Why do dogs wag their tail? Why do they howl, whine and growl? Why do dogs wag their tail and what does it mean? How to recognize tail signals

The tail is a very important part of the dog's body, in fact it is an extension of the spine - an appendage that consists of muscles and bones that allow it to move in any direction and the animal to control the movement of the tip or the entire appendage. Its original purpose is to maintain balance while moving.

The tail is used as a steering tool, necessary when performing complex maneuvers such as jumping, climbing and descending, walking on narrow surfaces, and turning while running.

Most animals that are characterized by a love of running and speed have long and thin appendages that serve as a counterweight when making sharp turns while moving at high speed. Natural swimmers, on the contrary, have thick and strong tails, they help animals stay afloat and change direction of movement. Sled and server breeds have fluffy tails; they help protect the head and muzzle from the cold while resting and sleeping.

If a dog is chasing its tail, then this should not always be attributed to playful behavior, there may be several reasons for this, in particular a nervous breakdown, a panic attack, lack of attention (as a way to attract attention), but puppies often chase their tail out of curiosity.

Puppies are born without the ability to wag their tail. Most of them begin to communicate using it at about one and a half months.

It is interesting to know that pets do not wag their mobile appendages when they are alone, because there is no need for this.

Dogs with docked tails

Tail docking is explained by safety, because its presence makes working dogs vulnerable. So, for example, when meeting a predator, a dog will have a better chance of remaining uninjured and emerging from the fight alive if the predator does not have the opportunity to grab the tail.

But appendages are also cropped for show dogs of certain breeds, for example Dobermans, Weimaraners, spaniels, following the breed standard. However, the standards stipulate that docking must be determined by the lifestyle and activities of the animal.

Unfortunately, the presence of a short tail, and some dogs are deprived of it from birth due to breed characteristics, significantly reduces the ability to recognize and understand the emotional signals given by the animal. In addition, mutual understanding between animals is also difficult; for example, a playful and unintelligent puppy may not be able to interpret the signals given by a tailless animal, which may show reluctance to communicate with the puppy. As a result, the adult may bite or otherwise show aggression, making its intentions clear. Dogs approach tailless individuals with caution to avoid misunderstandings.

Why do dogs wag their tail?

The tail is one of the dogs' means of communication. Its position and movement together with other parts of the body help express the mood and intentions of the pets. There are many combinations of wags that express the animal's mood in a particular situation.

The position of the tail at a certain height can be thought of as a kind of emotional meter. The horizontal position indicates vigilance and extreme care. As the appendage descends, it can be judged that the animal is feeling unwell, showing anxiety or submissiveness. The upward movement of the appendage is a sign of dominance and threat.

But you also need to take into account the fact that different breeds carry their tails at different heights, for example, in hounds and greyhounds it is lowered, in pugs it is curled. Therefore, the dog’s mood should be determined taking into account changes in the natural position of the tail.

In fact, there is more meaning hidden in the position and movement of the moving appendage than people are used to thinking. Research by Italian scientists has proven the fact that deviation of the tail when wagging to the right or left indicates the mood of the animal. The experiment involved 43 mixed breed pets, which were placed in cages equipped with video cameras. The animals were shown an owner, an unfamiliar person, a cat, and an unfamiliar dominant dog. When they saw the owner, the animals began to vigorously wag their tails with a bias to the right side; when they saw an unfamiliar person, the direction of movement shifted slightly to the right and the intensity of movement decreased; when they saw a dominant individual, the movements shifted to the left. As a result, the researchers came to the conclusion that when experiencing positive emotions, dogs wag their tail, moving it to the right, and when experiencing negative emotions, they wag their tail to the left. It is noteworthy that the right or left hemisphere of the brain is active. The left hemisphere controls the right side of the body, and the right hemisphere controls the left side of the body. And although the deviations of the appendage during wagging are very slight and difficult for humans to perceive, animals easily recognize this kind of emotional signal.

For a long time, scientists believed that information about a dog’s emotional state is conveyed by the position and movement of its tail. However, new research proves that its color also matters. The tail becomes more visible to other dogs if it has a dark or light tip, dark or light base.

The wagging of the mobile appendage is sometimes used as a way to spread the animal's natural odor emanating from the anal glands. Every dog ​​has its own unique scent. Dominant individuals carry their tail high; the higher its position, the more intense the scent. A submissive, timid or frightened individual, not wanting other dogs to approach and sniff, tucks its tail, which prevents the smell from spreading and attracting the attention of other animals.

