Commentary
Docking dogs’ tails remains a topic of debate <Link>. This research sheds light on one of the rationales used to argue against tail docking.
Many carnivores use their tail to make them more agile on the hunt but questions about dog tail use have remained. New research identified that the use of a dog’s tail during jumping activities achieves very low amounts of center of mass movement across all species. Researchers believe that this implies that dogs use their tails for other means, such as communication and pest control, but not for agility in maneuvers.
Source: Science Alert, January 4, 2023. Link.