The way that a dog holds their tail tells us so much.  A wagging tail is almost always good, a tail held high and wagging is really good. I have been anxiously  watching Annie’s tail since the day we brought her home.

“A dog can express more with his tail in minutes than an owner can express with his tongue in hours.”
—Karen Davison

In the beginning, it hung straight down between her legs and the tip actually grazed the ground when she walked.  After a few days it started to wag. It wasn’t frequent and when it did it was low and slow.  She’d move it maybe 3 or 4 times back and forth and then it would stop. It never wagged when we were petting her, it would stop as soon as she was touched.

Slowly, very slowly, it started to get a little higher.  It reminded me of a helium balloon that would start to rise up and then drop down again. I was constantly watching it, hoping for the day when it would get up above her back. I knew we were making progress with her when she would thump her tail on the ground when I approached her while she was lying down.  Then it started to wag when she approached me.  It still drops as soon as I start to pet her, I think she just gets so absorbed in the affection that she can’t focus on anything else.

Annie’s whole disposition is so different from the way it was her first couple of months with us.  She is no longer guarded in the house and doesn’t get startled anymore when she comes around the corner and sees one of us. She seeks us out, and pushes Maisie away in order to get all of our attention. Her tail wags most of the time, and occasionally continues to wag when we are petting her–at least for the first few seconds.  It curls more and waves back and forth whenever she is expressing herself.  It has started to raise up above her back but she can’t yet hold it there. Hopefully we will see that sometime soon!