How to recognize tail signals

In general terms, when a dog experiences a feeling of anxiety, humility, fear, it lowers the appendage, and when it is excited, excited, or aggressive, it raises it. Animals may wag their tails when experiencing physical discomfort or discomfort from being around strangers.

• energetic wagging of the tail at the level of the back - emotional excitement, joy;
• the tail is tense and held straight - a defensive reaction, an aggressive attitude;
• lowered low and moving slightly - subordination, humility;
• straightened at the level of the spine, swaying slightly - alertness, vigilance, attentiveness;
• below the level of the back or between the legs, movement of the tip – uncertainty;
• a tense tail raised high, the tip wagging - readiness for action (grab a toy, follow a command);
• a freely lowered appendage without movement - indifference;
• tightly tucked between the legs - fear.

It’s amazing that no matter how hard the breeders tried to breed a tailless dog, they didn’t succeed. This suggests that a dog's tail is vitally important. After all, the tail is a continuation of the spine and has a similar structure.

Functions of the tail

1. The tail is responsible for transmitting nerve impulses, maintaining normal cerebrospinal fluid pressure and regulating muscle balance.
2. To maintain balance when moving. This is especially noticeable when the dog runs and overcomes obstacles. Dogs “steer” with their tail. When a dog swims, the tail helps maintain optimal body position in the water.
3. The tail is an indicator of the dog's mood. Dogs are very emotional, their mood changes as the situation changes, and the situation changes constantly, although people usually do not notice this.

Why does a dog wag its tail?

Like people, dogs experience emotions: interest, sadness, satisfaction, fear, anger, joy, suspicion, affection, love, shame, pride, guilt. But unlike people, dogs do not know how to be hypocritical and hide their true feelings and movements of the tail, together with other movements of the dog’s body, they demonstrate them.

Let's consider basic tail positions in dogs:

Calm and interested

The tail hangs calmly in the middle - the dog is calm, it is self-confident and is simply waiting for events to develop. Dogs are very impatient and very soon the tail begins to wag slightly and the dog looks at the owner, waiting for his order. If the order is not given, then she will try to change position - sit or lie down.

Also, weak wagging of the lowered tail occurs when the dog does not understand the situation, but does not feel anxiety. In the presence of the owner, the dog is calm, but uncertainty confuses him, and the dog may begin to yawn.

When they see an unfamiliar object, dogs become wary, they are interested and a little scared. This usually occurs in puppies or adolescents. They do not have a well-established pattern of behavior and rely on instinct. The tail is lowered or slightly raised, depending on the dog's confidence, and quivers. The owner should lead the dog to such an object (it could be a balloon or a newspaper in the bushes), calmly convincing the pet that everything is in order and there is nothing to be afraid of.

If the dog feels guilty or is not sure that its behavior will be approved, then the tail wags faster and the amplitude of the waving is greater than in previous cases, but the tail is still lowered and the neck is tilted. It must be borne in mind that the dog may not realize why exactly he is being scolded, especially if time has passed, but the owner is always right and if he scolds, it means there is something for it.

Wariness and suspicion

The tail is extended almost parallel to the ground and trembles slightly, the withers are calm - the dog is waiting, it can start the game and is ready to defend itself, depending on the behavior of the other party.

If the tail is raised and tense, the hair on the withers rises like the crest of a dinosaur, then the dog senses danger and is preparing to attack. Many dogs, especially service breeds, are of the opinion that the best defense is an attack. The situation can develop in different ways: a tug on the leash will provoke aggression, but a calm admonition from the owner, on the contrary, will resolve the matter peacefully. At such moments, it is useful to distract the dog with the command “Sit” and “Next”.

The raised tail is characteristic of alpha males. Such dogs are confident in themselves and prefer to find out the situation until the end. Serious fights are very rare, if they even happen. One dog will put the other down, stand over him, holding his head above the withers, and move away. It is not uncommon for confidence to allow a smaller, physically weaker dog to dominate others. And the intelligence of such dogs is above average.

Aggression and anger

If the dog is aggressive (the result of poor upbringing or its complete absence), then attacks of aggression are observed when meeting another dog. The dog begins to tear, the tail behaves very actively - the dog can whip itself with its tail, twist it. Exhortations are useless. You need to sharply pull the dog towards you and give the command in a voice: “Near”, “Stand”.

