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- Dogs have tails for three essential reasons.
- Reason 1: Balance.
- By swinging their tails to one side or the other, the dogs try to maintain their body balance.
- This is much like tightrope walkers who swing their hands to maintain balance.
- Still, several dog breeds have no problems with movement and balance, even with cut tails.
- There is no published scientific study that explains this phenomenon.
- Reason 2: Communication.
- It is much known that dogs wag their tails to inform us that they are happy.
- But wagging of the tail also helps them communicate with other dogs.
- Dogs have two anal sacs — one on either side of their anus.
- When dogs wag their tails, they also squeeze muscles around these anal glands to emit an odour, which is specific to each dog.
- Wagging sends these odours far and wide.
- Dominant dogs tend to keep their tails high because holding tails high release more scent from the anal glands.
- Submissive dogs carry their tails lower to mask the odour to keep a low profile.
- Reason 3: Warmth
- Some northern breeds such as Shiba Inu and Siberian Husky curl their furry tails and cover their faces to keep themselves warm.
Also Read:
Why is the Doberman breed of dogs called Doberman, and why are their tails cut?
Image courtesy of Artem Beliaikin through Pexels
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