By Anne Hardacre from Pawsitive Connection
Understanding Your Dog's Body Language
TAIL POSITION
Learning about your dog's body language can
better help you understand their behaviour, when
they are happy or anxious, and how to better care
for them. In this article from the Body Language
Series we look at Dog's tail positions.
A lot of people think if a dog's tail is wagging,
they are happy, but it's not necessarily so. It is
just an indicator of the dog's arousal level (or
level of alertness).
First find out what the natural tail carriage is
for the dog. The sign of a friendly tail wag is a
relaxed, slow wag with the rest of the body soft
as well (think of a wiggly Labrador).
If the tail is positioned very high (if it can be), and
wagging very fast like a flag, the rest of the body
still, and the dog is staring intently at something,
this could mean the dog is quite concerned and
it is best to stay away.
Remember that some breeds can naturally carry
their tails high (like Huskies) and others have
naturally low tail carriages (like sighthounds).
Natural tail carriage, tail may be wagging gently
= Relaxed
Tail is loose and wiggly; it may also wag in a circular
fashion (helicopter tail) = Happy
Tail held high and stiff with a rigid wag =
Aroused/Excited (an enhanced state of alertness)
Tail between the legs = Fearful / Anxious
For dogs with no tail or a tight curled short tail like a
bulldog, while the tail can't go between the legs or
be held high, the tail is an extension of the spine so
look at the whole body. The movement of the tail
can be very subtle.
It's important to read the dog's whole body and not
just one part, plus take into consideration the context
in which the behaviour is happening.
Ü Learn more about your dog's body language
with our other articles in the body language series,
Understanding Your Dog's Body Language – Ears
& Eyes, in the vet-n-pet DIRECT Help Centre.
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