Even if the dog waves its tail very complacently, it should be taken into account that for the dog the situation is changing, but the person is not aware of it. The outstretched hand of a stranger, for example, sharply changes the mood of a guard dog in the direction of protection, and an attack ensues.

Fear and Submission

If the tail is in a position between the paws - tucked, then the dog experiences discomfort, more often it is fear, but it happens that the dog simply has nowhere to go and avoid unpleasant communication with someone. This could be a pestering dog, an annoying child (children love to grab a dog's tail, which is understandable, but dogs really don't like it) or, unfortunately, a veterinarian.

The submission position in front of a dominant dog is also characterized by a tail tucked, the rear bent to the ground and the dog demonstrates its submission by opening its neck (by moving or lowering its head).

Satisfaction and joy

When the tail wags cheerfully, the dog is satisfied and happy. At exhibitions, a “happy tail” causes a lot of anxiety for owners, if, for example, the requirements for the tail are elongated, like Labradors, or drooping, like German Shepherds.

The higher the dog's excitement, the more active the tail behaves. Dogs react this way not only to living beings - people whom they especially enjoy meeting, dog friends - but also to pleasant events. It’s not clear how, but they sense them. This could be a trip to the forest to pick mushrooms, or a car trip to the lake.

Pride and vanity

A person's words evoke these feelings. Any dog ​​is jealous if another dog is praised in its presence and proud when it itself is praised. The tail wags contentedly and the muzzle expresses vanity. People take advantage of this. When you need to dress a dog in overalls, which dogs don’t like, then you just have to tell the dog how beautiful he is and how everyone will look at him and admire him, then the stubbornness disappears and the tail expresses complete contentment. But it’s good to back up words with action, and during a walk it’s useful to warm up the dog’s vanity a couple of times with your admiration.

The dog wags its tail unconsciously, the tail is subject to the signals that the brain sends to it. But the movement of a dog's tail helps people and other animals understand the dog's mood and intentions.

The big picture

• A. Self-confidence.
• B. Aggression.
• C. Obsessive attitude.
• D. Self-confidence (from aggression).
• E. Defense.
• F and G. Normal behavior.
• H. Between normality and anxiety.
• I. Friendly attitude.
• J and K. Submission (J - friendly, K - with fear).

Our smaller brothers are man's faithful and devoted friends. Throughout their short lives they have been protectors and friends. They help rescuers, the blind, servants of the law, provide transportation, provide security, and work in the circus.

Having a dog is not only joy and happiness, but also responsibility. You need to learn to be able to understand a four-legged pet. But dogs don’t speak, but they give us such signs as barking, wagging their tail, wrinkling their faces, grinning, whining, etc.

What is hidden behind the movement of a dog's tail?

Let's consider this "gesture". In the distant past, the dog was a pack animal. The tail is a communication function between members of the pack. The tail communicates a lot of information.

It is only in our philistine understanding that tail wagging is associated with the friendliness of an animal. In addition, each dog has its own individual smell, which is released through the anal glands.

As we all know, dogs are social animals. And now that we live next to each other, the tail serves as a bright “language” of communication. Tail movements can vary in direction and intensity.

They express a lot of feelings and emotions - joy, fear, interest, sympathy, aggression, a sense of guilt.

Tail wagging meanings

A wagging tail easily replaces a smile or gratitude, for example for a toy. But only if you gave the gift yourself. The dog will not be grateful to the object, it is grateful to the person.

If during play the dog actively plays, jumps, growls, but the tail wags, sympathy and intimacy occur.

During the execution of commands and training, the tail wags uncertainly and slowly - the animal does not understand the task. From this we can conclude that when comprehending and understanding what they want from her, the amplitude of the tail increases. And in practice this is confirmed.

The tail is in a non-rigid horizontal position - a manifestation of interest in this situation. For example, a squirrel in a tree.

Raised in a position between vertical and horizontal is a leadership gesture. Down and raised a little up - the dog is dominant. The position of the tail is below horizontal (but not between the legs) – the dog is relaxed.

A lowered tail has different interpretations. If the dog is standing, the paws are straightened, and the tail moves back and forth - depression and poor health. The paws in this position are bent - this is already insecurity.

If the tail is clamped between the legs, this is a feeling of fear, the dog accepts its lower status. This manifests itself, for example, in an unfamiliar environment. The tail bristled - a manifestation of aggression.

