What a Wagging Tail Really Means
Happy tail, happy dog, right? A wagging tail is a sure sign of a
friendly pooch just waiting for you to walk up and give him a pat . . . isn't it?
Nope. That could be a scary assumption. It could get you bitten and your
erroneous assumption could cost someone their canine companion, and that companion
his or her life. Dogs that bite a person rarely get the benefit of the doubt that
there might have been a justifiable reason for the bite -- like a foolish decision based
on a simplistic concept of dog behavior.
There are two basic happy tails. One is the relaxed, slow wag with the
tail held at an easy thirty to forty-five degree angle. Next time you're standing there
with your dog leaned up against you while you rub his ear and he's giving you that
soft, “oooooh feels sooooooo good” moan from deep in the chest, take a gander at the back end. That wagger is probably going back and forth like a pendulum at about the
tempo of the opening of Led Zeppelin's Kashmir. That's the wag of a contented dog.
The opposite end of the happy tail scale is the madly frenzied appendage
that is quite literally wagging the dog. The whole back of the dog is engaged;
sometimes the motion is so complete that the back feet are coming off the ground. Generally you'll see a grin at the front end to match. But that tail is usually going to be maintaining that same relative plane at that same thirty or forty-five degree angle as the contented one.
There are varying degrees of demonstrations of happiness, and there will
be dogs that stray from the norms of tail talk, but the angle of the tail and the
“zone” it's in relative to the dog's body-to-ground is a pretty safe bet, no matter how frantic or slow the movement. Most of the time the face of a dog exhibiting this kind of
tail posture will reflect the same emotional state as the tail, whether it's a big, tongue
lolling “grin” or just an expression that reflects ease. You might even get the full-on face bath.
A dog whose tail is wagging very close to or even between the back legs
is showing fear or submission, possibly fear and submission. When dealing with a dog
whose tail is in this position, always remember that reassurance is the first order of
business. Speak softly and lightly and don't make moves toward the dog. A frightened
animal can be far more likely to bite than one that is merely irritated or agitated. Don't
answer the dog's fear with your own fear, though. Be calm. If you want to be able to
interact with the dog, let your hand down slowly, palm INWARD, fingers slightly curled toward you and allow the dog to approach you without rushing him. Slow and easy is the key to winning this dog over, and once again, the facial expression will probably match what the tail is telling you. You'll likely see anxious eyes and ears that are drooped, whether they have houndy ears or it's the base of more erect ears dropped down a little lower on the head.
The dog whose tail is parallel to the ground or higher is one you definitely need to understand. That tail may be wagging a mile a minute or doing the slow fandango, but it's not because he thinks you're his best buddy. A raised tail is a dog on alert. The higher the position of the tail, the higher the state of agitation. The
face may wear a very hard expression, or it might even look happy! Some dogs seem to enjoy that sort of thing.
You need to step away and move yourself away from that dog's “zone.”
Don't beat a hasty retreat, move confidently but give the dog some comfort room. Be
aware of the dog's movements, but don't stare or overtly pay too much attention. Some
dogs will settle when they hear a confident but gentle voice; it may be that
you've startled the animal or someone else has caused the alert. This is one of those times
when you must use good judgment and common sense! Many dogs will relax if spoken to
normally as you give them their space. That can be all they need to decide you
aren't the enemy and lower the tail to a happier position and trot over for a meet and greet. In the end it's a matter of paying attention to body language as a whole, although if you hear a menacing rumble it's a pretty good bet you can take the dog at his “word.”
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