A Tale of the Tails

What a sweet dog....Its wagging its tail....NEVER ONLY trust a tail.

A Tale Of the Tails.

I hear people say a lot oh my dog is friendly look at his tail. Or just approach your dog without permission and say oh he’s friendly look at his tail wag.

That’s one of the biggest misconceptions in canine body language. Sometimes people may think that an unfamiliar dog is friendly because it is wagging its tail. Dogs can wag their tail for many reasons....including fear which can turn into aggression.

The breed and structure of a dogs tail can also limit how it expresses emotions.

Most dogs have a natural tail which hangs low near the hock. Other breeds have a naturally shorter tail, and some have been surgically shortened (Boxers, Dobermans etc) Some even have curly tails (Akita’s Pugs etc). This is a small look into dogs behaviour with a "natural" tail.

If your dog is relaxed in its environment and comfortable with the people around, then your dogs tail will be relaxed, low and gently moving side to side. If your dogs is REALLY happy, the tail will wag quicker with more force and sometimes even raise it higher. You will have a great insight into your dogs own tail.

A strange dog is approaching yours on lead/or off. It looks really friendly because its wagging its tail....

BUT.......Heres the tricky thing.... A nervous dog can hold its tail low and wag.

A scared dog can tuck its tail between its legs and still wag.

An aggresive dog can hold its tail straight up in the air, making it almost rigid......and wag.

Never trust a tail to make a judgement of how other dogs are approaching you....or your dog.

To learn more about body language and understanding your dogs 3 B’s Bark, Bite, & Body language be sure to subscribe and stay posted for upcoming Know Your Breed and Dog Confidence Classes through Woof Houze University.

Wags & Woofs,

Adia