Tails play little or no role in agility, research finds

Dogs tails play little or no role in running or jumping and are more likely used for communication, new research reveals.

The research, conducted by Dr Ardian Jusufi at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart, observed 25 different breeds using a mathematical model to check what happens when dogs move their paws, legs, tails and the twist and turns their torso.

The researchers concluded: “The utilising of the tail during jumping mechanisms achieves very low amounts of centre of mass movement across all species with the largest being under a single degree.

“We believe that this implies that dogs utilise their tails for other means, such as communication and pest control, but not for agility in maneuvers.”