Have you ever noticed your dog tilting its head while you talk?Our canine companions have many ways of showing their feelings toward humans—some clearer than others.From barking and licking to wagging their tails,dogs use signals we often believe we can interpret.

Yet when they cock their heads from side to side,it can leave us wondering what exactly it means.Veterinarian Dr.Alex Crow recently shared three possible reasons why dogs tilt their heads while focusing on something—and some explanations are even more endearing than you might expect.

In a TikTok video,several dogs are seen tilting their heads as they gaze toward the person filming.Dr.Alex then explains what this gesture could indicate.

“First,it helps them locate the source of a sound more precisely,”he said.“Tilting their head allows dogs to better identify where a noise is coming from,especially if it’s unusual or unfamiliar.”

Dogs can hear a much wider range of frequencies compared to humans.When they tilt their head,they might actually be tuning into a sound that’s too high-pitched for our ears to detect.