Why does dogs wag their tails

Specifically, a tail wagging to the right indicates positive emotions, and a tail wagging to the left indicates negative emotions. This phenomenon has to do with the fact that the brain's left hemisphere controls the right side of the body, and vice versa.

Research on the approach-avoidance behavior of other animals has shown that the left hemisphere is associated with positive-approach feelings, and the right hemisphere is associated with negative-avoidance feelings. Interestingly, a study found that dogs understand the asymmetric tail wagging of other dogs — a right-wagging tail relaxes other canines, while a left-wagging tail makes them stressed. Live Science. A dog wagging his tail more on the right side of his body is probably more relaxed, while a dog wagging his tail on the left side of his body could be more alert, stressed, or anxious, according to the study published in Current Biology in While many of these cues seem fairly simple, recognizing them will help you communicate better with your dog and will help you read the moods of other dogs, as well.

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Additional Resources AKC. Clubs Offering: Training Classes. Back To Fun Facts. One of the biggest misconceptions about dogs is that a wagging tail means the dog is friendly. While it certainly can mean this, there are a multitude of reasons dogs wag their tails. At the most basic level, a wagging tail simply means the dog is ready or willing to interact. However, the type of interaction the dog is willing to have can be either positive or negative.

Dogs use their tails as a form of communication to convey different emotions. The emotion being conveyed depends greatly on the tail position and the speed of the tail wag.

Fortunately, despite these breed differences, the tail movements are generally the same. The faster the tail wag, the louder the voice. When a dog is expressing happiness or friendliness, their tail is often in a neutral or slightly upright position and wagging at a moderate speed. Their tail is more relaxed than usual and often wagging more freely. The more excited a dog is, the faster their tail typically wags. When dogs are really excited and friendly, they will sometimes also wag their hips or even their whole body, from their shoulders down to their tail.

When a dog is curious about something, such as when they find a new smell, their tail is typically held straight out behind them. This may or may not be associated with a tail wag—the tail is often held still. They will also be standing with an alert posture with their ears perked up.

A dog that is relaxed will stand with a relaxed posture and hold their tail in a neutral position without a tail wag. They will only start wagging their tail when an emotion is elicited.

Dogs that are submissive will often lower their tail or tuck it between their legs. This is typically done because the dog feels threatened and does not want to be harmed.