The Tail Tale: Determining Dog’s Feeling Through its Tail

(SOURCE: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_phQDxWlGi3Q/S2zn4lvKzaI/AAAAAAAACCc/sthLtxoJRtQ/s400/dog+tail+2.jpg)

A dog’s tail tells so much about how a dog is feeling, unless you have a Boston Terrier (I do!) that has an almost not existing tail (he got a little pinky-like tail that’s stuck and not moving). But with all the other breeds, most of them got tails and owners can pretty much figure out their thoughts through those shakers behind.

UP OR DOWN
When a dog’s tail goes upright and stiff, it means the dog is on guard and alert. It will be really attentive to its surroundings and wouldn’t relax. But when the dog’s tail is down and hiding beneath its body, then it means it is afraid. There are two things that might happen when this occurs, its either your dog will submit to whatever it is afraid of or it will shift to aggression to defend itself.

WAGGING SPEED
A wagging tail usually means something positive but the nature of its wagging must be taken note of. A slowly wagging tail means the dog is trying to familiarize and learn something. Usually when you try to teach a dog a few tricks, it will wag its tail in a slow manner. This means it is concentrating and learning whatever that is you are teaching it. When a dog wags its tail lightly, it means the dog is being hospitable. It is a light welcome greeting that owners must be pleased with. When a dog wags its tail in big circles, it means the dog is enjoying whatever it is doing or whoever its company is. Dogs usually show this type of wagging when playing with other dogs, this is a good thing, and it’s a friendly gesture. Dogs also wags it tail extremely fast, this is when it is hyper and over-excited.

LEFT OR RIGHT
This is something I got from the Discovery Channel website. According to a research headed by Giorgio Vallortiga (University of Trieste), Angelo Quaranta and Marcello Siniscalchi (both from Bari University) in Italy, the direction of how a dog’s tail wags determines a contrasting feeling. A tail wagging to the right signifies a positive feeling; it is either happy or comfortable in whatever that it is encountering. But a tail (wagging) inclined to the left means it is frightened. You can read more about the research HERE.