# Why Do Dogs Cock Their Heads When You Talk to Them? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 21, 2009, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dogs-cock-their-heads-when-you-talk-to-them/497238 "2009-05-21T21:15:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dogs-cock-their-heads-when-you-talk-to-them/497238/1 "2009-05-21T21:15:44Z")
My dog frequently does this-it is like she is pondering my words. I have seen quite a few dogs doing this…anybody know why? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dogs-cock-their-heads-when-you-talk-to-them/497238/2 "2009-05-21T21:17:46Z")
Ar? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dogs-cock-their-heads-when-you-talk-to-them/497238/3 "2009-05-21T21:19:31Z")
It’s because you’re talking to them in a language they don’t understand as though they do understand it. “What’s this damn human doing talking to me again? He knows I can’t understand him. Idiot.” Something like that. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![tr0psn4j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@tr0psn4j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tr0psn4j)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dogs-cock-their-heads-when-you-talk-to-them/497238/4 "2009-05-21T21:29:11Z")
It’s funny when they do it and I’ve always thought it was because of the same reasons humans do it too. [This article seems to agree.](http://ezinearticles.com/?Why-Do-Dogs-Tilt-Their-Heads?&id=1574824) ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dogs-cock-their-heads-when-you-talk-to-them/497238/5 "2009-05-21T21:31:04Z")
Baroo? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dogs-cock-their-heads-when-you-talk-to-them/497238/6 "2009-05-21T21:31:42Z")
I can think of two reasons: First, it positions her head so she can better hear what you’re saying. Your voice is an important sound to her, so she wants to listen closely. You’ll also see dogs doing something similar when there’s a distant sound of interest. Second, it’s a social cue to let you know that she’s listening to you. Dogs, like humans, are social animals, and so have evolved ways to better communicate with each other. ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dogs-cock-their-heads-when-you-talk-to-them/497238/7 "2009-05-21T21:47:41Z")
If a droopy-eared dog tilts his head, the ear will dangle further from the head letting more sound in. It’s kind of the equivalent to a human removing one earbud from his iPod while talking to you. ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dogs-cock-their-heads-when-you-talk-to-them/497238/8 "2009-05-21T22:10:14Z")
Marcie’s dog never does the head cocking thing. He does, when I’m close enough, do the leg cocking thing, though. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dogs-cock-their-heads-when-you-talk-to-them/497238/9 "2009-05-21T22:11:57Z")
Your dog comes from a long line of service dogs. He’s lip reading to stay in practice. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dogs-cock-their-heads-when-you-talk-to-them/497238/10 "2009-05-21T22:40:31Z")
> [@Harmonious\_Discord](#): > > Your dog comes from a long line of service dogs. He’s lip reading to stay in practice. That’s when he’s looking at your arse. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dogs-cock-their-heads-when-you-talk-to-them/497238/11 "2009-05-21T23:00:15Z")
This is a fallacy, the dogs keep their head fixed and YOU tip your head when you talk to them but you don’t realize this so it _appears_ THE DOG cocked his head. ---
**Author:** ![dragonlady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f8ce5/32.png) [@dragonlady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dragonlady)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2009, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dogs-cock-their-heads-when-you-talk-to-them/497238/12 "2009-05-22T00:05:28Z")
I always assumed it was my dogs way of communicating to me that she knows I’m an idiot. I call it her WTF? face. ---
**Author:** ![Booker57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Booker57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Booker57)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2009, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dogs-cock-their-heads-when-you-talk-to-them/497238/13 "2009-05-22T01:27:04Z")
Dogs think human words work on gravity,most of the time we are talking down to them. They tip their head so that the words go in one ear and out the other. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2009, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dogs-cock-their-heads-when-you-talk-to-them/497238/14 "2009-05-22T02:42:12Z")
> [@Booker57](#): > > Dogs think human words work on gravity,most of the time we are talking down to them. They tip their head so that the words go in one ear and out the other. Arf! ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2009, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dogs-cock-their-heads-when-you-talk-to-them/497238/15 "2009-05-22T03:35:40Z")
> [@Covered\_In\_Bees](#): > > It’s because you’re talking to them in a language they don’t understand as though they do understand it. > > “What’s this damn human doing talking to me again? He knows I can’t understand him. Idiot.” > > Something like that. 😛 It’s weird that they think in English, but can’t understand when I speak it. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2009, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dogs-cock-their-heads-when-you-talk-to-them/497238/16 "2009-05-22T03:58:48Z")
I was translating. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2009, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dogs-cock-their-heads-when-you-talk-to-them/497238/17 "2009-05-22T04:36:42Z")
I wouldn’t be surprised if the answer is something along the lines of: 1. Traditionally it happened when a dog would try to orient one ear on you. 2. However, this also happens to look **cute** , making dogs who did this more liked by humans and hence more likely to be bred. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2009, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dogs-cock-their-heads-when-you-talk-to-them/497238/18 "2009-05-22T05:57:51Z")
Goren impressions. ---
**Author:** ![I-VI-ii-V](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c89c15/32.png) [@I-VI-ii-V](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I-VI-ii-V)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2009, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dogs-cock-their-heads-when-you-talk-to-them/497238/19 "2009-05-22T06:00:10Z")
Imitating David Caruso ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2009, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dogs-cock-their-heads-when-you-talk-to-them/497238/20 "2009-05-22T07:14:21Z")
> [@I-VI-ii-V](#): > > Imitating David Caruso But dogs are naturally good actors. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dogs-cock-their-heads-when-you-talk-to-them/497238.md?page=2)