Researchers in Italy have found that tails wag to the right when dogs are happy and see something they want to go toward. The tail wags to the left when dogs are frightened and want to run away from something.
Researchers at the University of Trieste published their findings in the March 20 issue of the journal, Current Biology.
They say it is another example of how the right and left halves of the brain control different emotions.
Researchers tested 30 family dogs and their reactions to their owners, an unknown person, a dominant and unfamiliar dog, and a cat.
The tails kept wagging to the right when dogs were shown their owner, the unfamiliar person or the cat.
When shown the other dog, the tails leaned toward the left and they wagged their tails to the left when they were left alone, suggesting they like company.
However, because dogs move around so much, you can usually only see the difference in the wagging by video analysis.
Click here to read more about the study.
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