Reading Dog Body Language: Tail

While dogs cannot speak to us in the same words we use, they are still communicating with us in a way that we can understand with a little bit of practice. It is important to be able to interpret what they are saying correctly to mitigate stress and reduce the chances of bites or broken trust between you and your dog. I have often seen that people think they know what a tail wag means, but it can in fact be a lot more nuanced than just a tail wag. In this series, I will describe exactly what to look for in dog body language to understand what they are silently trying to communicate to us.

The first thing I want to explain are two terms: distance increasing and distance decreasing signals. Distance increasing signals are behaviors that dogs do to show that they want to us increase the distance between them and the other person or animal—in other words: “back off!” Distance decreasing signals are behaviors that dog do to show that it is okay to decrease the distance between them and the other person or animal. In other words: “I’m okay with you coming a little closer.” I will explain what each of these different signals look like in each major area of the dog’s body. Here we will focus on the tail.

Distance Increasing Signals (left) are how your dog tells you to back up. Distance Decreasing Signals (right) are how your dog tells you that you are welcome to come a little closer.

A dog’s tail wag generally shows the excitement level, not the emotion behind that excitement. The general rule is that, the faster the wag, the higher the excitement (whether it be good or bad). You want to pay attention to the position of the tail and how it is moving to understand what it means. For example, a tail that is wagging high and stiff can suggest a dog that is highly alert, confident, and possibly aggressive. I would look at other signs such as whether they have hard eye, tightly folded or pinned ears, hackles raised, and/or tension in their mouth. If you see any of these distance increasing signals, back off immediately to reduce the risk of escalation.

This dog has a high tail, forward-leaning posture, and is showing its front teeth. This is an aggressive stance and you should back off immediately to avoid escalations.

A dog that is nervous will wag it’s tail low and stiff. You may even see a tucked tail position in a nervous dog that is often accompanied by a crouched body, tense mouth, whale eye, and ears pinned back. You’ll often see this in dogs that are nervous about meeting other dogs, or dogs that are afraid because they’ve been caught doing something “bad.” This is an appeasement behavior that indicates you should take the pressure off your dog to make them more comfortable.

This dog has a tucked tail accompanied with pinned-back ears, whale eye, and crouched body posture. You might see these dogs lick their lips or yawn as well. This is an appeasement behavior indicating your dog is nervous.

A tail that is held straight out and may wag stiffly is a dog that is highly interested in something and can become aggressive if other distance increasing signals are present. I often think about pointers (dog breed) in this position. When interested in a squirrel, they will old their tail horizontally out. While this is them showing high interest, it could turn into aggression if that squirrel proceeds to get any closer. If I saw a dog with this tail position while approaching another person or animal, I would stop and check in on all their body signals to see if I should distract my dog, turn around, or proceed further.

This dog’s tail is sticking straight out horizontally, its ears are high and forward, and its body weight is shifted forward, indicating high interest in whatever is happening in front of them. Depending on what it is, this could turn into chasing and aggression, so I would try to distract this dog to alleviate any altercations.

A relaxed dog will hold its tail in a neutral position (not, high, not low, but somewhere in the middle with a soft curve). When the dog does wag its tail, it will be gentle and loose. You’ll see other relaxed signs such as a loose mouth, soft eyes, forward ears, and a neutral body position.

This dog’s tail is neutral and loose. The tail curves naturally off the spine and may be wagging gently. This is accompanied by the dog’s loose mouth, closed eyes, relaxed ears, and neutral body posture, indicating a calm dog.

A dog that is playful or friendly may hold its tail higher, but the wag will be loose and circular. Dogs that are really excited in a friendly way will have what we call helicopter tail, in which the tail wags broadly and in a circular motion, resembling the motion of helicopter blades. Other signals might include soft eyes, a loose mouth, and a play bowing posture.

This dog has a high but loose tail, indicating friendly excitement. The dog is in a comfortable play bowing posture with a relaxed, open mouth and soft eyes.

Dogs that don’t have tails or have curly tails may be harder to interpret, which is why it is important to understand all the dog body language signals. They are still communicating with us, even if it’s not with their tails!

Just like humans use body language to communicate, so do dogs. While some of what they do might mean different things than what they mean in people, we can learn and use their cues to ensure that we are interpreting their signals correctly. Understanding that a dog’s tail wage doesn’t always mean they are happy can help prevent bites and broken trust. We can continue to build trust in our animals and strengthen our human-animal bonds by listening to what they are saying and respecting their boundaries.

These tips aren’t just for you—make sure that, if you have kids or any other people that interact with your dog, you help them understand these cues, too. If you notice your dog is uncomfortable with what someone is doing, speak up for your dog or remove them from the situation. You understand your dog’s body language while others may not. You are their voice in situations like that.

To learn more about dog body language, continue to follow this series. For more individualized help with dog training and behavioral management, please view my services here.