The wagging tail

[Plays With Life]

Is the wagging tail a universal expression of happiness? Does every person recognize it? Do even animals recognize it? Where did this understanding of the wagging tail come from?

The universe must have an age-old image of a tail wagging somewhere in the memory banks, that it included in the design of all mammal minds.

Also: I wish I had a tail to wag. How much wagging I would do!

[WanderingOak]

I dunno. Cats and dogs have completely different body language. That's why they often don't get along very well. You do not want to be petting my cat when he's twitching his tail, for example, because you are likely to get clawed. Smoking Joe (my cat) doesn't understand (dog wagging tail = friendly), so he either runs in mortal terror or gets ready for a fight whenever he encounters a dog, whether it's wagging it's tail or not. It might be different if he was raised around dogs, but he wasn't.

[marinik]

My dogs have tails, but my late Rottweiler didn't so he wagged his whole behind! He was huge, like a boiler on legs so the wagging was hilarious.

I think we just have it in us to read body language, animal or human....suppose it is a kind of genetic memory thing....

[openeyes]

Originally Posted by marinik

My dogs have tails, but my late Rottweiler didn't so he wagged his whole behind! He was huge, like a boiler on legs so the wagging was hilarious.

I never knew how sweet Rotts could be until I babysat one for my cousin for a month. She was constantly snuggled up against my feet.

[marinik]

I am going to have another one.

[Lantana]

when the kitty wags her tail, better run for cover. when pup wags her tail, everything goes flying off the coffee table. big dog = strong tail = BIG MESS!!

[WanderingOak]

Originally Posted by Lantana

when the kitty wags her tail, better run for cover. when pup wags her tail, everything goes flying off the coffee table. big dog = strong tail = BIG MESS!!

Yup. When I was growing up, my dad had a Great Dane with an uncut tail. When she was excited, there was a three-foot-long cone of destruction centered on her hindquarters. Anything that was near her tail risked being demolished. One time, she actually knocked a hole through the wall with her tail. Whenever she broke anything, she knew that she had done something wrong, and would hold her head down and slink away to her bed. Of course, fifteen minutes later, something else would get her worked up. We made sure to keep the Ming Vases out of reach of her tail...