A dog wags her tail.Small yellow dog with its tail held at maximum height.
Tail wagging is the behavior of the dog observed as its tail moves back and forth in the same plane. Within Canidae, specifically Canis lupus familiaris, the tail plays multiple roles, which can include balance, and communication.[1] It is considered a social signal.[2][3] The behaviour can be categorized by vigorous movement or slight movement of the tip of the tail. Tail wagging can also occur in circular motions, and when the tail is held at maximum height, neutral height, or between the legs.
Tail wagging can be used as a social signal within species and convey the emotional state of the dog.[4] The tail wagging behavior of a dog may not always be an indication of its friendliness or happiness, as is commonly believed. Though indeed tail wagging can express positive emotions, tail wagging is also an indication of fear, insecurity, challenging of dominance, establishing social relationships, or a warning that the dog may bite.[5][6] It is also important to consider the way in which the dog wags its tail: speed, height and position. Usually positive feelings within a dog are associated with the right side. For instance, if a dog is about to receive a treat, their tail will likely move with a bias towards its right. On the other hand, negative feelings are typically connected with a bias towards its left side. If a dog is being approached by another dog and feels threatened, the dog's tail will usually move more to its left.[7] One hypothesis states that the asymmetries are actually evolved and are kept as evolutionarily stable strategies, that aid dogs in detecting when they should interact with each other.[1] The direction, as well as height and width of the tail wag can convey important cues about the social condition of the animal.[8] Different colourations and patterns, contrasting tip are likely evolved to improve communication with the tail.[9]
Tail wagging functions as the equivalent of a human smile. It is a greeting or an acknowledgment of recognition. Dogs tend not to wag their tails unless there is another animal or human nearby with whom to interact.[5]
^ abSiniscalchi, Marcello; Lusito, Rita; Vallortigara, Giorgio; Quaranta, Angelo (November 2013). "Seeing Left- or Right-Asymmetric Tail Wagging Produces Different Emotional Responses in Dogs". Current Biology. 23 (22): 2279–2282. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2013.09.027. ISSN 0960-9822. PMID 24184108.
^Rogers, Lesley (2013). Divided brains : the biology and behaviour of brain asymmetries. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 157. ISBN 978-0521183048.
^Leonetti, Silvia; Cimarelli, Giulia; Hersh, Taylor A.; Ravignani, Andrea (2024). "Why do dogs wag their tails?". Biology Letters. 20 (1). doi:10.1098/rsbl.2023.0407. PMC 10792393.
^"Is the Biodiversity Tail Wagging the Zoological Dog". 2018. doi:10.7882/btw.1998. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
^ abCoren, Stanley (December 5, 2011). "What a Wagging Dog Tail Really Means: New Scientific Data Specific tail wags provide information about the emotional state of dogs". Psychology Today. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
^"The Language of Tail Wagging in Dogs". PetMD.
^Siniscalchi, Marcello; Lusito, Rita; Vallortigara, Giorgio; Quaranta, Angelo (2013-11-18). "Seeing Left- or Right-Asymmetric Tail Wagging Produces Different Emotional Responses in Dogs". Current Biology. 23 (22): 2279–2282. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2013.09.027. ISSN 0960-9822. PMID 24184108.
^"The Language of Tail Wagging in Dogs | petMD". www.petmd.com. Retrieved 2019-10-27.
^Reimchen; Leaver (2008). "Behavioural responses of Canis familiaris to different tail lengths of a remotely-controlled life-size dog replica". Behaviour. 145 (3): 377–390. doi:10.1163/156853908783402894. ISSN 0005-7959. S2CID 4996089.
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