Types Of Dog Tails
Contrary to what it may seem at first glance, there are different types of dog tails, from birth. As the tail is a very important part of the body in its communication and aesthetics, we will analyze this curious communication tool for dogs.
Types of Dog Tails and Communication
Dogs communicate with each other and with us, with the whole body. The position in which they place their ears, tail and paws is just as important as the movement they make with those parts. Therefore, it is important to know what our dog’s tail looks like in order to understand its communication with us.
As a general rule, a dog wags its tail when it is happy. However, there are types of tails that cannot be moved, such as those that are twisted over the back or those that are too short. The same thing happens when they are scared and carry their tail between their legs: this statement is not valid for all dogs.
They say a dog is alert when its tail is up. Despite this, there are dogs that naturally tend to have a raised tail, even when they are relaxed. Next, we’ll talk about the different types of dog tails and how they affect your communication:
Low set straight tail
The low-set tail is one that is naturally between the legs and very rarely can be higher than the level of the spine. It is, for example, the tail of the golden retriever, the bull terrier, the border collie and the greyhound.
This means that when this tail is at rest, it will be attached to the legs: this does not mean that the dog is afraid, as its position is natural. Likewise, when the dog is alert, it will not carry its tail too high, simply because it cannot lift it above the spine.
High set straight tail
The opposite is high set tails: they are usually in an elevated position and often far above the spine. Dogs with tails of this type are the beagle, the different types of arms, the chihuahuas, the terriers, among which are the yorkshire, for example.
The natural position of these tails is far above the hind legs: they have to feel a very strong fear to get their tail between their legs. Also, they seem to be on the lookout or have a bit of curiosity about their surroundings, as they grow so big that if you look straight ahead, you can see their tail above their head.
It is one of the most mobile types of dog tails and, therefore, they are very expressive animals. It will be very easy to understand the body movement of these types of dogs, as he is able to do all the movements and positions in a natural and simple way.
curled tail
The curled tail gives more problems in this regard. This type of dog ‘s tail is always located above the dog’s back, pulled back to form a ring or a handle, and so they have little mobility and expressiveness.
There are many breeds with this type of tail, entrebut among them are the shiba inu, the carlino, the malamute and the shit zu. Many of these dogs have very long fur, which makes communication difficult.
Fortunately, dogs are able to see that they are not very expressive with their backs and can develop other strategies to communicate with other dogs: facial expression, ears, full body movement… For us humans it will be a little more difficult understand them.
short or clipped tail
There are breeds that are born without a tail or with a very short tail. One of the types of corgi, the English bulldog and also the boxer are born without a tail. In addition, due to tradition, there are other breeds that have their tails cut, such as the ratonero, the cocker and the English shepherd.
The lack of a tail is a major impediment to communication. In some cases, you can imagine that they have some movement, but we only detect it when they’re off to the side and we never know when they’re scared or alert.
Like curly-tailed dogs, these dogs know they have an additional difficulty when it comes to expressing themselves, but they usually manage to make up for it. However, they can have frequent problems and misunderstandings when interacting with other dogs.
Traditionally, the tail was cut in different races because their work could hurt it. Fortunately, in many countries it is already prohibited to mutilate dogs, as they are generally no longer working dogs but companion dogs.
The tail is a very important element in dog communication. However, the different types of dogs’ tails facilitate or hinder their communication. Knowing your dog’s anatomy will allow you to understand him better.
