Is there an evolutionary or biological reason for why dogs wag their tails when they are “happy”? Is it just that, to help weave the social fabric of the pack, there was an advantage in having some visible means for ur-dogs to communicate “happiness” to their packmates?
I’ve read several things stating that dogs wag their tails to indicate a sort of confusion. Yes, they may be happy to see you, but they’re not quite sure what you might ask them to do next. Being socially structured pack animals, they are waiting your command.
From my own experience with dogs, this does seem to make sense. I’ve noticed that when my dogs are happy because of actively doing something, like playing, or any activity where they know what to expect, their tails will stand up and curl back, without wagging. When I walk into a room where they are laying, the tails will slowly wag as if to say “What would you like us to do?”
As to an evolutionary reason for this, it’s part of canine communication. It’s remarkable the things you can pick up if you know what to look for in a dog: ear position, eye contact (or lack of), body position, tail position, vocalizations, and other signals. Just like you can read body language with a human if you are aware of what to look for, you can tell a dog’s mood or what they want. It’s certainly better than having them crap on the rug.
That’s interesting. I never noticed but our dog does have a different tail wag for each of us. When my husband walks into the room it is more of a slow moving submissive type wag as if to ask, “What can I do for you master”. When myself or my daughter walk in all hell breaks loose and we have to catch her before she cleans off the tables with her tail or breaks our shins. I can only assume that my husband represents the pack leader in the family and myself and my daughter are just her playmates. The strange thing about it is that I do most of the discipline and training with the dog. You would think she would be more submissive to me.