Here’s knowing the meaning of your dog’s tail wagging language.

We all have a misinterpretation that our dog’s tail wagging means they are happy and friendly right!

Movement is the very thing that is sensitive to a dog’s eyes. They see movement much clearer than any colour or detail. So tail wagging is very visible to other dogs hence their tail wagging language! Therefore you might find dog’s tails have a white tip, are bushy or the under part of the tail is a lighter colour.

POSITION OF YOUR DOG’S TAIL WAG

When dogs wag their tales low it means they are insecure.

A dog that is becoming more submissive, worried or feels fear will have its tail position dropped low and at times tucked under the body.

Tail height or position is an emotional meter. When your dog is relaxed its tail is in the middle. When your dog is alert, its tail is horizontal. When your dog is threatened its tail will be higher up. A vertical tail is a clear signal of your dog is dominant and that is a WARNING.

It is important to note that all positions of your dog’s tail carrying position should be read relative to the average position where the individual breed normally holds its tail

Not all of our perception that tail wagging is happy and friendly is incorrect. But some tail wagging can mean fear, or that your dog is insecure or it can even be a warning when something or someone approaches.

Tail wagging are social signals or if you want to call it your dog’s “tail wagging language”. And it is important to understand this language in order for you to know and understand your dog.

SPEED OF TAIL WAG

The speed of the tail wag indicates how excited your dog is.

Rapid wagging accompanied by dilated pupils and tense muscles signal aggression.

A slight wag is seen during greetings

A broad wag is friendly and a sign of happiness

A slow wag with the tail at half-mast is less social and a sign of insecurity

Tiny and high-speed movements held with tail held high while vibrating is a sign that the dog is about to do something like run or fight. It is most likely an active threat.

Remember that we are talking about the dog’s left or right, viewed from the rear = you facing in the direction the dog is viewing.

Research has shown that the left brain specialized in behaviours associated with positive feelings like love, safety and calm and slow heart rate from a physiological point of view.

The right brain specializes in behaviour such as withdrawal, energy expenditure, fleeing, fear and depression and rapid heart rate from a physiological view point.

The left brain controls the right side of the body and visa versa. In other words activity in one half of the brain shows up as movement on the opposite side of the body.

Positive feelings pull a dog’s tail to the right and negative feelings pull the tail to the left. Dogs wag their tails to the left when they are frightened and to the right when they are happy.

When dogs feel positive about something or someone, they will wag their tails more to the right. When they have negative feelings they wag their tails biased to the left.

Let’s all learn to speak tail wagging language in order to understand our dogs better.

Your Dog Trainer
Jeanette Vockerodt