Why does my German Shepherd tilt its head?

If your German Shepherd has been tilting its head you might be wondering why.

This will show you a number of reasons why your German Shepherd might tilt its head.

So, why does my German Shepherd tilt its head? Possible reasons are that it is curious, you’re being emotional, to improve its hearing, to see better or that you positively reinforced the behavior it might also be due to dizziness or injury.

There are a number of different reasons why it might do it and there are a number of things that you can consider when trying to figure it out.

Why your German Shepherd tilts its head

Each of the different reasons why a German Shepherd will tilt its head will likely come with a number of clues in the way that it does it.

Below, I will show you a number of reasons why your German Shepherd might tilt its head and the signs to look for.

To improve its hearing

German Shepherds have very good hearing and it is not necessary for them to tilt their heads in order to hear things. However, tilting their head may help them to single out phrases that are important to them such as when you are telling it to come for food (source).

To see better

German Shepherds tend to have big muzzles that can make it difficult for them to see certain things. As a result of this, they might tilt their heads in order to see things more clearly. This would be more likely to be the reason if your German Shepherd tilts its head when it is looking at something directly in front of it.

Dizziness or injury

The reason why it does it might be that it is dizzy or it is injured. This would be more likely if it does it repeatedly, it has been showing other signs of being dizzy or injured or it does it at unusual times (source). If you think that dizziness or injury is the cause then it would help to take your German Shepherd to a vet to get expert help.

You have positively reinforced it

It could be the case that your German Shepherd has learned that tilting its head gets it things that it wants. This would be more likely to be the reason if you tend to give it things that it likes when it tilts its head such as lots of attention or treats.

You’re being emotional

German Shepherds were bred to work alongside their owners for hours daily. As a result, they are a breed that are highly in tune with their owner’s emotions. The reason why your German Shepherd tilts its head to the side could be that it is trying to get a better idea of why you are being emotional.

This would be more likely if it does it when you do things such as talk to it in a high pitched voice or other things that you wouldn’t normally do.

It is curious

One reason why German Shepherds will tilt their heads is that they are curious about something or that they are confused. The reason why they will tilt their heads when they are curious could be to allow themselves to hear or see better.

Related post: How to tell if your German Shepherd loves you