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Mystery #4Tier 1animal behaviour / communication

Why does a dog wag its tail, and what is it trying to tell you?

Your dog hears your key in the door and its tail goes wild, sweeping back and forth like a little flag. Dogs cannot speak a word of any language, yet somehow you know exactly what that wag means. So what is really going on when a dog wags its tail?

A golden retriever bounding through long grass carrying a training dummy, its whole body loose and its tail swinging
Photo: Dirk Vorderstraße · CC BY 2.0 · via Wikimedia Commons

Your guess

What is your guess: what is a dog really saying when it wags its tail?

There's no single magic word to type, have a go in your own words, then reveal the answer to see how close you got.

Make a guess to unlock the hints and the answer.