Dogs like any other animal find their ways to communicate with others aside from barking, whining, and growling. The way dogs communicate with others is through their tail, and as you know, when a dog wags their tail, they are usually excited and happy. That is the one thing that you may have been taught about dogs when you were young, and that reason has stuck with you for a long time.

The dog’s tail is important as it serves a function for them such as helping them stay balanced and it can help them swim if they are the type that likes to be in the water. And, once again, tails are used for communication. And, happiness and excitement are not the only reasons that a dog would wag their tail. Let’s go over those reasons as to why a dog wags its tail and positions its tails in other ways.

Wagging Towards The Right

When a dog wags their tail to the right, they are happy, excited, and are showing signs that they are friendly and welcoming. Therefore, if you see a dog that is wagging its tail towards the right, they like you and are happy to see you. And if you meet this dog for the first time, they are letting you know that they accept you.

Wagging Towards The Left

When a dog wags their tail towards the left, they are signaling to you that they are not comfortable and are unsure about a situation. They may be fearful and you don’t want to approach a dog that wags their tail to the left because if they are afraid, they will likely snap. That is a sign they are feeling vulnerable.

Slow Wagging Or Vigorous Fast Wagging

When a dog is wagging their tail slowly or too quickly, they are also warning you to stay away because they are not the friendly type. And this wag also shows that a dog is thinking about its next move. So if the dog is slowly or quickly wagging its tail and is not the friendly type, it can easily decide to attack and bite if you get much closer.

Still And Tall Tail

If a dog’s tail is stiff and tall, they are showing signs of dominance and you will see this happening when they encounter another dog. If you are walking your dog and the dog you encounter on the walk does this, then they are letting you know that they are exerting their dominance over your dog and the best thing to do is to keep walking.

Tail Pulled Down

When the dog’s tail is down, they are not happy or they are nervous about something. That means if you are taking Fido to the vet and they know it, its tail will be down and that is because they are letting you know they are anxious and not too happy about going. All you can do is reassure them when this happens.

Tail Pulled Towards The Head

When the tail is high and pulled towards the head, that means your dog is overly curious and maybe too stimulated. You will see this happening when you take your dog out for a walk and they are sniffing something on the ground that is interesting to them! Something is exciting them and keeping their curiosity strong.

Tucked In Tail

This position is not the same as your dog’s tail pulled down because when they tuck their tail between their legs, they are fearful and feel extremely vulnerable. It is more than apprehension that you see with their tails down. The dog feels quite threatened in this way.

Limp

When the tail is limp, it means that your dog is hurt and the tailbone might be broken. If your dog’s tail is limp, then the dog needs to go to the vet.

Now, you see how the dog’s tail is essential for communication and once you get to know what your dog is thinking or feeling, you will know how to respond appropriately. Now you know that every time your dog wags its tail, it does not always mean they are happy.