They sometimes wiggle the entire back end of their bodies! Curious This is frequently observed in dogs with short, nub-like tails. When dogs are excited and friendly, they will sometimes also wag their hips or even their whole body, from their shoulders down to their tail. The more excited a dog is, the faster their tail typically wags. Again, it’s important to remember that no one body part communicates the whole story!) It may even be wagging in a circular motion known as a “circle wag” or “helicopter tail.” (Though, some dogs can have a helicopter tail when they’re feeling anxious, aroused, or agitated. Their tail is relaxed and wagging in full, sweeping side-to-side movements.
It can also be in a slightly upward or downward position and wagging at a moderate speed. When a dog is expressing happiness or friendliness, their tail is often in a neutral position (the base of the tail is parallel to the ground). Here are several emotions a dog can convey through wagging their tail. The tail position tells us the dog is feeling relaxed and the exaggerated movement of the tail from side to side indicates that the dog is approaching with the intention of engaging in a positive social interaction with you. The wagging could be described as moderate speed, full, sweeping, and loose. The base of their tail is raised slightly just past parallel to the ground. The more exaggerated or extreme, the more intense they’re feeling.įor example, let’s say a dog with an average-length tail is approaching you. The wag indicates the intensity of that emotion. The tail’s position could be considered reflective of the dog’s general mood (scared, excited, concerned, curious, happy, or angry). What Does It Mean When Dogs Wag Their Tails? Once the angle of the tail is noted, assessing the wag completes the picture and helps you determine what kind of emotion the dog is feeling. This reveals the ever-important tail set (or position). But there are some breeds whose natural tail position is upright, and others that don’t have tails at all. The average dog’s “relaxed” tail position may hang down by their heels. The faster the tail wag, the louder the voice.īut can be tricky to see, depending on the dog’s anatomy. The speed at which they’re wagging their tail can then be compared to how loud their voice is. If a dog’s tail wag is thought of as their way of talking, then the positions of their tail can be thought of as words.
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How to Read a Dog’s Tail Wagīecause dogs use their tails to communicate different emotions, the feeling being conveyed depends on two factors: the tail position and the speed of the wag. Attention should always be paid to the dog’s entire body language, not just the tail. There are many factors that need to be considered when assessing a dog’s tail wag, including the presence of other behavioral clues.
This means you can’t assume a dog is friendly or wants to engage with you just because they’re wagging their tail. The dog could be experiencing any number of feelings-and some might conflict with one another. They are trying to convey how they are feeling about what is happening, and that can help people understand what kind of interaction the dog is attempting to have. While it certainly can mean this, there are a multitude of reasons dogs wag their tails.Īt the most basic level, a wagging tail simply means the dog is responding to something in their environment. One of the biggest misconceptions about dogs is that a wagging tail means the dog is friendly.
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