What does it mean when a dogs tail is between its legs?

Answer 1

If the dogs tail is normally up, and sometimes goes down, it could mean the dog is scared! When my Maltese is scared, her tail goes between her legs!

We used to have a long haired chihuahua, who had a bad back, and when in pain his tail would go between his legs!

The anul glands being plugged can cause it too!

If it happens all the time, you should go for a check-up at the vet!

Answer 2

I have a rotterweiller 9 years old he has bad hips and seems to be comming lame, for the last 2 weeks he has been carrying his tail between his legs, we know he is hurting has had problems sence he was a puppy. he si carring his legs between his tail and head down. he will be going to the vets but im wondering what to expect
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Answer 3

It could be what everyone else has said about being scared or intimidated or even sick. Often times though it could be a sign of stress. Think of a tail as a 'stress meter'; when its up at the top (usually wagging) then there is very little stress on the dog, when it is straight out and doesn't have much movement its usually a sign of the dog being unsure or uneasy (encountering other dogs) and when the tail is down its usually under stress (sick, afraid, intimidated). Think about the situation that your dog is in when he tucks his tail. Are there loud noises, new people/animals, are you yelling at him or making him uncomfortable? Other signs of stress to look for are the ears and head. If the ears are pinned back this is another sign of stress and see if the head is below axis (below the shoulders) these things will usually coincide.

Answer 4

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Answer 5

when a dogs tail is between it's leg it means that there scared or not sure of something it's just there way of showing it instead of biting.

Answer 6

Fear or Submission... if the dog is afraid it will tuck tail and usually run.. or it will go belly up.
Also the same for submission.. if their is a dog or person that the animal feels threatened by it will give the same responses.. In the wild a wolf will do this to show he/she understands its place in the pack.

Answer 7

scared. A dog put its tail between its legs to avoid the other dog smelling the fear. its anal glands give out a certain scent when scared so by doing this, it avoids the other dog smelling this scent.

Answer 8

one caution to this Submission/fear/ nerves interpretation (which I'd consider correct in most dogs): a few breeds (greyhound, whippet) carry the tail between the legs as the neutral default position.

Answer 9

it is usually scared or sometimes when i get home and see my dog has ripped something apart i say "JODY!" in a low voice and a voice that she knows what it means . and she knows shes been bad so she puts her tail between her legs and puts her head low.

Answer 10

it can mean either that the dog is submitting, it is afraid or not happy abouta situation, for example, if you give it a bath and it is not thrilled about it, it may place its tail between its legs.