What is a dog saying when it wags its tail?

Have you ever seen a dog's tail swish back and forth? Maybe you heard it go thump, thump on the floor. That tail looks very busy!

So what is a dog saying when it wags its tail? Let's find out together.

A dog cannot tell you how it feels with words. So a dog talks with its body instead. We call this body language, which means showing feelings with your body instead of words.

The tail is a big part of a dog's body language. A dog wags its tail for someone to see, like you or another dog. The wag is a message just for them.

Here is a happy message. The tail swings wide and loose from side to side. The whole back end wiggles too. That dog is saying, hello, I am glad to see you!

A dog has other feelings too. Now picture a tail held up high and stiff. It wags in tiny, quick moves. What do you think that dog is saying?

That dog is saying, I am not sure about this, please give me space. So a wag does not always mean happy. A child who sees this wag stays back and asks the dog's grown-up first.

To tell which message a dog is sending, look at its whole body language, not just the tail. A wiggly body goes with a happy wag. A still, stiff body goes with a stiff wag that says, please give me space.

A dog wags its tail as body language, to show others how it feels. A loose wag says hello, and a stiff wag says please give me space.

On the kitchen floor, a soft tail swings wide and loose. Thump, thump. A happy dog is saying hello.