Dogs With Docked Tails Can Grow Up Mean - Faunalytics

Home » Why Do You Cut Pitbulls Tails » Dogs With Docked Tails Can Grow Up Mean - Faunalytics

Maybe your like

Image by Pixabay user YamaBSM

Dogs With Docked Tails Can Grow Up Mean

Summary By: Faunalytics | Published: April 1, 2008Estimated Reading Time: < 1 minutedownload report PDFLog in or sign up for accessFavoriteLoadingSave to My Library FULL TEXT The full text of this article is available EXTERNAL STUDY This is a summary of an external study Dogs with docked tails express more aggressive behavior than dogs without docked tails, most likely because a tail is an important communication tool for dogs.

University of Victoria scientists found that docking a dog’s tail (cutting it short or off entirely) can make it more aggressive, likely because a tail is an important communication tool for dogs and their behavior is negatively affected without it.

Based on the interactions of 492 live dogs with a robotic dog, researchers theorize that dogs with docked tails are more likely to be aggressive than dogs with intact tails.

Dogs use their tails as a primary method of communication, therefore the lack of tail can adversely affect the dog. This experiment first utilized a robotic dog with a long tail. When the tail was wagging, other dogs would approach it in a friendly way. If the tail was still, they would approach it in a less confident way. When a shorter tail was affixed to the dog, dogs approached it more warily. When there was no tail, dogs reacted to it as they had with the longer, stiff tail.

Meet the Author: FaunalyticsFaunalytics is a nonprofit research organization dedicated to helping animals by providing useful information to advocates to help them increase their impact.

Citations:

Tom Reimchen, Steve Leaver, University of Victoria, 2006

Tags:

Companion Animals Animal Behavior English Psychology Dogs

Related Posts

two dogs threatening each other

Behavioural Responses Of Canis Familiaris To Different Tail Lengths Of A Remotely-Controlled Life Size Dog Replica

This study found that when dogs communicate, shorter tails are worse than longer tails and a dog with a shorter tail makes an approaching dog more cautious.

In the Spotlight

english bull dog walking around with a purple collar around it

Companion Animal Obesity Continues To Grow In U.S.

The problem of companion animal obesity is continuing to rise as 34 million dogs and 54 million cats are now considered overweight or obese.

In the Spotlight

an elderly man and woman sitting next to each other

Robotic Dogs Value In Elderly Care Homes

This study looks at robotic companion animals as a form of animal assisted therapy to provide social interaction stimuli to dementia patients.

In the Spotlight

Reading The Emotions Of Our Companion Dogs

Knowing a companion dog for a long time may influence how we read their emotions - but not necessarily make our readings accurate.

In the Spotlight

Wolves Are Better Than Dogs At Imitating Each Other

In observational experiments, wolves appear to be better at imitating the behaviors of their own species when compared to dogs.

In the Spotlight

Photographing Shelter Dogs: You (Need to) Let the Dogs Out!

Some excellent advice for companion animal and shelter animal advocates: photographing a dog on a plain indoor background gives them the highest adoptability rating.

In the Spotlight

a dog with its leash on, lying in the grass

Study: Dogs React To Aggression With Aggression

This research has found that people using confrontational training methods, inadvertently encourage their dogs to respond with increasingly aggressive behavior.

In the Spotlight

raw bacon in a wooden bowl

World Meat Market To Grow By 40%

The worldwide meat market is expected to grow rapidly as wealth accumulates across previously impoverished income brackets around the world.

In the Spotlight

raw meat being cooked

Meat Output and Consumption Grow

The worldwide consumption of animal products continues to grow extensively with a 2.5% increase in production from 2006 to 2007.

In the Spotlight

cartoon woman pointing to a brown lunch bag

Brown Bag Lunches Grow In Popularity: NPD

Brown-bag lunches are becoming increasingly popular to mediate financial concerns, especially among white collar professionals.

In the Spotlight

The Meaning Of Barking: Communication Between Dogs

This research on the meaning of barking as a communication tool between dogs focuses on understanding how to curb "nuisance" barking.

In the Spotlight

Are Dogs From Non-Commercial Breeders And Dogs From Pet Stores Different?

Research shows that dogs obtained from pet stores may be more likely to have a host of problematic and undesirable behaviors compared to a control group.

In the Spotlight

Donate to Faunalytics today

Support Our Work

Your donation saves animals and empowers advocates

  • Amount*
    • $25
    • $50
    • $100
  • Frequency*
    • Monthly
    • Once
AllAnimals Used for FoodAnimals Used in ScienceCompanion AnimalsEffective AdvocacyOther TopicsOur BlogWild Animals Faunalytics uses cookies to provide necessary site functionality and to help us understand how you use our website. By continuing to use this site, you agree to our privacy policy. I Agree meerkat-emails.jpg

Don’t Miss a Thing

Faunalytics delivers the latest and most important information directly to your inbox. Choose what topics you want to see and how often you get our emails, and you can unsubscribe anytime.

  • Email*

Tag » Why Do You Cut Pitbulls Tails