Why does my Rottweiler tilt its head?

If you have been wondering what it means when your Rottweiler tilts its head, this post will show you a number of common reasons why it might do it.

So, why does my Rottweiler tilt its head? Possible reasons are that it is trying to hear better, to see better, it is dizzy or injured, it’s curious or that you have inadvertently reinforced the behavior.

There are actually many reasons why your Rottweiler might tilt its head and it could be due to a combination of reasons. However, there are things to look for that will make certain reasons more likely than others.

Why your Rottweiler tilts its head

Below, I will show you a number of reasons why your Rottweiler might do it and what would make them more likely to be the main reason.

To improve its hearing

Rottweilers have very good hearing so 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). This could be the reason that it tilts its head when you’re talking to it.

To see better

Sometimes, the muzzle on Rottweilers can get in the way of their vision, it could be the case that your Rottweiler tilts its head sometimes so that it can see better. This would be more likely if it does it when looking at things lower than it or something in the distance but less likely when looking at something higher.

Dizziness or injury

The cause could also be that it is dizzy or injured. This would be more likely if it tilts its head repeatedly, it has started doing it suddenly, 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 Rottweiler to a vet to get expert help.

You have encouraged it

It could be the case that you have encouraged the behavior by giving it things it wants when it does it. This would be more likely if you tend to give it things such as attention, toys or treats when it does it.

You’re being emotional

The reason why it does it might be that it is confused or unsure of what is happening. If your Rottweiler usually tilts its head when you are being emotional with it then it would be more likely that it is tilting its head because it does not know what is happening.

Rottweilers will normally be very responsive to their owner’s emotions. When interacting with your Rottweiler it would help to be calm with it and to use positive reinforcement training to get it to behave the way that you want.

It is curious

Rottweilers will also tilt their heads when they are curious about something. This would be more likely to be the reason if your Rottweiler does it in situations such as when someone is at the door or if someone is interacting with it but in a way that it does not understand.