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The tail tells the tale
By Liz Palika
March 1, 2010
We have been told over and over again that a wagging tail means a happy dog but that isn’t necessarily true. A moving tail is a sign that the dog is feeling emotions, but those emotions can range from happiness through unease to worry or even aggression.
Recently a dog owner called me in hysterics because her dog had bitten someone. She said, “I let him go up to the person to say ‘Hi’ because he was wagging his tail.” She misunderstood what her dog’s tail was saying.
I’ll admit, though, that reading tails can be tough. Not only do tails differ – from the Pug’s tightly curled tail to a German Shepherd’s sickle, plumed tail – but each dog’s personality is unique. So each dog will show his emotions in his own way.
But a tail’s posture and movements can give us some clues to what the dog is feeling, so let’s talk about some common tail postures and movements.
A dog who is comfortable and relaxed will generally move his tail in sync with his body (if walking) so it’s usually gently swinging.
A friendly dog will stand naturally, comfortably, with the tail in a neutral position. The tail may be moving back and forth in a wide wave.
A friendly dog greeting a known friend may increase that movement to a wider, more active wave back and forth. The hips may also get involved, increasing the tail’s action.
A friendly dog who is asking another dog to play — in a play bow with front end down and hips up — will generally have his tail lowered. During play, the tail is usually wagging, however the speed of the wag and the position of the tail — up or down — depends on the dog’s mood and position during play.
The dog who is the chaser during play will usually raise his tail high while the one being chased may lower or even tuck it, even though the play is friendly. When moving, the tail is usually sweeping wide during play but at times, depending upon the emotions, it may or may not move during these communications.
A dog who is stalking something — bird, mouse, person, or another dog — will usually hold his tail high and still.
An adult dog correcting or disciplining a puppy or adolescent will also hold his tail high and still.
A worried dog will tuck the tail close to the back legs. A fearful dog will, too, although a very fearful dog may pull the tail between the back legs to the belly. The tip of the tail may still wag or twitch.
A focused dog — one looking at a squirrel or giving you his total attention — will usually hold his tail in a neutral position but quite still. However, if you then praise for his attention, the tail may begin to move slowly from side to side. Should your praise turn into a jackpot reward, it will begin waving wildly.
Then there are tail-less dogs. Although my husband and I have owned dogs with tails, including German Shepherds and Papillons, for the past twenty years our breed of choice has been Australian Shepherds, a tail-less breed.
There have been quite a few discussions that tail-less dogs are at a disadvantage when in groups of other dogs. It’s been stated that without tails to communicate, fights are more apt to break out when a tailed dog plays with a tail-less one.
I disagree. Canine body language and communication are much more than just a tail or the lack of a tail. Although many dog owners such as my student look just at the tail for information about the dog’s emotions, it’s best to look at the dog as a whole. What are the dog’s facial expressions telling you? What is the dog’s body posture? Is his head up or lowered? Is he making eye contact or not? All of these things are part and parcel of reading the dog.
The tail is a part of the entire picture, yes, and at a quick glance the tail can tell us a lot. But for the complete reading, look at the dog as a whole.
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I loved your post. I really enjoy reading and learning about non-verbal behaviors and communication of animals.
I will never forget the day I was walking with my dog (a very large male mix of malamute and GSD) and we came upon another equally large male dog. I usually try to avoid other large males but this woman just charged up to us. Fortunately my dog is fairly tolerant, but he is dominant and will not stand for being dominated by another dog. Thus, the attempted avoidance.
The woman says to me, “Oh look, they are wagging their tails, they really like each other.” The tails of both dogs were high and the tails were swishing very, very slowly from side to side. Yikes! The tails were saying I am prepared to bite you in about one second if this continues. I was familiar with that wag from reading. Thankfully, and I very quickly departed with both dogs intact.
Comment by Nicole — March 1, 2010 @ 5:24 pm
Thanks, Nicole. Good action on your part.
Our dogs can communicate so clearly; it’s too bad we don’t always SEE it.
Comment by Liz Palika — March 1, 2010 @ 10:14 pm
It’s very interesting how much individual dogs use their tails to communicate, period. My collie, Kaylee, almost never wags her tail, but how she carries it says a lot about how confident she is feeling in situations. Never much motion, though. Her smoothie brother Malcolm (now neutered and in a pet home) still, at almost 4, does not appear to realize that he HAS a tail, or really any body mass behind the back of his ears, and is always surprised when he doesn’t fit into a collie-head-sized space. My German Spitz Lizzie is not much of a tailwagger either, but moreso than Kaylee. The GS has a tail which curls loosely over the back (like a Samoyed, Malamute, or Eskie), and wagging it always seems very deliberate for her. I *do* wonder if I’d see more difference in carriage if she were a less ‘up’ dog in general- she’s very pushy and confident overall, and generally her tail only ever drops or uncurls when she’s REALLY tired. My much missed Cardi, on the other hand, was a master of the full body wag.
Comment by Cait — March 2, 2010 @ 4:02 am
Very useful info, Liz, thanks. I had to laugh at the part about how a dog stalking something holds the tail high and still. Dodger gets half way out the dog door and stops, with his tail high and still, and he’ll stay there for 10 minutes sometimes. Poor Ginger is always stuck behind him, waiting to go out but he’s blocking the door.
Everyone whose dog participates in any kind of group play - dog park, day care, etc. - should review this information once in a while. Telling the difference in emotions could - as Nicole said - avoid a fight.
Comment by Phyllis DeGioia — March 2, 2010 @ 6:55 am
Thanks so much for this, Liz. I’m not sure I was ever specifically told the differences in how dogs hold their tails, but I’ve seen it illustrated perfectly in playgroups that Cami and Harry have been a part of, and most importantly, in the many trails and wooded paths where we take them for walks. When they encounter other dogs or people, their tails and ears make them easy to read. Longhaired dachshunds have gorgeous tails that look like wide, tapering flags. In regular “doo dee doo, I’m havin’ a good time walking along here in the woods with mom and dad” position, Cami’s tail is commonly waving in an up position, not quite perpendicular to her body, while Harry’s is routinely straight out, nearly in a continuous line from his body, wagging left to right. I’ve noticed their postures shift dramatically according to their moods and who they’ve encountered, and the speed (and angle), along with their posture — especially the angle of their ears, tells me everything I need to know about their mood. Phyliss’ last sentence hits it on the head. “Telling the difference in emotions could - as Nicole said - avoid a fight”.
Comment by David S. Greene — March 2, 2010 @ 9:16 am