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One of the UK's most prominent animal behaviourists has invented a device which can tell an animal's exact mood by measuring the wag of its tail. Dr Roger Mugford says a dog's wag can indicate if it is happy, or angry and about to attack. The device - dubbed the wagometer - goes on the dog's back with sensors attached to its tail. Details such as the speed, direction and arc of the wag can then be analysed to judge how the dog is feeling. Dr Mugford, who runs the Animal Behaviour Centre in Chertsey, Surrey, said: "A happy dog tends to have a wide and horizontal wag. A very high tail that only wags at the tip indicates the dog is ready to attack. "The tail is a very important signalling device to other dogs, and it emphasises the importance of keeping the dog's tail and not having it docked." Dr Mugford has worked with dogs for many years and retrained Princess Anne's bull terrier Dottie after it bit two boys. The centre he founded in 1979 has become a leader in treatment of unwanted behaviour in pets. The wagometer will be launched at the Wag and Bone Show, an event taking place at Ascot Racecourse in August and organised by Britain's biggest dog welfare charities. Dr Mugford says his device will help judges decide which dogs have the waggiest tail, and which is the happiest canine.
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