Although the tail is an important part of communication, when interacting with a four-legged friend, you need to take into account the position of the head, ears, body, eyes, paws, etc.

A good owner must understand his shaggy friend, feel his mood swings, and anticipate his desires. First you need to become friends, and when a common language is found, mutual understanding will begin.

True friendship is based on agreement and unanimity.

People have long had the idea that dogs wag their tail to convey joy and say hello, but this is not entirely true.

Why does a dog need a tail?

Humans' four-legged friends use their tails to communicate, so this gesture could mean: come pet me.

Dogs have a kind of language based on the position and movement of the tail. Certain positions reveal the emotional state of your faithful friend.

When a dog is relaxed, its tail is in a natural position, which varies depending on the breed of the animal. Typically this position is characterized by the tail hanging down to the hocks or heels. However, pugs and greyhounds raise their curled tails in this case.

If a dog is nervous or scared, it will lower its tail lower than its natural position, sometimes pinching it between its hind legs. On the contrary, if the animal is aggressive, the tail will stick out vertically. Standing straight - the dog has become interested in something. The animal wags it - thus showing excitement, and if this happens very energetically, it indicates greater excitement.

How does a tail affect your mood?

In 2007, researchers discovered that when a dog wags its tail, it wants to say what it feels.

In particular, the animal makes movements to the right - shows positive emotions, to the left - negative.

This phenomenon is explained by the fact that exclusively the left hemisphere of the brain is responsible for the right side of the whole organism as a whole, and vice versa.

The study also confirmed that the right hemisphere is associated with negative emotions, while the left hemisphere is associated with positive emotions.

Interestingly, in 2013, scientists conducted experiments and found that when they see another dog, animals raise and wave their tails asymmetrically. If your four-legged friend wags to the right, he wants to say that he recognized his relative, and if he wags to the left, he emphasizes the importance of the other furry one.

People believe that when a dog wags its tail, it shows its owners that it is happy. But tail wagging has other, more important functions: Every dog ​​has its own unique scent secreted from its anal glands, and the tail helps spread that scent.

1. Self-confidence, courage at the sight of another dog 2. Threat 3. Flirting (wagging the tail) 4. Indifference, lack of interest 5. Attempt to scare 6. Posture when feeding 7. Demonstration of submission 8. Uncertainty between threat and defense 9-11 . Poses of submission at the sight of another top-ranking dog.

Alpha dogs hold their tails high, while fearful or subdominant dogs tuck their tail between their hind legs to avoid attention.

By wagging their tails and thus spreading their scent, dogs communicate that they want their scent to be noticed - for example, dogs may behave this way when they see a friendly person or when they want to play. However, a dog may not only wag its tail when it is excited or happy - it is also a way for a dog to communicate with other dogs.

Tail wagging is a learned behavior. Puppies begin to wag their tails at about a month of age because they need to interact with their littermates or want an adult dog to feed them or play with them. Tails also help puppies and adult dogs maintain balance - in all likelihood, this was the first function of the tail, and it began to play an important role in communication only later.

Adult dogs with docked tails must be careful when interacting with other dogs to ensure they are not sending the wrong signals. Puppies are more reckless.

Wolves also use their tails to communicate: if a wolf wags its tail, it usually means that it is relaxed.

What do scientists say about tail wagging?

There are times when the tail wags the dog, but in most cases, however, the opposite is true. It was the dog’s tail moving back and forth that researchers of our four-legged friends turned their attention to in order to understand the manifestation of emotions in dogs and the connection of these emotions with the hemispheres of the brain. The dogs were studied from nose to tail, and an interesting picture emerged.

Every dog ​​owner and lover knows how they let you know about their mood. If the ears are pressed to the head, the whole body is tense and the tail is extended, this means “You better not mess with me.” Your pet's ears stand up, and he, without ceasing, curls at your feet and at the same time waves his tail so much that it will come off at any moment? Everyone should understand what this means: “I’m so glad to see you!”

The time may come when dogs will give more readable signals (using an LED tail attachment and a mechanical scruff), but for now we have to learn to understand dog “gestures”.

And recently, scientists discovered one very interesting feature of dog behavior, which not only the best dog breeders (with their recommendations), but even dog experts were unaware of.

