Tuesday, April 24, 2007

The tail wagging the emotion

The New York Times had an article yesterday that said the direction a dog's tail wags means that the dog is either happy or cautious. I oversimplify, because I need that in my life every once in a while.

I came home last night and studied Kate's tail — keep your minds out of the gutters — and, frankly, she is an enigma.

She seemed to be neither happy I was home nor afraid that I had returned.

And when I fed her, either she was overjoyed at the dry kibble or chagrined at being served it again.

It's not that she doesn't wag her tail. Her nickname is Seth Thomas.

The Times article reminded me of an episode of "Three Dog Bakery" which was on the Food Network a few years ago.

The hosts of the show had a "dog trainer" on to demonstrate training techniques after the guys cooked up some doggie treats.

One of the hosts said that the demo dog was happy to be in the studio because its tail was wagging.

The "trainer" said something to the effect that the dog was wagging its tail to maintain its balance. That was the only reason.

What?

How many of your dogs fall over if they don't wag their tails?

The "trainer" got his later in the show when the dog he brought wouldn't do anything he asked it to do. Even something simple like sitting on command.

Ha.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I had to share this with local animal lovers, CBS News' Dave Price, who was a guest speaker at a local business event this morning, brought his dog to the event. I'm proud that he is from Poughkeepsie.

Michael Woyton said...

That's great, anonymous. I would love to take Kate with me to more places, but if it involves a car, it needs to be a short drive and not very soon after eating. She doesn't travel well unfortunately.

Anonymous said...

I think they have some kind of motion sickness treatment for animals. Ginger might work too. I would just check with the vet and make sure it is ok to feed Kate ginger.
I bring my dog all over with me, but I can't stand the fur he leaves behind.

Michael Woyton said...

I will ask about ginger when I take Kate for her checkup and shots next month. Thanks.

The thing about traveling with her, besides the carsickness, is that she doesn't settle in the car. She is constantly on her feet and that is not a particularly safe thing. Especially since she has had "knee" problems in the past and one quick stop or turn and those could be aggravated.

Kate's complicated. What can I say?