In a surprising finding that could upset conventional understanding of tail wagging in dogs, Taylor Hersh and a team of European researchers suggest that the domestication of dogs by humans has influenced the way these animals wag their tails. .
Contrary to the long-held belief that dogs wag their tails when they are happy, the researchers propose that natural selection may have been driven by the human preference for rhythmic tail wagging.
Hersh, who led the research, was inspired by watching wolves in a YouTube video, noting that they barely wag their tails compared to the frequency we see in most domestic dogs. The research, published in the journal Biology Letters, suggests that humans may have unconsciously modified tail-wagging behavior in dogs by favoring the characteristic of dogs’ ancestors that brought them joy.
Tail wagging in dogs has a rhythm, and previous studies have shown that rhythms, from music to the sound of horse hooves, trigger brain activity that contributes to feelings of joy. Hersh commented, “They look almost like a metronome: tick, tick, tick, tick, tick.” The hypothesis is that humans, consciously or unconsciously, enjoyed the rhythm of tail wagging in dogs, which led to natural selection for this characteristic.
This theory raises the possibility that dogs with more tail wagging may have been preferred as pets, as owners associated the wag with the animal’s friendliness and happiness. Hersh noted the difficulty of going back in time to fully understand human intentions in domesticating dogs, but highlights the importance of studying modern dogs and current humans to reconstruct that evolutionary path.
The research team hopes to conduct additional studies to confirm their theories, and Hersh, now a researcher at Oregon State University, intends to examine the dogs’ brains, heart rates and other vital aspects to better understand what They think and feel while wagging their tail. This discovery not only sheds light on the evolution of dogs, but also on human preferences and perceptions that could date back to 35,000 years ago.
