Video
A public DogMind Journal video about why tail wagging should not be interpreted as a simple happiness signal and why left/right tail-wagging research should be handled cautiously.
Published: July 8, 2026 - Duration: 5:30
Communication in Dogs, Marcello Siniscalchi, Serenella D'Ingeo, Michele Minunno, Angelo Quaranta, Animals (2018-07-31) DOI: 10.3390/ani8080131, accessed 2026-07-15
Open source linkAsymmetric Tail-Wagging Responses by Dogs to Different Emotive Stimuli, Angelo Quaranta, Marcello Siniscalchi, Giorgio Vallortigara, Current Biology (2007-01-01) DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2007.02.008, accessed 2026-07-15
Open source linkSeeing Left- or Right-Asymmetric Tail Wagging Produces Different Emotional Responses in Dogs, Marcello Siniscalchi, Rita Lusito, Giorgio Vallortigara, Angelo Quaranta, Current Biology (2013-01-01) DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2013.09.027, accessed 2026-07-15
Open source linkArticle
Dog body language is useful, but it is easy to overread. A lip lick, yawn, tail wag, bark, or still moment can matter. None of those signals, by itself, can prove exactly...
Glossary
The way a dog holds the tail, interpreted through anatomy, movement, whole-body posture, and individual baseline.
Glossary
Tail movement that may show engagement or activation but does not independently prove happiness.
