Dogs Are Such Wags!

Breeds of dog have very variable tails. They range from bushy extragavances to immobile stumps. A group from the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart, used modelling in an attempt to determine the function of the pooche's tail (https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/jan/02/tail-does-not-wag-the-dog-when-it-comes-to-agility-scientists-find). The Stuttgart group were aware, that in many animals (notably members of the cat family and some primates), the tail facilitates making agile movements. This can be helpful when chasing prey etc. The dog's tail had no impact on direction change in a leap. It seems likely that the tails of dogs (and their relatives) serve other fuctions. These could range from discouraging flies to inter- and intraspecific communication.