The Eukanuba Adult
Dog Guide.

Just because he's no longer a puppy does not mean his
owner cannot learn a few new tricks.

Reading Your Dog

If a person's eyes are the window to his soul, a dog's tail is a meter of his mind. By learning to pay close attention to this literal flag and interpreting its signals, we can better meet his needs and relate to him.

The Importance of the Tail

Dogs communicate with their entire bodies. When you get home from work, they wiggle and waggle top to bottom, eyes alight, ears perked up, voice greeting you with high-pitched, short yaps. But even if you were to ignore these clues, you could ascertain all the information you need to know to make an accurate judgment about his mood from his tail alone. Consider these basic communications:

  • The Excited Wag: This is the equivalent of the human shimmy. The tail whips back and forth; the body fizzes into a frenzy to indicate happiness and pleasure.
  • The Wary Wag: If the dog is unsure, he will slowly move his tail back and forth at an angle parallel to the ground. His head might dip slightly.
  • The Sentinel Wag: Beware the animal that stands at alert with his tail wagging high in the sky. This position is that of a guard dog ready to respond to action.
  • The Alpha Wag: The dominant dog will let you know he thinks he's the one in control by hoisting a stiff tail high up in the air and then swinging it back and forth at a quick pace.
  • The Beta Wag: A submissive dog will drop his tail and quiet its movement. He might even hide it between his legs in a sign of surrender.

Every dog has dozens of wags in his repertoire to communicate with you. The key, then, is slowing down to analyze them. You might get so good at reading "Dog" that you won't need to use your English at all. Now wouldn't that be something?

For further reading:

  1. "Superpuppy" by Daniel Manus Pinkwater and Jill Pinkwater.
  2. "Body Language and Emotions of Dogs" by Myrna M. Milani.

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