# Tail wagging - new study



## SydTheSpaniel (Feb 12, 2011)

I thought this was pretty interesting!

http://www.thestate.com/2013/10/31/3069666/fidos-tail-wags-may-reveal-more.html

By MALCOLM RITTER — The Associated Press

The way Fido wags his tail might reveal more about him than you know. Just ask another dog.

A few years ago, researchers discovered a subtle difference in how dogs wag their tails. When a dog sees something positive, such as its owner, it tends to wags its tail more to its right. The wagging tends to go left when it sees something negative, like an unfamiliar dominant dog.

Now, the same Italian researchers report that other dogs pick up on that difference, and it’s reflected in their behavior and even their heart rates. Experts say the tail-wagging difference appears to be one way that dogs gauge how other dogs will respond to them.

“It’s just fascinating that dogs pick up on it,” said Evan MacLean, co-director of Duke University’s Canine Cognition Center. For humans, he said, “it’s a difficult thing to see.”

MacLean was not involved with the study, reported Thursday in the journal Current Biology.

Giorgio Vallortigara of the University of Trento in Italy, an author of the study, said Fido is not deliberately sending a message. Instead, the tail-wagging behavior stems from how different emotional cues activate different parts of the brain, he said in an email.

For the experiment, Vallortigara and co-authors used videos of a dog or its silhouette, wagging its tail mostly to one side or the other, or not wagging at all. They showed the videos to 43 dogs, including such breeds as Rottweilers, beagles, boxers, border collies and German shepherds as well as mixed breeds.

When the dog in the video wagged mostly to its left, the sign of a negative response, observer dogs tended to have faster heartbeats than when it wagged the other way or not at all. Their behavior also indicated a higher degree of stress.

Alexandra Horowitz, who studies mental abilities of dogs at Barnard College in New York, said that the wagging difference is probably not a primary signal between Fido and Rover in daily life, but it may play a minor role.

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2013/10/31/3069666/fidos-tail-wags-may-reveal-more.html#storylink=cpy


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## 3doglady (Jul 31, 2011)

Very interesting, thanks for posting. I know what I'll be doing over the next couple of weeks.


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## Jmc1985 (Nov 27, 2012)

Interesting study! Now to see if I'm able to discern the different movements on my MAS's stubs LOL.


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## Hellocat (May 13, 2013)

This has always been an interesting topic for me, especially after getting duchess. I find it fascinating that they Use their tail to do so much of their communicating. Dogs who are happy, but alone, will not wag their tail. It is only done in the presence of others (human or dog).


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

Hellocat said:


> Dogs who are happy, but alone, will not wag their tail. It is only done in the presence of others (human or dog).


Not necessarily. An aroused dog will wag its tail. My pup wags as he is hunting down wildlife and getting close (like when his nose is down a chimpmunk hole). I'm pretty sure it has nothing to do with communicating with me, since he will do it when he's far from me and has forgotten I exist.


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## quatro (Aug 14, 2013)

I believe in ear language more than tail. I can tell when dog is compliant, content, excited or looking for a fight.


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## workerant (Feb 28, 2011)

In my half-day of watching my dogs since I heard about this research this morning, I cannot confirm their results. My dogs appear to wag symmetrically when known-good people come in the store. Clearly, more research is required.

On the other hand, I know when Maeby is REALLY excited about something because her tail starts wagging in a big circle like a helicopter. It's pretty awesome.


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## Hellocat (May 13, 2013)

Elr, he isn't alone if he's out with you among wildlife. Here is something from dog psychology I thought was interesting: "Since tail wagging is meant as signal a dog will only wag its tail when other living beings are around-e.g. a person, another dog, a cat, a horse or perhaps a ball of lint that is moved by a breeze and might seem alive. When the dog is by itself, it will not give its typical tail wags, in the same way people do not talk to walls."


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## Doggle (Sep 5, 2013)

workerant said:


> I know when Maeby is REALLY excited about something because her tail starts wagging in a big circle like a helicopter. It's pretty awesome.


:- D My girl does this, too. It always makes me laugh.


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## Kudzu (Aug 15, 2013)

Mine too! I love it....we call it propeller tail.


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## Foresthund (Jul 17, 2013)

Interesting,I didn't know their was a difference in friendly towards more aggressive/prey drive tail wagging. My dog was docked(not by me) and he does wag his tail,but its likely not as noticeable on direction.


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## Kclementi17 (Oct 30, 2013)

So interesting! I have been wondering why my newfoundland moves his tail to the right when he's walking up to our schnauzer!


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## Violet Dragon (Aug 20, 2013)

I've never seen my dog wag his tail to a favorable side. Of course, his poor tail is so short (do to the breeders docking) I might be missing something. It does wag faster than a hummingbird's wing when he's trailing.





Hellocat said:


> Elr, he isn't alone if he's out with you among wildlife. Here is something from dog psychology I thought was interesting: "Since tail wagging is meant as signal a dog will only wag its tail when other living beings are around-e.g. a person, another dog, a cat, a horse or perhaps a ball of lint that is moved by a breeze and might seem alive. When the dog is by itself, it will not give its typical tail wags, *in the same way people do not talk to walls.*"


Haha, some people do talk to themselves and only the walls are around to listen, so that's not really a good comparison. :bounce:


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