What a Wagging Shiba Tail Means To Me

santuzzasantuzza
edited December 2008 in Shiba Inu (柴犬)
It means trouble.

Tosca isn't a big tail wagger. It just isn't her thing. When she's happy she squints her eyes, puts her ears back, prances, and wags her tail a little bit, but "happy" is really more of a full-body expression. She asked to be petted more when she's happy as well, but since she seems to be generally content the majority of the time, it is much easier to point out when something is not to her liking. She will also wag if she has been given exceptionally tasty food, but I mean something like a stray bit of steak, mashed potatoes, or, her favorite, yogurt with carob chips. Elation or five-star dining aside, I've come to realize that a randomly wagging tail bouncing around on my shiba's back is an indicator of just one thing - she's up to something.

Maybe she's trying to start a game of chase. Maybe she'll start thrashing her rope bone and then fling it, with astonishing accuracy, in my direction. Maybe she's planning a sneak attack on her newest nemesis - my right slipper. Usually these attacks occur with my foot still in the afore-mentioned slipper, which can prove awkward. If that is the case, she will then remove the slipper at her earliest convenience, thrash it around, remove my sock if I happen to be wearing one, thrash that around as well, and then sit proudly admiring her work. Maybe she was to play. She plays surprisingly rough for one her age (5 years) and her size. She's not really mouthy and very careful with the use of her whole mouth area, but she is still a formidable wrestler - a little shiba battering ram. After playing is finished she 'smiles' again and wags and licks her thank yous to you.

I just wanted to know if this is normal. None of her behavior reads as aggression and she'll cool it if I'm firm enough with her to get the "not now" message across. I just think it's weird that she's psuedo-wagless.

Comments

  • lindsaytlindsayt
    edited November -1
    Beebe's wagging tail also only means one thing aside from fine dining, it means she is contemplating sin, like a cat.

    Ike however is very generous with his wags-I think his tail type is more conducive to it, not so tightly curled.
  • brandon_wbrandon_w
    edited November -1
    Yeah she is just playing. Shibas can live a long time and they stay active and playful for a lot of years. They really like to be mischief makers. Nemo wags his tail too when he is trying to get me to play, or if he is running around with something he shouldn't have.
  • KFontaine04KFontaine04
    edited November -1
    Miso is a Wag-0-holic. He is wagging all the time. Food, treats, pets, toys, play, shennangins...doesn't matter, he loves to wag.
  • tobyshibatobyshiba
    edited November -1
    Toby only seems to wag his tail when I come home, or if I leave the room and come back an hour later. Besides that, he could care less. xD
  • sunyatasunyata
    edited November -1
    Bella has a double curled tail that is tightly wound. She only 'wags' when she is happy to see someone, or if you have a ridiculously tasty treat that she has spotted.

    Nola on the other hand, has a loosely curled tail and wags for freaking EVERYTHING.

    Not sure if it is the tail type, of just the personality. But it is rather funny to watch Bella 'wag' her curl when I come home from work. :)
  • miketmiket
    edited November -1
    Remy is the same, wagging usually means "play with me play with me play with me". This almost always happens when I'm trying to ignore him, so he does everything he can think of to get my attention...spinning, grabbing anything in sight and doing his impression of a bucking bronco.

    And the slipper thing..OMG, Kristen has these big poofy Pooh Bear slippers that Remy just loves! All the corrections in the world cannot distract him from them. If he does manage to get one off, he goes to town (similar to what he did to his stuffed bear in the video I put on the Funny Sleeping post)
  • JessicaRabbitJessicaRabbit
    edited November -1
    Moto also had a tightly wound tail. He wouldn't wag so much as tick, like a metronome. But that only happened when he was very riled up. If he was playing a game of chase or chasing a laser pointer he would wag.
  • brandon_wbrandon_w
    edited November -1
    We call Turi "Tick-Tock-Turi" when his tail is going off. It's also very metronome like, but he wags his all the time. Waggiest Shiba I've ever seen, well, if he likes everyone who is around.
  • xremiixremii
    edited November -1
    Omg! Jessica described exactly what Pong does. I was trying to think of a way to say it but all i could think of is robotic as an adjective for Pong's tail. Her tail tick tocks when she's greeting people (that she knows) that comes home OR when she finds a 'prey' (aka worms on the ground). It's pretty funny watching her nose dig around the ground and her tail twitch at an extremely fast speed.
  • LoveMyMylieLoveMyMylie
    edited November -1
    I think that a shiba tail wag is the most ADORABLE thing I have EVER seen. Mylie wags for treats, when I come home and while initiating play in bow position. She has a tightly wound tail too & it's getting fluffier by the day :)
  • txharleyrider46txharleyrider46
    edited November -1
    Orions tail is pretty tightly wound too, he mostly wags it when he is ready to pounce on something, sometimes when I give him a treat. When I play with him with the laser, I'll say "where is it" and he knows exactly what i mean, he looks for it and slowly wags kinda like a cat.
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