We think of a dog’s wagging tail as a happy thing, but that’s not necessarily so. If you want to gain a better understanding of your dog’s “messages,” pay attention to whether it’s tail is wagging predominantly to the right, or predominantly to the left. Wagging to the right is “left brain” activity, which is generally associated with loving and comfortable feelings. Wagging to the left is “right brain” activity, which is associated with “negative avoidance” feelings.
So wagging to the right, is what you usually think of as a friendly tail wag. But wagging to the left might mean your dog is uncomfortable about something, like an approaching dog or person.
Here a couple of articles that describe the scientific experiments that have been done.
Wag the Dog, Scientific American.
Language Log. Kitty Pidgin and Asymmetrical Tail Wags.
Understanding tail wags will add to your dog communication and dog listening skills.
Also, remember to tak our on-line poll: “How does your dog show affection for you?”
