Dogs recognise and respond differently to a left-sided wag than from a right

Side diagonal consociate with left - right asymmetries in the anxious organization have been found to be widespread in the animal kingdom . The new subject area follows other oeuvre by the same Italian research squad which showed that dog wag to the right when they feel positive emotion , such as visit their owners . pawl were observed to waggle to the left field when they feel negative emotion , like when they see an unfriendly dog . The tail - wagging behavior reflected what was find in the dogs ’ mentality : pass on - brain activation grow a waggle to the right-hand while right - wit activation create a wag to the rightfield .

The new research , published in the journalCurrent Biology , indicate that the bum - wagging difference intend something to other domestic dog .   The researcher showed dogs videos of other dogs with either left- or correct - asymmetric tail wagging , and then monitored the dogs ’ reactions . When dogs saw footage of another dog waggle their tail to the left field , their heart rates increase and they begin to appear anxious . When footage was show to the detent of a bounder wagging its tail to the right , they abide relaxed .

The results showed that domesticated dogs could check a communicative cue from the direction another dog was waggle its tail , as express in both cardiac activity and behavior . A bounder observe another dog wagging its tail with a bias to the correct side , and thus demonstrate left - cerebral hemisphere activating as if it was have something positively charged , would produce relaxed responses in the observing frank . A pawl that ascertain a dog waving its tail with a preconception to the left - showing that the observed dog had right - hemisphere activating as if it was experience something negatively charged - would farm dying feelings and increase cardiac frequency in the commentator dog .

Giorgio Vallortigara of the Center for Mind / Brain Sciences of the University of Trento , who was a co - author of the late bailiwick , does not believe that the dogs are trying to communicate emotions to other weenie . alternatively , he thinks the bias observed in tail wagging is likely anautomatic spin-off of differential activationof the leftfield versus the right side of the brain .

The bias in wagging and its reply may number in use for veterinarians in canine beast welfare theory and praxis .