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How to tell if your dog is *really* happy; Its tail wags more to the left
Topic Started: Jan 31 2010, 02:58 PM (364 Views)
George K
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Finally
Things you need to know:

The tell tail clue to a happy dog... they wag it to the left
Quote:
 
Everyone knows that if a dog's ears are up and its tail is wagging vigorously, it is definitely pleased to see you.

Now, scientists using a robot have found that the way dogs use their tails is more subtle than we thought and that dogs that wag them to the left may be more friendly.

The animal psychologists discovered that when real dogs approached a life-sized black Labrador with a mechanical tail, they were less wary of it when it was wagging its tail on the left side of its body.

When the robot's tale wagged to the right side, far fewer dogs approached it in a confident manner.

In the experiments, the researchers used a model with black synthetic fur covering a wire-framed body.

A small motor allowed the tail to be manipulated by a hand-held remote control.

More than 500 dogs were filmed as they approached the model in a public park.

In the study, published in the journal Laterality, the researchers looked in particular at whether the dogs were hesitant or not as they walked up to the model, as stopping or pausing can be a sign of lack of confidence, doubt or fear. In the first batch of the experiments, 56 per cent of the animals approached the model without hesitation when the tail was wagged to the left, but only 21 per cent had such a direct approach when it went to the right.

When the researchers excluded incidents where owners were present and may have influenced the behaviour of their pets, the results were similar: 41 per cent of the dogs approached continuously when the tail was wagging to the left, while only 28 per cent did so when it was on the right.

The researchers, from the University of Victoria in Canada, said they did not know whether the dogs' behaviour was the result of experience or an inherited predisposition.

But they warned that the results suggested that the controversial practice of tail docking in some breeds could disrupt communication between animals.

Animal psychologist Roger Mugford said it added to growing evidence that dogs were even more sophisticated communicators than animals more closely related to man such as monkeys.

He said: 'It is ground-breaking stuff. We know that dogs, in a sense, have language, but it is more complicated because it is not just them wagging their tails, but also giving out chemical displays.'

Surrey-based Dr Mugford said the research reinforced earlier studies suggesting that dogs, like humans, had a left-side bias.

He explained: 'If you are going to present a signal to a dog, it is sensible to put it on your left-hand side because that is where dogs, unusually among other species of animals, tend to look.

'It is another example of the similarity between dogs and humans. They are a lot more human than we give them credit for.'
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kenny
HOLY CARP!!!
It said, "It is another example of the similarity between dogs and humans."

Was there a study of a robot woman wagging her tail in various ways so men know how to read her signals?
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ivorythumper
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I am so adjective that I verb nouns!
George K
Jan 31 2010, 02:58 PM
'It is another example of the similarity between dogs and humans. They are a lot more human than we give them credit for.'
But the reverse is not true.
Edited by ivorythumper, Jan 31 2010, 03:07 PM.
The dogma lives loudly within me.
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PattyP
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True or not, being a dog person I take it as a compliment when someone calls me a bitch.


(Do you know how long I've wanted to put that in a post!? :lol: )



A tired dog is a good dog.

"Dogs' lives are too short...their only fault, really."
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John Galt
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Sounds like pugs could be seriously disadvantaged, too.
Let us begin anew, remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness.
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ivorythumper
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I am so adjective that I verb nouns!
PattyP
Jan 31 2010, 03:19 PM
True or not, being a dog person I take it as a compliment when someone calls me a bitch.


(Do you know how long I've wanted to put that in a post!? :lol: )


:lol2:

I can't imagine ANYONE ever calling you that!
The dogma lives loudly within me.
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George K
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Finally
PattyP
Jan 31 2010, 03:19 PM
True or not, being a dog person I take it as a compliment when someone calls me a bitch.
(Mrs. George Mode)

True or not, being a dog person ICU nurse, I take it as a compliment when someone calls me a bitch.

(/Mrs. George Mode)
A guide to GKSR: Click

"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... "
- Mik, 6/14/08


Nothing is as effective as homeopathy.

I'd rather listen to an hour of Abba than an hour of The Beatles.
- Klaus, 4/29/18
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Free Rider
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PattyP
Jan 31 2010, 03:19 PM
True or not, being a dog person I take it as a compliment when someone calls me a bitch.


(Do you know how long I've wanted to put that in a post!? :lol: )


Bitch! :lol2:


Edited by Free Rider, Jan 31 2010, 03:38 PM.
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PattyP
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:lol2: :yesgrin:

A tired dog is a good dog.

"Dogs' lives are too short...their only fault, really."
A.S. Turnbull
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Improviso
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HOLY CARP!!!
Posted Image
Identifying narcissists isn't difficult. Just look for the person who is constantly fishing for compliments
and admiration while breaking down over even the slightest bit of criticism.

We have the freedom to choose our actions, but we do not get to choose our consequences.
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PattyP
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OMG, that face is priceless. :lol:

A tired dog is a good dog.

"Dogs' lives are too short...their only fault, really."
A.S. Turnbull
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Luke's Dad
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Emperor Pengin
One question, our left or their left?
The problem with having an open mind is that people keep trying to put things in it.
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Frank_W
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Resident Misanthrope
There once was a very strange poodle
Who loved to eat hot apple strudel
But he screamed and he cried
And he damn near died
Because he could not shout, "COCKADOODLE!!"

:D
Anatomy Prof: "The human body has about 20 sq. meters of skin."
Me: "Man, that's a lot of lampshades!"
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Mikhailoh
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If you want trouble, find yourself a redhead
I wonder if it is not that wags to the left are happier and friendlier but that it has something to do with the way dogs' eyes scan or their brains process visual input. In any event I'm not sure exactly what one can tell from tests with a robot dog, which the other dog clearly knows is NOT a dog.
Once in his life, every man is entitled to fall madly in love with a gorgeous redhead - Lucille Ball
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T3h B34r
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Junior Carp
When I hump your leg, or that cute Pomeranian down the street, I are pretty happy...

*wag wag wag wag wag...*
O hai. I can haz big dinnerz?

If you can't eat it or screw it, piss on it and walk away. (and leave big p00pz!)

The Great Pyrenees
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ivorythumper
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I am so adjective that I verb nouns!
I always assumed they were happiest licking their balls. <insert obligatory joke here>
The dogma lives loudly within me.
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T3h B34r
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Junior Carp
That's just personal hygiene. Whuff!
O hai. I can haz big dinnerz?

If you can't eat it or screw it, piss on it and walk away. (and leave big p00pz!)

The Great Pyrenees
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