Humans for Dogs

Does your dog love you? Watch his tail.

This New York Times article describes a new study that found that dogs tails wag more to the right when they are happy and more to the left when they are scared:

Thus when dogs were attracted to something, including a benign, approachable cat, their tails wagged right, and when they were fearful, their tails went left, Dr. Vallortigara said. It suggests that the muscles in the right side of the tail reflect positive emotions while the muscles in the left side express negative ones.

Our dog's tail wags so hard, it's hard to see which way it's wagging!

Photo by Laertes.

How to tell if your dog is fat

You can tell if your dog is overweight by looking at him or her.  You should be able:

• to feel the ribs,
• see a waist from above and
• their tummy should tuck - be higher than their ribs - when viewed from the side.

If your dog has no waist when viewed from above and the side and you can't feel the ribs, then your dog is likely overweight.

Talk to your vet, feed your dog a quality dog food in measured amounts and take your dog for lots of walks.  It's good for both of you!