Biomechanical modeling of Border Collies (Canis familiaris) for insights of tail and limb use during the aerial phase of jumping

Abstract

Dogs and other members of Canidae utilize their tail for different purposes including agile movement such as running and jumping. One of the unique aspects of the Canidae species is they have a very small size differential as a clade with all of the extant canid species are below 35 kg, except large dog breeds. In this study, we utilize morphological geometries of the animals to test differences in tail use in 24 extant Canidae. We propose evolutionary trade-offs of larger and more massive tails through varying simulations. This work could alleviate unknown biomechanical use of the tails to understand the behavioral biomechanics of lesser-known species in their ability to use their tail for rapid and taxing behaviors including sprinting or climbing. We analyze the phylogenetics between the kinematics of tail use to predicatively hypothesize differences of function for variable center of mass benefits.

Why do dogs wag their tails?

“…Tails are common across vertebrates and originally evolved for locomotion, with many animals also using tails for balance and swatting pests [ 51 , 58 ]. In canids, tails are no longer primarily used for locomotion [ 58 ], but rather for ritualized communication [ 51 ].…”

“…Tails are common across vertebrates and originally evolved for locomotion, with many animals also using tails for balance and swatting pests [ 51 , 58 ]. In canids, tails are no longer primarily used for locomotion [ 58 ], but rather for ritualized communication [ 51 ]. While dog tail wagging can vary by individual [ 59 , 60 ], sex [ 3 , 32 , 37 , 55 ] and breed [ 40 , 60 , 61 ], dogs wag their tails more frequently and in more contexts than any other canid [ 51 ].…”