When A Dog Wags Its Tail Does It Mean It Happy. A happy dog usually has bright eyes a relaxed open mouth and possibly a gentle pant. Its commonly believed that dogs wag their tails to convey that they are happy and friendly but this isnt exactly true. If a dog is wagging its tail and the rest of its body seems relaxed or is moving along with the wagging you are probably dealing with a happy comfortable dog. However while it is tempting to pet that curly-tipped tail most cats prefer to be pet around their facial glands on their cheeks under their chin and next to their ears.
A tail lowered and between the legs could indicate fear anxiety or submission. Dogs do use their tails to communicate though a wagging tail. Tail wagging is simply a sign of arousal for a number of reasons. While some wags are indeed associated with happiness others can mean fear. When your dog wags his tail it doesnt always mean that hes happy – in fact it can indicate quite the opposite. A small tail wag indicates a welcoming gesture while broad means that the dog is friendly.
A dog that wags its tail is excited and maybe happy but a dog who sees you and does not wag it means is happy to see you.
Dogs do use their tails to communicate though a wagging tail. Happy relaxed tail wagging is usually accompanied by a happy facial expression. Perhaps the most common misinterpretation of dogs is the myth that a dog wagging its tail is happy and friendly. According to Lynn Buzhardt DVM a. A slow tail wag could convey that a dog is insecure about a situation no matter if the tail is positioned high or low. When your dog wags his tail it doesnt always mean that hes happy – in fact it can indicate quite the opposite.