New Research Suggests That Tail Wagging Isn’t Always A Sign Of Happiness In Dogs, And The Direction Of The Movement Can Help You Determine If Your Pup Is Feeling Positive Or Experiencing A Withdrawal Response
When your pup realizes that you’re home or gets to go to the park, do they bark like crazy, get the zoomies, or give you plenty of licks? No matter how your dog reacts, their tail is also probably wagging in every scenario– leading you to believe they’re just overjoyed.
But, recent research suggests that tail wagging in dogs isn’t solely a positive signal. In fact, it appears that a dog’s feelings could be closely linked to the direction of their tail wags.
A new review article examined over 100 studies concerning the reasons behind tail wagging among domestic dogs. This comprehensive review focused on four key areas: the mechanics of tail wagging, its developmental aspects, its purposes, and the evolution of this behavior.
According to Silvia Leonetti, the lead author of the review article, dogs primarily use their tails for communication as opposed to other purposes. Cats, on the other hand, use their tails for balance; meanwhile, horses use theirs to fend off flies.
However, one of the most intriguing discoveries from this study is that dogs generally wag their tails to the right in positive scenarios, such as seeing their owner or someone familiar. Conversely, pups tend to wag their tails to the left in circumstances that provoke a withdrawal response, like during aggressive situations or when encountering an unfamiliar dog.
Additionally, the research suggests that dogs might even be capable of interpreting these emotional signals from other pups.
“For example, dogs show more [behavioral] and physiological signs of stress when watching video silhouettes of left-biased wagging dogs compared to right-biased wagging dogs,” the review authors wrote.
Yet, the review also pointed out that the levels of cortisol, a stress hormone, in dogs did not show a direct correlation with the direction of their tail wagging. This suggests that environmental factors also play a significant role.
Taylor Hersh, the review’s co-author, detailed how one previous study examined shelter dogs and the way in which they wagged their tails both before and after receiving pets from humans.
Danielle Press – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only, not the actual dog
“Dogs that had been admitted as strays actually had their cortisol levels go down after they had been pet by a shelter volunteer. The dogs that had been surrendered by owners didn’t show that drop,” Hersh explained.
“In both cases, the dogs were wagging their tails more when they were being petted, but their stress levels changed differently depending on their life history.”
When exploring why domestic dogs began using tail wagging to express emotions, unlike other canines like wolves who rarely do so, Leonetti shared a theory. One possibility is that humans, either consciously or subconsciously, favored dogs that wagged their tails more.
This preference might be due to our natural attraction to rhythmic stimuli, similar to how we enjoy music or the rhythmic sound of a horse’s hooves.
Another theory Leonetti proposed is that in the process of selecting dogs for their tameness and docility, humans might have inadvertently chosen those traits that were genetically linked to tail-wagging behavior.
Regardless, tail wagging undoubtedly plays a critical role in the bond between dogs and humans, and there remains some uncertainty about how this behavior developed and whether dogs have control over these movements.
“We are just scratching the surface,” concluded senior author Andrea Ravignani.
To read the complete findings of the review, which have since been published in Biology Letters, visit the link here.
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