Whether you are a dog person, cat person, horse person or any other animal person, you likely wonder what the animal is thinking — particularly about you.
While our obsession with other animals may seem strange, it is really more a product of our brain’s ability to understand complex relationships. Animals with more complex brain characteristics also have more complex relationships. Since humans have very complex brains, it is not surprising that we really want to know more about those animals we bring into our lives. Several recent scientific studies have shed some light on why our beloved animals do what they do. Let’s take a look at what our dogs are doing and why.
Walking in circles before sitting down
We have all seen this behavior. While it may seem ridiculous, there is a very good evolutionary reasons for this behavior. Remember, dogs did not originally develop to live in your house. They were wild animals. When it was time for a dog to take a nap or go to bed for the night, they would circle around a small area to do two things. First, this behavior tamped down the tall grasses in order to make a more comfortable bed. Second, the circling likely drove away snakes and some insects from the nest.
While it is unlikely that large insects or snakes are lurking in your carpet (if there are it is time to clean the house), your dog still circles because of the past history and development of the species. A lingering question is whether or not the dogs even know why they are still circling.
That friendly tail wag is not always friendly. Research has found that a tail wag that is more to the dog’s right means they are excited in a happy way and a tail wag that is more to the dog’s left means they are excited in an alarmed way. And another study found that dogs recognize the tail wag difference and react to it differently.
That being said, just like humans no dog is the same, so a little biological quirk may make the direction of the tail wag not as obvious. And don’t worry, if you dog greats you with a tail wag, licking and an excited dance, then they are certainly happy to see you — even if the tail is wagging left.
The barking is for you
That annoying barking that you keep scolding the dog for, it’s all for you! Wild dogs do not bark as much as their domestic counterparts, even in similar situations. Another study found that domestic dogs do not bark as much if their owners are not home. Despite all the scolding, it seems that a dog’s bark is mostly for our benefit – even if you don’t care to hear the message.
A directional dump
Have you noticed which direction your dog poops in? If you are like most people, you have probably not paid attention — but you should now. Researchers have found that dogs tend to align in a north/south orientation when removing their body waste. Cattle often do the same thing, they found. The reason why? They don’t know. It does bring up two thoughts though. First, can the animals actually feel the magnetic forces? Scientists believe that some migrating animals use magnetic fields to find their way home. Second, who was staring at dogs pooping long enough to realize there was a pattern?
And before you watch your dog and decide that this theory is false, it is important to understand that a lot of our human-made structures slightly alter the magnetic field around them, so this phenomenon occurs more in rural areas.
Licking away the anger
Finally, a new published study found that if your dog is excessively licking their mouths when you are talking to them it might be because they are mad at you. The study found that the tested dogs licked their mouths far more when the humans were talking to them in a mean tone or doing something that they didn’t like. While that lip licking probably doesn’t mean they want to eat you, they may be upset.
Now you may have a little better idea of what your dog is thinking when they behave the way they do. Not a dog person? Come back next week to learn about your cat.