Overview

• Scientists have proposed two theories to explain why dogs wag their tails more than other canines: the 'domesticated rhythmic wagging' hypothesis and the 'domestication syndrome' hypothesis.
• The 'domesticated rhythmic wagging' hypothesis suggests that humans may have consciously or unconsciously selected for dogs that wag their tails more often because humans are attracted to rhythmic stimuli.
• The 'domestication syndrome' hypothesis proposes that tail wagging may have arisen as a by-product of other traits that humans selected for during the domestication process, such as tameness or friendliness.
• Tail wagging is primarily used for communication among dogs and between dogs and humans, with different types of wags conveying different messages.
• Further research is needed to confirm these hypotheses and to explore other unanswered questions about tail wagging, such as how much of it is under dogs' conscious control and why dogs wag their tails more than other canines.