You come home from workplace and , before you ’ve even step across the limen , yourdogbounds toward you with a rump wagging so energetically that it ’s obvious this is the best part of their day .
You ’re not wrong to take that your andiron is glad to see you : Dogs wag their tails to get happiness , just as a tucked tail can suggest fear . As theAmerican Kennel Club explains , communicating is a key role of dogtooth tails , and these motions can enjoin us when our pets are feel dominant or submissive . Dogs have two anal pouch on either side of their anus , which emit an odor specific to each dog . When your Canis familiaris wag its tail , it ’s also contract the muscles around these secreter and sending olfactory signals far and extensive . If your dog want to draw less attention to itself , it ’ll keep its tail down and stiff . ( The particular fragrance in the anal sacs also explainwhy dogs are constantly sniffing each other ’s butts . )
But that ’s not the only reason tails are a critical appendage for canine . We have our arms to help us balance and move more swimmingly — click have their tails . “ By by design swinging the tail to one side or the other in the direction paired to any tilt in the body , dogs maintain their balance , much the same way of life a circus tightrope walker uses a rest bar , ” Dr. Matthew McCarthy , vet and founder of New York ’s Juniper Valley Animal Hospital , toldReader ’s Digest .
strain that hail from cold climate , like Siberianhuskiesand Alaskan malamutes , can also curl up and pucker their faces into their bushy bottom forwarmth .
These factors play into argument against bob dogs ’ tails , andsome expert believeshorter tail can negatively bear upon a eyetooth ’s ability to intercommunicate . But if your positron emission tomography already has a dock tail — or a lifelike bobtail , like manyAustralian shepherd , for example — don’t worry . There ’s a world-wide lack of evidence suggest that dogs with stumpy tails are “ physically or psychologically disadvantaged , ” grant to theAmerican Veterinary Medical Association .
[ h / tAmerican Kennel Club ]
