Catherine Crepeau – The Rumor Detector
Science. Your dog greets you with a wagging tail and you conclude that he’s happy you are back. Is your interpretation correct? The Rumor detector Verification.
Tail movements say a lot about a dog’s feelings. Hence, the tail between the legs could translate his tension or fear. As she stands upright, she signals her desire to dominate. But the pulse may have more than one meaning, according to Italian researchers at the Research Center for Mind and Brain Sciences (CIMeC) From the University of Trento (Italy).
at a study Published in 2013 in review Current biology, The team found that the dogs’ tail panels are not symmetrical and are instead tilted to the right or left depending on the situation. The dog will wag its tail more vigorously to the right when it is happy, such as seeing its owner, and to the left to express negative emotions, such as hostility toward another dog. These results were consistent with those forOther works published by the same researchers in 2007.
This type of left-right asymmetry associated with brain asymmetry is prevalent in the animal kingdom and is believed to be Related to the social behavior of animals.
CIMeC researchers found that dogs seemed to be able to perceive these differences in the tail of their mates. They reached this conclusion after showing the canines participating in the study a short movie in which they could see the silhouette of a dog holding its tail steady or wagging it to the right and then to the left, while measuring its behavior and heart. Rate. As a result, when he notices another dog wagging its tail to the left, his heart rate speeds up and he shows signs of stress. On the contrary, when he looks at a fellow creature wagging its tail to the right, he appears relaxed.
According to Giorgio Valortegara, a neuroscientist at the University of Trento and head of the study, this is not an intentional behavior that seeks to convey a message. It is preferable to associate it with the socialization of the animal and the fact that it is often in the presence of its congeners. Then the dog attaches the tail of others to a friendly sign that he will imitate it through the reaction.
According to one of them, dogs react similarly to robotic dogs A Canadian study published in 2011.
Rule
Although the data are still scanty, it can be said that the dog expresses several different emotions with its tail movements. But when he’s your dog, you don’t usually need this evidence to know he’s happy to see you …
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