Have you ever watched as your dog studied something that you're doing right in front of him?
Did he do the head tilt? That's because dogs have eyes that are set to the sides of their head, so to see clearly what is in front of him he may have to tilt his head. Your dog will also do this to gather information about you. He will check out your facial expression and your movements to process what you want.
Dogs also have ear flaps that either partially or fully cover their ears. This does prevent certain sounds from becoming clear, so tilting the head and perking up those ear flaps allows your dog to tune in and pick up all the sounds.
Use this interest in you
to create a bond and begin to instruct him in simple things, then he will follow in other commands much easier.