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Motor Control of the Wet Dog Shake Behavior in Rats
Alexander Popov1, Oleg Gorskii1,2,3, Pavel Musienko4,5,6
1Pavlov Institute of Physiology RAS, Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation.
Brain, Behavior and Evolution
|October 2, 2025
Summary
The wet dog shake (WDS) involves complex motor control, sharing neural pathways with paw shaking. Balance during WDS relies on precise trunk muscle contractions, not typical postural responses.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Biomechanics
- Animal Behavior
Background:
- The wet dog shake (WDS) is a common mammalian and avian behavior for self-drying.
- This motion requires sophisticated balance control, yet its underlying motor control mechanisms remain unstudied.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the trunk and limb muscle electromyography (EMG) activity during WDS in rats.
- To correlate muscle activity with body movement kinematics and ground reaction forces.
Main Methods:
- Electromyography (EMG) of trunk and limb muscles in rats during WDS.
- Kinematic analysis of body movement.
- Measurement of ground reaction forces.
Main Results:
- Identified strict reciprocal muscle activity between forelimbs and within trunk segments (lumbar and thoracic).
- Observed two distinct hindlimb muscle synergies with reciprocal and atypical co-activity, similar to paw shaking.
- Noted the absence of typical postural responses in the hindlimbs during WDS.
Conclusions:
- WDS and paw shaking likely share common neural control mechanisms.
- Body balance in WDS may be achieved through precisely matched trunk muscle contractions.
- The origin of WDS may be linked to behaviors like the fish's S-start response.
