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Tattle Tails
Why does your dog wag its tail? One thing is for sure. Dogs don't wag their tails for their own entertainment (though I know they will chase their own tails). Tail wagging is a form of dog-talk. When your dog sees you coming and sees you coming it is like waving your hand to greet a friend. It says, "Hi. Nice to see you."
Dog tails are also used to communicate with other dogs and animal. Watch the tail carefully and you can learn a lot about how a dog is feeling, his social status among other dogs and even whether or not he intends to take a chunk out of your leg.
Scientists believe that, kangaroo like, the tail helps the dog keep its balance when running and turning quickly. When a dog makes a fast turn, the tail end tends to keep going in the original direction of travel. The tail helps the rear end follow the front end stopping the dog from spinning out of control. Throwing the tail in the same direction that the body is turning serves as a sort of counterweight, which reduces the tendency to spin off course. Dogs will also use their tails when walking along narrow surfaces. By deliberately swinging the tail to one side or the other in the direction opposite to any tilt in the body, the dog helps maintain its balance, much the same way a circus tightrope walker uses a balance bar.
If you try to picture a puppy in your imagination, chances are you will picture it wagging its tail. Oddly enough, puppies don't wag their tails until they are at least eighteen days old and by thirty days of age only about half of all puppies are tail wagging. By the fiftieth day, all puppies are wagging their tails.
Very young puppies don't do much more than sleep and eat. They certainly don't spend a lot of time divulging in dogtalk of any kind. It's not until they reach the age of six or seven weeks that puppies begin to socially with one another. Then most of the social interaction is "play behavior." Through play behavior puppies learn about their own abilities, how to interact with their environment, and most importantly, how to get along with other individuals. At this point the puppy needs to learn dogtalk so they can interpret the intentions of other dogs and signal their own intentions. This is where and when tailwagging behavior begins.
Unless they want to risk a stern correction, the puppy learns to wag its tail and lick the mother's face to signal their peaceful intentions and too beg for food. Within the pack, the puppy's tail serves as a truce flag to its littermates.
Tail wagging is so important that nature has gone out of its way to give dogs tails that are highly visible to help in clear communication.
To read Tail Talk you need to learn three pieces of Tail Talk syntax: position, shape, and movement. To read Tail Talk may take a little practice. But a trip to any dog park will give you a lot of subject matter. Watch different body parts (ears, tails, eyes, lips, hair, overall posture) separately for a while. See if you can predict which body stances lead to which activities or outcomes.
Confident: the dog is erect with its tail up and wagging slowly from side to side.
Fear or anxiety: lowered stance with tail down, tucked under or wagging in a quick, frantic buzz.
Relaxed: lying down with tail curled over the back..
Afraid: back is arched with his butt and head lowered with the tail down but not tucked under the body.
Inviting: The play bow is the dog's invitation to play. The dog's tail and butt is in the air, and the front legs are lowered. The dog's ears are up and forward, his mouth is open in a "grin," and his eyes are relaxed.
Happy tail watching!
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