Thought you understood your pet? Think again

"A dog with a wagging tail is a happy dog. Purring cats are content. Always give your rabbit carrots. Sadly, most of these beliefs are wrong."
So what's the real story?

Dogs see in black and white

Wrong. Although dogs have limited colour vision - red and green appear similar to them - tests show they can distinguish blue, yellow and grey objects. Researchers at the University of California found that greyhounds and poodles can spot the odd one out from three coloured panels in return for food. Researchers have also identified receptors at the back of the eye that allow colour vision.

A wagging tail means a happy dog

Not necessarily. In most cases this is true, but dogs also wiggle their tails when they are agitated, tense, anxious, annoyed or ready to fight.

'The tail is an important communications device for a dog,' says Pendlebury.
Different positions and movements mean different things.'

Dr John Bradshaw and Dr Sarah Brown of the University of Bristol found that an erect tail indicates confidence and a lowered tail, but possibly wagging tail, insecurity.

This is why tail docking for appearance is unwise: it robs the animal of a way of displaying its mood and making friends with other animals, which can lead to fights.


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