After conducting a series of experiments on 30 dogs of various breeds, it turned out that if the dog is generally positive, then he waves his tail more to the right side. If he is upset or angry about something, then the movements are shifted to the left side of the sacrum. Watch the video.

If the dog sees the owner, then its tail waves to the right, which means it is safe to approach. If she sees a dominant dog, then movements shifted to the left signal “I think I’ll go.”

Well, that's an interesting observation. But where is the science here?

The thing is that many researchers are still arguing whether emotional asymmetry of the brain can manifest itself in any animal other than humans, in whom the left side of the brain began to evolve along with the development of speech.

Previous work by various scientists has shown that in most animals, including birds, fish and frogs, the left hemisphere of the brain is responsible for positive emotions and so-called energy enrichment. For example, in humans, the left hemisphere is associated with feelings such as love, affection, peace and security, when they appear, the heart rate slows down, and the body experiences a feeling of peace and satisfaction.

The right hemisphere, on the contrary, is responsible for behavior related to energy consumption and output. For people this is: fear, depression, flight, physiologically expressed by rapid heartbeat and stopping the functioning of the digestive system.

Since the right hemisphere controls the left side of the body, and the left hemisphere controls the right side, the asymmetry of body movements is opposite to the activity of the brain hemispheres.

Apparently for this reason, many birds search for food using their right eye to a greater extent (left hemisphere, saturation of the body), and control the presence of predators around them with their left eye.

The right side of the human face tends to express happiness, while the muscles of the left side show all the sorrows and sorrows. For left-handers, however, the opposite is true.

“But the dog’s tail is located on the midline of the body, neither on the left nor on the right half. Can it show emotional asymmetry?” - asks Dr. Richard J. Davidson, head of the laboratory of emotional neurophysiology at the University of Wisconsin (University of Wisconsin).

Italians Giorgio Vallortigara, a neurophysiologist from the University of Trieste (Università degli Studi di Trieste) and his veterinary colleagues from the University of Bari (Università degli Studi di Bari) Angelo Quaranta and Marcello Siniscalchi answered the question Davidson and showed that it can.

To do this, they placed pets in cages equipped with cameras that accurately recorded the angle of deviation of the tail from the midline of the body. They were then presented with 4 different stimuli: their owner, an unfamiliar person, a cat, and an unfamiliar “dominant” dog.

In each case, the dog observed the person or animal for one minute. Then the experimenters took a break for one and a half minutes, and then the next picture followed. The experiments lasted 25 days with 10 sessions daily.

When they saw their owners, the dogs vigorously waved their tails with a shift to the right side; when they saw a stranger, the movements also shifted to the right, but were not so frequent. The sight of a cat caused tail movements shifted to the right, but with less amplitude. If an aggressive unfamiliar dog (a large Belgian Shepherd) appeared nearby, the tails immediately reacted by moving to the left.

Thus, it can be assumed that the muscles of the right part of the tail are responsible for the expression of positive emotions, and the left - negative.

Australian neurophysiologist Lesley Rogers from the University of New England adds that brain asymmetry is observed not only in mammals, but also in many lower animals, from which life evolved to higher forms.

For example, bees learn better if they use their right antennae, Leslie says, and male chameleons show aggression by changing their body color when they look at another chameleon with their left eye. The toad is more likely to try to hide from a predator if it appears on the left (right hemisphere - fear), while it prefers to throw its tongue to the right when catching insects (left hemisphere - satiation).

Chickens use their left eye to search for food, and their right eye to look around and monitor dangerous situations. However, if chickens are raised in the dark, Rogers notes, they do not develop normal brain asymmetry.

Sheep are very good at recognizing faces and use the right hemisphere of their brain to distinguish between Dolly and Molly.

"Chimpanzees have the same emotional brain asymmetries as humans," says William D. Hopkins, a researcher at the Yerkes National Primate Center. According to him, when monkeys are excited, they often seem to scratch the left side of their body, thereby betraying strong negative emotions. Moreover, left-handed chimpanzees are more fearful than right-handed chimpanzees. Their dominant right brain makes them more cautious.

Brain asymmetry appears to be an ancient characteristic, Rogers generalizes. This asymmetry gives the organism a certain advantage for the survival of the species. After all, animals that can do two important things at the same time (for example, eat and watch out for predators) have an easier time surviving than those that are absorbed in only one thing. In addition, in animals with two cerebral hemispheres, functions are not duplicated, and nerve tissue is used with maximum benefit.