What Does a Dog Wagging Their Tail Mean (Fist Bump)?

What does a dog wagging their tail mean? Most of us think we know why a dog wags their tail, but are they happy, anxious, excited? A combo of them all? Or something else? This tail-wagging business is a language all of its own and might be more complex than we tend to think.

Why are dogs bad at poker?

Because they wag their tails whenever they have a good hand.

To put it simply, the answer can be a ‘yes’ to any of the above, depending on the situation. However, there’s so much more to this riddle. What many of us dog lovers might want to know are the deeper meanings of tail wagging.

At PD Insurance we make it our business to understand how pets feel, so we’ve delved deeper …

A dog says so much with their wagging tail

What does a dog wagging their tail mean? So much! As it happens, there are several cues to read when a dog wags their tail:

When a dog wags their tail, it’s not just the movement but also the speed and direction of the tail that tells us what Bella or Rover is feeling.

If you think about it, this makes so much sense. It’s similar to how a person’s tone or posture tells us how they’re feeling. Things their words alone might not say. If your friend says they’re doing “great” but their shoulders are slumped, you’ll know they likely need a friendly ear, for example.

Dogs are just as expressive. Only, they say it with their tails! Dogs are incredible communicators, which is why we’ve written a guide on how to speak dog. Check out this video of a dog who’s making tail wagging music:

Direction and speed?!

According to research shared by BBC Science Focus, the direction and speed of a dog’s wagging tail carry important emotional information. When you’re trying to decipher it, consider who the dog is wagging their tail at, in what direction and how fast.

The direction a dog wags their tail shows whether they’d like to approach or back away from whoever they’re facing.

Here are some examples:

Who	What direction	What it means
Owner	Tail wags to the right	Wants to approach
A dog with aggressive body language	Tail wags to the left	Wants to back away

As you can see a happy wag is to the right, whereas an anxious one is to the left.

Unsurprisingly, the research also shows dogs not only wag to the right but also faster for their beloved owners. A friendly stranger might get a medium right wag, whereas a friendly cat is likely to get a low-level right wag.

So next time you’re wondering what a dog wagging his tail means, you’ll know the answer.

But wait, there’s more…

Heads or tails?

When it comes to the question of heads or tails, the right answer is both. Because it’s not just the direction the dog wags his tail that shows feeling, but the angle of his head too.

Studies show a dog will turn its head to the right when facing a friendly dog and to the left when facing a potential aggressor. Maybe if we all knew this, we’d be able to head off dog aggression more easily. Read how to prevent ‘dog bites dog‘ situations before they happen.

Check out this PD Pet Care vlog where Dr Cath Watson shares more insights on why a dog wags their tail:

Tails should be wagged – not cut!

Now that you understand how vital a dog’s tail is to its communication, it highlights how cruel the practice of tail docking is. A dog wags their tail to speak to us, cut it off and you’re cutting off communication (and more)!

Not only is it painful and unnecessary, but it hampers a pup’s ability to express what they’re feeling.

Here are some other reasons why tails are so important:

• Balance. Dogs use their tails for balance, especially when running, jumping or playing.
• Playing. Dogs often use their tails as part of their play behaviour. They might chase their own tails or use them as part of their interactions with other dogs during playtime.
• Temperature. While not as significant as in some other animals, a dog’s tail can help regulate its body temperature. In hot weather, dogs might hold their tails higher to expose the skin underneath to cooling air. In cold weather, they might tuck their tails closer to their bodies to conserve warmth. We do a similar thing by crossing our arms across our chest. Imagine not being able to do that!
• Emotional release. A dog may wag or flick their tails when anxious or stressed. Tail wagging can help release some of the pent-up energy and relieve the stress.

Clearly, a dog’s tail helps them experience and express their feelings clearly – now that’s a furry tail with a ‘happily ever after’ if ever there was one!

Tail trivia

Now that you know the answer to “what does a dog wagging their tail mean?”it’s time for the the tail end of this article! Here are some dog tail facts we bet you didn’t know (kudos to you if you already did):

• Happily ever after. The tail tells the end of the story too because a dog’s tail is an extension (or the end) of its spine. It has its own set of muscles and bones made up of 5-20 vertebrae.
• Tail wagging competition. There’s a tail wagging competition in the US, which was won by a German Shorthaired pointer named Gage. Tail wagging is measured based on “speed, enthusiasm and sincerity of tail wagging.”
• World’s longest tail. The longest dog tail in the world belongs to an Irish Wolfhound named Keon. His tail measures a whopping 76cm long.

More about cats

Want more interesting insights into why pets do the things they do? Now that we know why a dog wags their tail, here’s a roundup of interesting articles on understanding cat behaviour and more:

• Why Do Dogs Chase Cats? We Explain
• Cat Body Language Decoded
• Why You Follow Me, Kitty?
• How to Talk to Cats
• Why do Cats Purr?

A dog wags their tail for flexible pet plans

Did you also know a dog can split open their tail from too much wagging (also called happy tail syndrome)!? That’s a potential situation that may require an unexpected visit to the vet. If you have a dog insurance plan, you’ll be happy to know this type of vet visit is covered.

You might be surprised to discover that with PD Insurance you’ll also get one or more months of FREE pet insurance when you buy online. Many a Kiwi dog wags their tail with our multi award winning cover – want yours to join the pack and is your inner-tail wagging? We sure hope so!

Click below to find out more.