As your puppy has grown, you’ve possibly noticed that a lot more of their emotional expression comes through in body language and tail movements. For dogs with tails, this appendage serves an extremely important role in canine communication.
Understanding your young dog’s tail movements can help you to advocate for your dog’s emotional well-being, monitor your dog’s comfort level and keep people safe if your dog is uncomfortable.
Meaning of tail positions in puppies and young dogs
As your puppy was growing, they went through several behavioral phases. During each phase, you may have noticed that how they regularly held their tail during introductions changed.
During early socialization phases where they were more confident and exploratory, they may have approached new people with a tail that was wagging widely. Or perhaps they approached with their tail up and confident.
As they went through fear periods, they may have approached new situations with a tucked tail or a tail that was held low and just barely wagging at the end.
Now that your canine bestie is an older puppy or teen dog, your dog’s tail can still serve as a great way for you to monitor how your dog is feeling. You can use what you learned about your dog’s tail communication in early puppyhood and apply it to your dog now.
Both how your dog is holding their tail and their actual tail movements serve to communicate your young dog’s emotional state to you and others around you.
Tail is relaxed
If your young dog is holding their tail in a neutral position, they likely feel relaxed. Without much movement to the tail, they aren’t feeling particularly friendly or excited, but they’re not scared. It’s a comfortable interaction.
Tail is tense and tall
This dog is trying to appear larger than they are. It can be normal for a dog to raise their tail like this when they first meet a new animal or person if they’re unsure about the interaction. However, if the tail remains high and stiff, the dog is likely uncomfortable and may progress to aggression if provoked.
Tail is tucked
Your young dog may be feeling timid, nervous or submissive. Dogs often tuck their tail when
they’ve become suddenly frightened, such as if there is a sudden loud noise that startles them. If a dog is tucking a tail during an introduction to a new person or animal, they may be uncomfortable. You’ll want to monitor them to make sure they don’t progress to snapping.
Tail is wagging
It’s a mistake to assume that a wagging tail immediately indicates a happy dog. You must pay attention to the tail’s overall position and how exactly the tail is wagging.
If the tail is in a soft or relaxed position wagging widely from side to side or wagging so much that the hips are also wiggling, this is a friendly greeting. While your young dog may have been more apt to approach people with a full-body wiggle when they were younger, they may now reserve this for you and others they are close to.
If the tail is up high and tense, stiffly wagging from side to side, then this is a sign of discomfort that can progress to aggression. Your young dog needs their space and forced interaction may result in growling, snapping and biting.
Why do puppies and young dogs wag their tails?
Puppies and young dogs wag their tails for a variety of reasons, and you need to read the entirety of their body language to know if the tail wag is a friendly greeting, a warning or an appeasement gesture.
Broad, wide wags are usually a friendly greeting. A stiff wag is usually more of a warning, especially if the tail is held up and tensed. A tail that is held low and slightly wagging at the end is a sign of a dog who is feeling a little tentative or submissive.
Why do puppies and young dogs chase their tails?
Occasionally chasing their tail is a normal puppy and young dog behavior. Sometimes, it’s simply because the young dog is feeling playful! If you laugh or react positively to the tail chasing, it can also become an attention-seeking behavior.
If the tail chasing is obsessive, then your puppy or young dog could be dealing with an anxiety disorder or boredom. You can try to manage mild anxiety at home by increasing your young dog’s mental and physical stimulation. However, if tail chasing continues to be obsessive or your puppy is biting at their tail, contact your VCA care team for an evaluation.
Familiarize yourself with how to understand puppy body language to ensure you know what your young dog is telling you with their tail and other aspects of body language.
