What does it mean when a dog wags his tail?

It is commonly believed that a dog who wags his tail is happy to see you and is therefore friendly.  However, in many instances this is simply not the case.  A dog who wags his tail means he/she is highly aroused and that arousal state could be good (friendly) or it could be  bad (willing to bite).

Dogs trained in Schutzhund, a German protection sport, commonly wag their tails while anticipating the opportunity to bite a decoy who wears a  burlap arm sleeve. The sleeve is commonly slipped to the dog as a prize for biting the sleeve.  Police and protection dogs also learn to bite the sleeve and other equipment (leg sleeves and bite suits) but they have been conditioned to bite in the real world to stop an assault.  They too will commonly wag their tails while warning a decoy to stay away via barking.  The same can also be seen when two dogs posture toward each other in a threatening manner.  Their tails may be held high and slowly wag prior to engaging each other.

The above examples demonstrate that a wagging tail represents high arousal and not necessarily how friendly they feel toward a person or another dog.  So instead of observing whether the tail is wagging or not,  notice how high the tail is being held compared to the dog's normal tail carry.  Often, a tail held out fairly straight or relaxed from it's body represents a non stressed dog whereas a tucked tail indicates fear or lack of confidence and a high tail may indicate the dog is asserting it's dominance to obtain or retain a resource.  Rather than relying on one body behavior (such as tail carriage) to cue you as to the dog's intent, it is more important to see what the rest of it's body is doing.  Contact Michael Burkey, a Michigan professional dog trainer  to learn how to recognize a dog's stress relieving behaviors and/or signs of a pending bite.   He specializes in working with fearful, reactive and aggressive dogs.




Michael Burkey's Canine Behavioral Training
http://www.MichiganDogTrainer.com
info@MichiganDogTrainer.com
734-634-4152