Some of the greatest mysteries in the world — dark matter, Stonehenge, what the fox says — still remain mostly unanswerable questions. But scientists might have an answer to one of the most perplexing questions about man’s best friend.
“Researchers says dogs respond to each other’s body language, too. ... Tail wagging apparently is not a form of direct communication. It’s more of an indicator of how Fido feels.” (Via KGO-TV)
That’s right; new research is helping to decipher what each tail wag means.
Basically, a tail wag to the right: The dog is experiencing something positive, like excitement at seeing its owner. A tail wag to the left: negative emotions, like anxiety at being approached by a dominant, strange dog. (Via YouTube / Roxanne Palmer)
Researchers say dogs’ brains function roughly the same way as humans’ — the right part of the brain controls the left part of the body and vice versa.
“The right part, in particular, is thought to be associated with emotion. ... So when we see a dog wagging its tail to the left, it’s actually being more emotional, perhaps, than when it’s wagging its tail to the right.” (Via BBC)
This study, published Thursday in the journal Current Biology, builds on research from 2007, which recorded the differences in a dog’s tail-wagging response when approached by different people or animals. (Via KDFW)
The researchers showed the dogs movies of other dogs and documented their heart rate and behaviors. (Via YouTube / Silly Puppos)
Researchers discovered similar results last year, finding dogs turn their heads to the left when they’re around aggressive, dominant dogs and to the right around friendly dogs.
>> See more at: Newsy.com