Tail wagging in dogs does not bring significant improvements in the balance or stability of the movements, jumps and runs of these animals, according to a biomechanical study led by experts from the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems of the Friedrich-Schiller University. (Germany) and the Atlanta Institute of Technology in Georgia (United States).
The results of this research have been disseminated by BioRxiv (a preliminary publication platform for biology studies) and can be interpreted as a partial contradiction of previous similar studies, which indicated that many breeds of dogs move their appendages to promote balance. and stability of their displacements.
The team led by Tom Rottier (first firm) and Ardian Jusufi now indicates that, although “dogs and other members of the Canidae use their tails for different purposes, including agile movement such as running and jumping”, the biomechanical tests that have in practice they show notable differences -of this function- between different breeds of dogs, and that in most of them there are no notable changes in balance or stability due to the tail.
The authors of the new study, on the other hand, confirm -how could it be otherwise- that the posterior appendage does serve and is used by dogs as a communication device.
Rottier and Jusufi’s team have reviewed data from studies published in the last 10 years and developed models to analyze tail wagging in dogs of various breeds in detail. With these models, and using dogs equipped with remote sensing equipment, they have simulated the real movements and those expected in the event that the dogs in question did not have a tail (or a tail of a different size).
The fact sheet published by the Science X Network in Phys indicates that “the researchers began their work by noting that members of the Canidae are unique among carnivorous mammals in that they do not climb trees: therefore their tails are not necessary to help them survive.” in that environment.” Also in the previous section, the study recalls that many other terrestrial animals with tails use this appendage to stabilize themselves while running or jumping. Cheetahs, for example, use their tails to keep themselves stable while running very fast.
Dogs’ tails, the authors of the new study note, are smaller than those of tree-dwelling creatures and much less agile than those found in creatures like cats, which use them quite a bit for balance.
In one of their experiments, the team led by Tom Rottier and Ardina Jusufi wanted to find out if dogs’ tails help stabilize their movements by fitting border collies with sewn-on sensor suits that allowed them to monitor the movement of their tails on a computer. every part of the body when running and jumping
Additional software helped with modeling and mapping, giving the researchers “virtual dogs” to perform the same kinds of activities as real dogs. It also allowed the removal of virtual dogs’ tails to compare results.
The result highlighted by the authors (remember that this is a preliminary study, not yet officially published in any peer-reviewed scientific journal) is that there is “very little difference in the abilities” of dogs with tails and those without tails.
“In general, the researchers found that the dogs did not use their tails to help them balance or change direction, or for anything else, at least physically,” the Science X Network abstract states.
Agreeing with popular knowledge and previous scientific studies, those responsible for the new work consider it proven that dogs use their tails to convey their mood and intentions. Fast movement, for example, usually means the dog is happy. Finally, Rottier and Jusufi’s team suggests that although dog tails may have had a complex biomechanical function in the past, communication with their peers and with humans is currently the focus.
