Image credit: Counselling
As always, the answer to such a simple question was ambiguous.
Any scientist will confirm to you that everything created here on Earth has sense and there is nothing superfluous in nature. Even the smallest part of the world is needed for anything. So it happened with the dog’s tail. It is needed by our pets for several reasons.
Tail is a way of communication
The tail of a dog is almost always in motion. He will tell you a lot about her current mood and future intentions. Everyone knows that when he wiggles, the dog is set up positively, and if pressed under it, it’s scared. But there are a lot of other promises from the tail that the dog wants to convey to his congenital, human or other living being.
Wigging with a tail can not always denote friendliness on the part of the dog. Rather, it means excitement. For example:
- When fighting or preparing for an attack, the dog wag his tail (the tail seems to tremble), holding it upright;
- If the dog is particularly frightened, then it will also wag the tail that is under the belly. However, this behavior does not apply to the breed of dogs of the Italian Greyhound. For them, the position of the tail between the legs is normal and ordinary;
- When a dog carries a bone, its tail is just above the body. Thus, she expresses her confidence that she can protect her prey;
- if the tail of the dog hangs freely, then it is calm, content with itself in particular and the world as a whole.
Image credit: PublicDomainPictures
Tail – like the wheel
Pay attention to the fast moving dog. Her tail takes an active part in the movement. He helps her with sharp bends, moving around a log or other uneven surfaces. During swimming, the tail also helps its owner not to drown and swim in the right direction.
Tail is a method of smell transfer
At the base of the tail of the dog are the paranal glands, in which there is a special secret with its own individual odor. If the animal is confident in itself, it waves its tail to spread its smell, to make itself felt, to tell the people around it who it is in front of them. In addition, similar actions involve individuals of the opposite sex. But if it is afraid or frightened, then it clamps it under the belly, not letting the smell spread. This is a kind of attempt not to attract attention.
The tail is beautiful
Look around. We are surrounded by so many different dogs. Their tails are long and short, standing upright and hanging, twisted and straight. And the tail of each of them is magnificent. It complements the greatness of the animal, creates a complete picture. This is a matter of pride for every adult dog. Here are just a few photos of such different tail and tails.
Image credit: rnest
Image credit: Didgeman
Image credit: eileenstroup
We go from the reverse
If you ask your friends the question of why a dog has a tail, judging by their answers, you can divide them into types.
- romantics believe that the tail is an indicator of the mood of a doggie;
- pessimists claim that the tail is needed for the dog to be squeezed in case of fear;
- citizens with a scientific mindset think that the tail is the extension of the spine;
- aesthetes say that the tail is necessary solely for beauty;
- pragmatists see the use of the tail in balancing and regulating movement, various jumps and balance.
Among what type of people did you recognize yourself?
It’s nice that tail reduction is becoming less and less common, and we can more and more often see long-tailed handsome boxers, schnauzers, Dobermans and others. Now, after you have learned about why a dog has a tail, the question of the sense of cropping the ears and tail may now seem superfluous.