Re: Does a dog's tail continue to grow as he ages?

Hi
We belong to the same biological Class as dogs, the Mammals, and our 
pattern of growth is similar to theirs. In both cases, all the pats of the 
body have reached their full size by the time the animal (or person 
becomes an adult, so no, a dog's tail won't grow longer and longer as it 
ages. Two things control growth and they are our genetic makeup and our 
environment. The genetic makeup is the pattern that puts the body 
together - it determines the overall shape and function of the body and 
what characteristics are inherited from your parents. The environment, 
though, has a big effect on how the genetic pattern can show itself. For 
example, if an animal has a poor diet when it is young, it may well not 
grow as big when it is an adult as it might have done. The genes decide 
the pattern of growth, too, and so, by the time an animal is an adult, all 
of the parts of the body have reached their full size. In humans, for 
example, the growth of the brain and skull is much faster than the general 
growth of the body - babies have big heads!

But ... why do humans' ears and noses sometimes get bigger as they age? 
Read on!

All through our lives gravity acts on our bodies. Also, as we grow older 
the tissues are not as elastic as they were in youth and so, sadly, there 
is some bagginess! In humans the nose and the ears may begin to droop and 
so they can become bigger because they are can't hold their shape as well 
as they used to - but it's not growth, it's age + gravity!