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It's an adorable behaviour that will tug at the heart strings of any dog lover - but why exactly do dogs tilt their heads to one side?
Researchers from the Eotvos Lorand University in Budapest set out to answer this question, and suggest that tilting the head may help dogs to hear and process information more easily.
In their study, the team carried out a series of experiments involving dog owners teaching the name of new toys to their pets.
They found that dogs tilt their heads upon hearing their owners requesting a toy, with the side of the tilt seeming to be consistent for each dog over time.
'Often owners observe dogs tilting their heads and we still do not have a full understanding of the function and circumstances in which this behaviour happens,' the researchers explained in a statement.
'However, this study is the first step in this direction showing how this behaviour could be related to the presence of meaningful and salient auditory stimuli for the dog.'
Researchers from the Eotvos Lorand University in Budapest suggest that tilting the head may help dogs to hear and process information more easily
Many animals - including humans - regularly use asymmetrical behaviours.
For example, you might squint with one eye to study an image, or turn your head a certain way to hear better in response to a noise.
Meanwhile, in dogs, asymmetrical behaviours include tail wagging, nostril use while sniffing, or even paw preference.
'Tilting the head is yet another asymmetrical movement in dogs, but it had