A wagging tail doesn’t always mean a friendly dog…
Dogs are always sharing information. Every body part is communicating what their emotional state is (how they feel about any given moment, set of circumstances, who's around them, etc.), as well as their state of mind (level of arousal, excitement, and - most of all - *intensity*).
Countless risky situations can be avoided and thwarted if people simply learn how to better read, interpret, *then respect* the messages our dogs are sending.
Dogs have a right to how they feel, and also have a right to be heard and understood; but this right is often violated due to human ignorance, sheer disregard, and human expectations (e.g. "My dog HAS to be able to play with other dogs", "I want my dog to go with me to parties, bbq's, etc.", "My dog HAS to be okay with random people touching him", and so on).
Our dogs do "speak", and learning how to interpret what they're saying will allow us to better step up, advocate, guide, and assist them in navigating our world with us. This, in turn, strengthens relationship, fosters connection, and *builds our dog's faith in us*- that we understand them, have their back, and are fully capable of handling any situation we both find ourselves in.
Now. Onto the almighty tail.
One of the most misinterpreted canine signals is the "wagging tail". What folks don't realize is there are several degrees of "wag", each with different meanings. Of course, we must take the individual, the rest of the body, and situational context into account.
We break the tail down into 3 categories:
Height
Pace or Rate of Wag
Stiffness or Softness
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Firstly, height. The position of the tail matters (*in response* to a person, place, thing, situation; not when they're hanging around the house... remember.... context).
High / straight up tail = high level of excitement, arousal, alertness, confidence, and intensity.
Middle of the road = middle level of excitement, arousal, and intensity; neutrality.
Low = low level of excitement, arousal, and intensity; concerned, hesitance.
Tucked = lowest level of excitement; discomfort, anxious, nervous, fearful, overwhelmed, unsure.
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Now, pair this up with the pace or rate of "wag" and movement (again, keeping individual and context in mind)....
High (positioning), stiff, fast wag = negative, not-so-good shade of excitement and arousal (aggression, "reactivity", etc); or high level of arousal when on a job and on mission (e.g. scent detection), and/or in drive (prey drive or defense drive).
*A high, stiff tail usually goes from still to wagging slowly (for a short time and as the dog is "loading up" in state of mind) then to a faster, quicker wag as it reaches the highest level of escalation and arousal*.
Middle of the road, fast wag = "good" shade of excitement, feeling "super happy".
Middle of the road, slow wag = feeling good, cool and comfortable.
Low, fast wag = anxious, on edge, uptight.
Low, slow wag = indifferent.
A tucked tail, even if a "wag" is detected, is still a dog who feels really uncomfortable, overwhelmed, fearful, nervous, etc.
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**When a dog's tail is docked, this greatly inhibits their ability to communicate more effectively and convey their emotional state.**
In Summary:
Height of the tail indicates level of arousal (high vs. medium vs. low).
Pace and rate of wag indicates level of intensity (high vs. medium vs. low).
As with anything, middle of the road is always good.
Too high or too low is cause for concern and indicates a need for stepping up, stepping in, and advocacy.
N.B. This is not the "holy grail" of tail reading. We must take the individual and context into account; but this is a good *template* from which to start basing our interpretations from.
