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are dogh head tilts really a sign of
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intelligence or are we just reading too
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much into their behavior you might not
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like the answer and the truth just might
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surprise you it's more controversial
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than you think let's break it down
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because this isn't just about intellect
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or cuteness it's about how your dog's
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brain really works first let's address
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the obvious dogs tilt their heads to
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hear better their ear anatomy allows
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them to pinpoint the direction of a
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sound and tilting their head changes the
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angle making it easier to locate and
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interpret noises but here's where it
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gets interesting a study from elt
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University in Hungary found that dogs
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with strong problem-solving skills tend
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to tilt their heads more frequently
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especially when trying to understand
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what their owners are saying so when
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your dog tilts their head during do you
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want to treat they're not just being
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cute they're actually processing and
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problem solving but it goes further than
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that the Tilt isn't just about sound
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it's also about Vision dogs have long
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muzzles and for some breeds this can
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block their line of sight tilting their
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head helps them get a better view of
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your face body language or even the
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treat in your hand think of it like
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shifting your head to see around a
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corner except your dogs doing it to read
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your emotions and intentions now here's
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where it gets controversial but before I
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get into this part please do like and
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subscribe this will be a big help to
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support this channel some experts argue
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that the head tilt is a learned behavior
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not an instinctive one if you awe and
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reward your dog every time they tilt
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their head they quickly learn that this
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move gets them attention and possibly
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snacks it's like they're saying if I do
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this they melt easy win others however
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believe the Tilt is purely an Adaptive
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Behavior that's hardwired into their
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communication toolkit personally I think
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it's a little of both dogs are smart
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enough to manipulate us but they're also
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genuinely trying to understand what
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we're saying and feeling let's not
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forget about emotion dogs are masters of
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empathy and the head tilt might be their
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way of showing they're engaged with you
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think about the last time someone tilted
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their head while you were talking it
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probably made you feel like they were
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listening closely right dogs might be
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tapping into that same Dynamic using the
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Tilt to build a deeper bond with you and
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honestly it works but here's a curveball
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not all dogs tilt their heads and that
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doesn't mean they're less intelligent or
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less empathetic some breeds particularly
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flat-faced ones like pugs or Bulldogs
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may not tilt as much because they don't
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have the same muzzle obstruction or ear
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positioning so if your dog isn't a
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tilter don't take it perf personally
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they're still paying attention in their
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own way let me share a quick story my
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dog Luna tilts her head every time I say
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her name in a high-pitched voice it's
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like she's trying to figure out if I'm
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calling her for a walk a treat or just
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to mess with her one day I tried
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experimenting with random phrases like
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banana pancakes and quantum physics same
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tilt same intense Focus it's like she's
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thinking I don't know what that means
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but I'll figure it out whether it's
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instinct or learned behavior it's
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impossible not to feel connected when
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she does it so what's the takeaway the
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head tilt isn't just cute it's a window
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into your dog's mind whether they're
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trying to hear you better see your face
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or figure out what you want it's proof
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of how much effort they put into
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understanding us and that's something
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worth appreciating have you ever noticed
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your dog tilting their head at a
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specific word sound or gesture what do
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you think they're trying to figure out
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drop your stories in the comments I'd
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love to hear what makes your dog tilt
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their head and check out our next video
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for more on hidden dog behaviors you'll
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learn how your dog picks up on feelings
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you didn't even realize you were showing
