB
2007-10-28 04:40:04 · answer #3 · answered by 8020rule 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋
I agree, i think its how they use full concentration to figure out a sound that's unusual to them. I've often wondered if that head tilting can be a way to figure out if your dog is left or right 'handed'. Does he favour the left or right ear when he concentrates? interesting...
2007-10-28 04:32:07 · answer #4 · answered by jukette 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋
When dogs hear a sound, they may not always be able to identify it, but they can always tell the direction from which it came from. If a friend calls you from far away, you may not be able to tell whether it was louder in your right or left ear, but your dog can. Your dog automatically cocks it head, subtly pointing the ear closer to the source of noise so it can enhance its sense of hearing.
2007-10-28 04:49:16 · answer #5 · answered by ninjaaa! 5 · 5⤊ 0⤋
That's just one of the many things that dogs do to communicate - in this case it shows curiosity. Have a look at this http://www.the-pet-website.com/dogs/communication.html for more about the way dogs communicate.
2007-10-28 04:21:46 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 5⤊ 0⤋
good question !
I always think that by doing that they are taking more visual and auditory stimulus in.
Bit like humans turning their ears towards a sound to hear better
2007-10-28 04:17:19 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
I know they're cute. Maybe they do it because they're wondering what that is or thinking: "HMMMM. What could that thing be? That device is unknown!" or something like that.
2007-10-28 04:27:17 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 2⤋
And cats don't do that ?
2007-10-28 04:27:46 · answer #9 · answered by Mr_realist 3 · 1⤊ 10⤋