what do you think of a dog that never wags?

[thepennywhistle]

Hi all,

Something dawned on me today (yes, I can be very slow), and I thought I'd ask opinions of our list members
about it. What do you think of a dog that almost never wags her tail? Her eyes are happy. Her body language
is relaxed, but never does she use her tail to express herself except for the occasions where we are having
private snuggly cuddles and I make much over her. Then, when I stop, I get a nudge from the collie nose to
continue and a very very shy little wag of the tail, not much more than a quiver, really. And that is about
as expressive as she will get, excluding of course telling off the dogs next door.

Rowan had a tough beginning, being tossed into a kill shelter before she was 4 months old, and arrived to
me terrified of almost everything, especially people and hands. She got over that (or so I thought), but
again became very depressed when Piper died. I thought we'd recovered from that, but now that I've noticed
the more than quiet demeanor, I'm wondering if I've really missed something here. Do I have a perpetually
depressed dog, a dog with a quirk about expressing herself, or something else altogether.

Opinions anyone? and thanks, of course

[Butter]

My new boy, honestly, hasn't stopped wagging his tail since the moment I met him. It's his simply preferred way of communicating, whether it's a "back off" wag or a "oh yeah, I'm happy to see you" wag.

Noni only wags when he is happy, happily curious, nervous or attempting to be submissive. He prefers to communicate using his whole body, but particularly the expression in his face.

Bandi only wags his tail when someone has a ball, or when he is being protective. He usually maintains a blank face, and prefers to communicate using his stance/body posture.

It all depends on your dog's preference how how she communicates, just like people! I personally, do not think a non-wagging tail is much of a big deal as she'll tell you in an other form that she's happy, excited, curious, nervous, etc.

[Flyby]

You've almost answered your own question thepennywhistle.

She doesn't wag her tail, but all the other body language is positive and content. You just have to look at the whole picture rather than read too much into one single feature like her tail.

I'm not even convinced tail wagging actually is an indicator of happiness, but to me it's more consistent with excitement and curiousity rather than just being happy. Its also a sign of nervousness too sometimes. The tail is simply one prompt of many which lets you read what your dog is feeling. Some dogs use their tails a lot, and some don't.

[Nettle]

You just have to look at the whole picture rather than read too much into one single feature like her tail.

I'm not even convinced tail wagging actually is an indicator of happiness,

Spot-on!

A wagging tail has as many meanings as a human smile - and some of those are definitely not benign. The wag means high arousal, and this can be for all sorts of reasons (a terrier killing a rat will wag like mad sometimes).

So - this is the dog you have, her lovely unique self, and she shows you beyond all doubt when she feels happy, but she is not a great 'wagger' just as some people are perfectly nice but don't smile much. Possibly this is her way, or maybe she hurt herself wagging in a confined space in the shelter.

[WufWuf]

I have a cat who's quite un-cat like in many ways one of which is that he wags his tail, ALOT. A vet once told us it's because he's a deep thinker

Lot's of people tell you that cats' only wag when they are p*ssed but this is just not true, mine will all wag when they are about to get affection, when they want food, are confused or indecisive, want to go out and you ask them do they want to go out. I think it's the same with dogs. it's just a multi purpose tool they use to communicate and you've got to look at the whole animal to see what they are feeling.

[Suzette]

Having a Pembroke Corgi (no tail) I had a difficult time at first not having that wagging tail to tell me how she was feeling. Then I realized that she was telling me, in a hundred different ways, I just had to pay attention. Now, thanks to my tailless dog and this forum which has taught me so much about body language, I see so much going on with her that I might never have payed attention to before. It's actually made me a more aware pet owner and both Piper and I are happier now that I can 'read' her so much better.

[abbyneo]

Definitely agree with what everyone has said so far. Both of our pups wag with their whole bodies..I swear one day Neo lifted herself off the ground with her incessant wiggling. But, I can also tell when they're contented but not actually wagging or wiggling. A look on their face, or a head tilt can tell everything.