Dog Wagging Tail: Fun Body Language Facts You May Not Know

Did you know that your dog's tail tells you a lot about what your dog is trying to convey?

You talk things out with your friends, but how do you communicate with your pet companion? Your pet will communicate with you; a dog uses fun body language to interact and communicate with you.

Do you have a pet? If yes, you may know how hard it is to understand what your pets are trying to tell. This is because of the differences in its vocalizations. While a dog communicates by barking, hissing, or purring, humans talk and have various other emotions. Neither can people understand what a dog is telling, nor can a dog understand what people around it are talking about.

Have you heard the saying, 'Money can buy you a fine dog, but only love can make a wagging dog's tail?' Although tail wagging can be a sign of positive feelings like happiness, love, and excitement, it can sometimes reflect upon a dog's negative feelings like insecurity, aggression, fear, or irritation. Since the brain controls the position and movement of the tail of a dog, tail movement and position are often speculated as a mechanism of communication between dogs or a dog and its owner. Thus, you need to interpret tail wags and get familiar with canine body language in a dog to understand what it is trying to convey. There are several variations in a dog's tail wag, and each tail wag indicates a different message. Read on to understand your pet's behavior and tail sign!

If you enjoy this article, why not also read about dog shakes head and dog eating paws here on Kidadl.

Why do dogs wag their tails?

A tail wag can have several different meanings. A dog wagging tail while lying down often indicates that the dog is relaxed, whereas a dog wagging tail in sleep is a sign that either the dog is in deep sleep or is dreaming. Likewise, a dog wagging tail in a circle, meaning it is excited or happy, does not mean it will always be happy or excited while tail wagging. Instead, the behavior of tail wagging can be a sign of aggression or irritation.

The left side of the brain is known to control the right side of the body and vice versa. When the position of the tail wagging is biased to the left side of the dog's body, it suggests negative emotional behavior like aggressive tantrums, irritation, or fear, whereas if the dog tail wags towards the right side, it is associated with the portrayal of positive emotional behavior. Therefore, it is speculated that the left side of the brain is associated with positive and friendly feelings like love and attachment, whereas the right side of the brain is associated with negative feelings like aggressive or irritating emotions. For instance, if a dog is approached by a new person or another dog, but it feels threatened, its tail wags towards the left. On the contrary, if dogs are welcoming or portraying friendly behavior towards other people or animals, their tails wag towards the right.

Although the canine tail wags and natural position vary between different breeds of dogs, usually tails hang down. The most common speculation about wagging tails is the dogs' willingness to interact. 'To interact' suggests a great range of behaviors as dogs interact in a variety of negative and positive ways, including playing, greeting, snuggling, fighting, threatening, and biting. Thus, it is challenging to interpret and determine the kind of interaction dogs portray with tail wags. It is the only possible way of communication with dogs using the canine tail language through studying the breed, direction, position, left or right, and speed, slow or fast, of the wagging tails.

What does a wagging tail mean?

Precisely, dogs wag their tails to communicate! Animals with tails often communicate using their tails. For instance, the tail movement indicates the cat's mood. Suppose a cat's tail wag is a sign of greeting or saying hello, whereas when the cat is friendly and wants to play, it lies down on its stomach with a wagging tail. Also, a cat's wagging tail can be a sign that the cat is in pain. While dogs' vertical tails indicate aggressive or dominating feelings, dogs wag their tail to convey different messages.

The wagging tails that bend towards the left portray negative emotions, whereas when their tails wag towards the right, they reflect friendly yet positive emotions. What dogs are conveying when they wag their tails also depends upon the speed and direction of the tail wag. While a slow tail wag is a sign of unfriendly temperament, a fast wag is often welcoming.

What messages does a wagging tail communicate?

Animals usually have their tails hanging low, near, or between their legs. It is their tail's natural position. But when they wag their tail, they are communicating. According to the search, here are some common tail positions and messages they convey:

When they raise their tail, they are either getting prepared or are agitated.

If a dog stops wagging its tail and freezes suddenly, it often means it is distracting itself from feeling either threatened or aggressive.

If dogs tuck their tail between their rear legs, it is usually because they are scared.

In curiosity, dogs hold their tail horizontally.

To convey if they are happy, they keep their tail in their neutral position or wag healthily.

Similarly, they wag faster when friendly or are in excitement, whereas they wag slowly when they are insecure or are in aggression.

What to do when a dog wags its tail?

If you spot your dog wagging its tail, observe patiently and try to interpret what it is trying to convey!

If you speculate it to be scared, comfort it or give it some space. On the contrary, if it is happy or friendly, spend time with your pet, playing around with it or letting it play with other pets and animals.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for dog wagging tail, then why not take a look at dog twitching, or Siberian husky facts?