D oes your canine buddy start thumping his tail when you look at him or call his name? Does Fido get so excited when he sees you that he wags his tail so hard his hips shake? Those adorable tail wags are definitely one of Fido’s cutest traits. Read on as a Cherry Hill, NJ vet lists some things you may not know about your pup’s tail.
Right or Left
You may have heard of the differences between right and left brain thinking in people. The same holds true for dogs. Sort of. The thinking here is that positive feelings pull a tail right, and negative feelings make it go left. That would translate roughly into: right wags good, left wags bad. That said, it’s probably best to go by the rest of Fido’s body language.
Friends Only
Here’s an interesting one: dogs don’t wag their tails when they’re alone. This may be because tail movements are to signal Fido’s mood to others. Your canine pal isn’t worried about telling himself how he’s feeling!
Getting Started
Fido doesn’t start wagging his tail right away. It usually takes about a month and a half of learning and practice with his mom, siblings, and humans to get this important part of being a dog down pat.
A Useful Tail
Tails are important for much more than just letting on what sort of mood a pooch is in. They also help Fido with his balance, and help him swim. Super active pups use their tails sort of as a counter-balance, while swimmers use them as rudders.
Ashes To Ashes
Pliny the Elder, the famous Roman author, thought that the tail was key to curing rabies. His idea for a cure? Burn hair from the tail of the rabid animal, and put the ashes in its victim’s bite wound. It’s not clear how one is supposed to get tail hair off a rabid animal. We’re not going to test it ourselves. And folks, definitely don’t try this one at home!
The Spine Is The Li feline
Fido’s cute tail is actually part of his spine. It has its own muscles, discs, and anchors. The tail is much more flexible than the backbone. It’s also more vulnerable to injury, because it’s exposed.
Do you have questions about your dog’s tail? Call us, your Cherry Hill, NJ animal clinic, today!
