7 facts about dogs’ tails you probably didn’t know: they don’t wag on their own, just like we don’t talk to the wall

Dog tails: they wag their tails, signal with their paws, get between your legs, paw on the floor, at the foot of the table and sometimes slap you in the face while you play. They can tell us a lot about the personality and mood of the dog they are bonded to. But how much do you really know about your pet's tail?

Here some fun facts and important informations about the dogs’ tail, which is a communication tool, an important part of play and mobility, and an appendage that can suffer from overuse.

1. Dog tails are one of the most important communication tools for dogs

When we think of a dog’s tail, we usually think of it wagging in the air as a sign of happiness. But happiness is not the only emotion shows by a dog’s tail. A dog’s tail can communicate emotions ranging from curiosity to excitement. A tail between the legs can signal shyness or submission. A tail that stands straight up in the air can be a sign of confidence or even aggression.

It’s not just the position that matters: the speed of your dog’s tail wagging can have many meanings. The faster the wagging, the more excited the dog is. A slow or extremely gentle movement can show insecurity. And a very rapid, high-pitched wag is a sign of alertness.

And the direction of the wag is not all the same! The direction in which the wagging tail points indicates which hemisphere of the quadruped’s brain is dominant. If your pet wags his tail to the right, he’s happy, if to the left, he’s scared or even anxious.

In dogs with a particularly short or truncated tail, the lack of a tail can put the dog at a disadvantage when communicating with other dogs of the same breed. This is because it is not entirely clear to other dogs what the other four-legged friend’s intentions are. Also, the communication of the tail between the dog and the cat can be misleading. While in dogs the wagging of the tail usually indicates friendly interest, in cats it is the other way round. They tend to move their tails quickly when they are nervous and tense.

2. Most dogs only wag their tails in the presence of humans

Yep, this one is specifically for the public! Their tails are primarily for communication, so they don’t tend to wag unless there is someone around to interact with.

As Dr. Stanley Coren, in How To Speak Dog: Mastering the Art of Dog-Human Communication, in Psychology Today: “When the dog is alone, he will not wag his tail, just as humans do not talk to the wall.”

3. The tail is an extension of the spine

Here’s a quick anatomy lesson: the tail is made up of vertebrae just like the spine. The 5-20 vertebrae of the tail are larger at the base and smaller towards the end. And like the back vertebrae, the tail bones are separated by soft plates that provide cushioning and flexibility.

Tail breaks can occur, most commonly when dogs wag their tails excessively (typically Labradors and Vizslas), which is known as Happy Tail Syndrome. The fractures can be minor or more severe depending on the location. A fracture at the tip of the tail may heal on its own, although a bump or curvature may remain where it was broken. Broken bones at the base of the tail can cause nerve damage and may be more severe. All tail injuries should be examined by a veterinarian.

4. There is a reason for the shape

There are several types of tails: long, short, carrot, otter and also corkscrew, for example. These words usually describe the shape of a dog’s tail. Spitz-type dog breeds have “sickle” tails, so called because they curve up the back of the dog and point towards the head like a sickle. This was useful for dogs in cold climates because, when they curled up, their tails kept them warm.

Purebred dogs are bred to have a particular shape for appearance and practicality. For example, the Labrador Retriever has an “otter” tail, thick at the base and tapering towards the tip, and is covered with thick, short hair. The otter tail is named for its resemblance to an otter, and for Labradors it helps them swim better when retrieving prey from the water.

It is worth noting that the colour of the tail is not always a coincidence. Some hunting dogs, such as Beagles, have a white tail tip so that the hunter can easily see where his partner is when searching in the bush.

5. They steer with their tails

Have you ever watched a dog turning fast while running? Maybe you’ve noticed their tails sticking out behind them. In some dogs, the tail acts as a counterweight to help balance and make their turns more precise.

Watch carefully the next time you see a Greyhound at the dog run and you may notice that its low-lying tail acts as a rudder when running! Similarly, the tail can act as a rudder in the water when dogs are swimming.

6. Not all dogs have tails

Some dogs do not have tails, either because they are born without them or because they have been amputated for health reasons. Because of their absence, dogs need other ways to communicate. Pembroke Welsh Corgis, for example, have large, expressive ears that help to convey moods. In the old days, working dogs had their tails mutilated so that in the event of a conflict (with a wild animal, for example) an opponent could not latch on and cause injury. Some dogs also had their ears cropped for the same reason (and this is why dogs’ ears and tails were once cropped in animal fights.) Nowadays, most dogs no longer need this, and mutilation for non-medical reasons is becoming illegal in an increasing number of countries, including ours.

7. Tail diseases

Above we have mentioned Happy Tail Syndrome, which means that the dog injures or breaks its tail due to excessive wagging. The other typical problem a Dead Tail Syndrome, which mostly affects Labradors. What happens is that the dog can’t move its tail from one moment to the next and may show signs of pain when touched. The phenomenon has many names, including dead tail, cold water tail or limber tail. The cause is unknown, but it is more common in hunting dogs such as Setters, Vizslas and Retrievers.

Dead Tail Syndrome usually occurs after increased physical exertion in cold conditions (such as swimming in cold water). When this happens, the dog feels a pain similar to a muscle fever and the tail becomes inflamed. This causes the blood vessels to constrict and reduces the oxygen supply to the muscle. This causes lactic acid to be produced and can also lead to inflammation due to poor cell function. The phenomenon will go away on its own over time, but if you experience it often, it’s worth taking your pet to a vet.