Dog Tails – Why Dogs Wag their Tails

“….In some ways, tail-wagging serves the same functions as our human smile, polite greeting, or nod of recognition. Smiles are social signals, and human beings seem to reserve most of their smiles for social situations, where somebody is around to see them. Sometimes, vicarious social situations, as when watching television or occasionally when thinking about somebody special, can trigger a smile. For dogs, the tail wag seems to have the same properties. A dog will wag its tail for a person or another dog. It may wag its tail for a cat, horse, mouse, or perhaps even a butterfly. But when the dog is by itself, it will not wag its tail to any lifeless thing. If you put a bowl of food down, the dog will wag its tail to express its gratitude to you. In contrast, when the dog walks into a room and finds its bowl full, it will approach and eat the food just as happily, but with no tail-wagging other than perhaps a slight excitement tremor. This is one indication that tail-wagging is meant as communication or language. In the same way that we don’t talk to walls, dogs don’t wag their tails to things that are not apparently alive and socially responsive.

A dog’s tail speaks volumes about his mental state, his social position, and his intentions. How the tail came to be a communication device is an interesting story.

False Pregnancy in Dogs – Pet tip 223

Female dogs get pregnant when they go into heat and mate with a male dog. Most female dogs have two periods of heat (Estrus) each year and this is when mating is possible. It stands to reason that if the …

Hermit Crabs

The hermit crab is a fascinating exotic pet that has gained popularity for being easy to set up and extremely low maintenance. They are hypoallergenic, clean, and generally very quiet. Unlike fish, they can be handled and taken out of …

Turtles as Pets

Reptiles are quickly gaining popularity as pets throughout homes in North America. There are multiple reasons that people may want to keep reptiles as pets. They’re interesting to watch, they’re distinctive from traditional pets, their keepers may have allergies to fur, some reptiles are truly out of the ordinary, or perhaps people may think that they are less work and require less of a time commitment than their furry counterparts.

A lot of the above reasons are justifiable to want to own a reptile, but as discussed throughout this article, like any pet, reptiles, and particularly turtles, can prove to be more time-consuming and expensive than expected since they have specific requirements that are very different from those that you need to provide for your average furred companion.

Tip – 24 – Picking up a cat – How to pick up and hold a cat or kitten

In general it is best for humans not to pick up kittens before they are 2 weeks old. From 2 – 4 weeks old only brief handling is recommended, as this often puts stress on the cat and the mother. …

Pets 411

Welcome to The Pet Business Directory Pets-411 Search Engine

Pets.ca has over 80,000 pet businesses listed by Category, City, and State/Province. And the directory is growing daily!

Find a business in your area. Start by choosing your province/state from the …

Cat Heart Disease

Cats, as most people know, are extremely stoic animals. It is very rare that a cat will complain about pain or discomfort. This may seem like a desirable trait to some, but in fact, it makes it much more difficult …

Cat Leukemia – Feline Leukemia

Feline Leukemia (FeLV) is similar to Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) in that it is caused by a retrovirus, is transmissible between cats, and results in suppression of the immune system. The end stage of both diseases is death from secondary …

Pet Sugar Gliders

Sugar Gliders are not well known pets but they are becoming more and more popular and suited to the advanced pet owner. They are delicate creatures of the possum family that average about 7 inches (17.8 cm) in length. Sugar …

Red Eye Cats and Dogs

Although most animals do not have day jobs or have the need to read road signs, their vision is an important part of their ability to sense their environment. Their ability to get around the house, catch a tennis ball, …