Deb D’Andrea, Nederland. You arrive home and your dog is thrilled to see you, greeting you with excitement, vocalizations and huge tail wags. My girls leap with joy, Tiki and Sally wag their tails and Bear shakes her entire butt as she has no tail. They clearly communicate to us and their canine friends through tail language how they are feeling.

Tails can communicate several emotions, from excitement to anticipation to being confident, fearful or aggressive. An excited dog wags fast; a confident or alert dog will hold their tail upright and wag slowly; an aggressive dog’s tail is usually erect and motionless; and a submissive dog has their tail tucked between their hind legs. If you spend time observing dogs in various situations, it’s quite fascinating to see how well they communicate with just a wag.

When dogs greet each other, I watch whose tail does what. A dominant dog will hold their tail high, just slightly wagging; while a lower ranking dog will greet with their tail between their legs, wagging slightly. Dogs with no tails learn to communicate using more body language, like Bear who will wiggle her entire butt to show how happy she is. Then

the greeting dance begins, each dog giving the other an official sniff.

In 2007 Italian researchers tested tail wags of 30 dogs ranging from one to six years of age, 15 females and 15 males. Researchers discovered a dog will wag more to the right when they are happy or see something they want; and more to the left when they are scared or want to run away. Interestingly, the human brain is wired very similar. Our left hemisphere is associated with positive events and the right side associated with negative events or retreat, suggesting the association of right and left brain asymmetry is ancient.

Aside from communication, tails also help provide balance when running, walking or turning sharply. Bear however has no tail and does just fine.

Till next time. Deb D’Andrea, founder of 4TheLuvOfDogz & the Caribou Dog Ranch, recognized by the State of Colorado as a Certified Canine Massage Therapist, will visit your home or Vet’s office to work with your dog. Canine Agility may be offered at the Caribou Dog Ranch in 2018 if there is interest. Deb currently has limited availability for new Pet Nanny Clients; and bakes up fresh dog treats & doggy birthday cakes per order. For information contact Deb at 720-675- 7078 or email: info@4theluvofdogz.com.