RANK IT #02 · DOG TEST #1

5 toys to try the head-tilt test at home

Scientists in Budapest filmed 40 dogs while their owners asked for a toy by name ("bring rope!"). Dogs who had learned their toys' names tilted their heads in 43% of tries; typical dogs did it in just 2%. Each dog also kept tilting to the same side, month after month.

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  1. 1

    Rope tug

    "Bring rope!" was the study's own example. It had to be #1.

    Gear pickRope tug toyComing soon
  2. 2

    Squeaky plush

    Easy to name, easy to love.

    Gear pickSqueaky plush toyComing soon
  3. 3

    Fetch ball

    Every dog knows "ball." Or do they?

    Gear pickRubber fetch ballComing soon
  4. 4

    Flying disc

    A new word to learn: "frisbee!"

    Gear pickSoft flying discComing soon
  5. 5

    Toy basket

    Keep the named toys together for practice.

    Gear pickToy storage basketComing soon

Sources & fine print

Study: Sommese, Miklósi, Pogány, Temesi, Dror & Fugazza (2021), An exploratory analysis of head-tilting in dogs, Animal Cognition. The team suggests tilting may be linked to processing meaningful words. That's a hypothesis, not proven yet.

This toy ranking is just for fun. It's our opinion, not part of the study. Try it: say a toy's name and watch which way your dog tilts.

Team LEFT tilt or team RIGHT tilt? Tell us on TikTok.

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