Tail Wagging Delicacies The Joy of River Run Dog Food
Why Do Dogs Wag Their Tails?
What Does It Mean When Dogs Wag Their Tails?
The tails position could be considered reflective of the dogs general mood (scared, excited, concerned, curious, happy, or angry). The wag indicates the intensity of that emotion. The more exaggerated or extreme, the more intense theyre feeling.
For example, lets say a dog with an average-length tail is approaching you. The base of their tail is raised slightly just past parallel to the ground. The wagging could be described as moderate speed, full, sweeping, and loose. The tail position tells us the dog is feeling relaxed and the exaggerated movement of the tail from side to side indicates that the dog is approaching with the intention of engaging in a positive social interaction with you.
Here are several emotions a dog can convey through wagging their tail.
Happy/Friendly
When a dog is expressing happiness or friendliness, their tail is often in a neutral position (the base of the tail is parallel to the ground). It can also be in a slightly upward or downward position and wagging at a moderate speed.
Their tail is relaxed and wagging in full, sweeping side-to-side movements. It may even be wagging in a circular motion known as a circle wag or helicopter tail. (Though, some dogs can have a helicopter tail when theyre feeling anxious, aroused, or agitated. Again, its important to remember that no one body part communicates the whole story!)
The more excited a dog is, the faster their tail typically wags. When dogs are excited and friendly, they will sometimes also wag their hips or even their whole body, from their shoulders down to their tail. This is frequently observed in dogs with short, nub-like tails. They sometimes wiggle the entire back end of their bodies!
Curious
When a dog is curious about something, such as when they find a new smell, their tail is typically held straight out behind them. This may or may not be associated with a tail wagthe tail is often held still, but it wont look stiff or tense. They may also be standing with an alert posture with their ears perked up, potentially with wrinkles visible on their foreheads.
Relaxed
A dog that is relaxed will stand with a tail thats void of tension and not wagging. They will only start moving their tail when an emotion is sparked by an environmental change.
Appeasing/Submissive/Fearful
Before describing an appeasing, submissive, or fearful tail wag, its important to note that all these forms likely have an element of fear, vulnerability, or uncertainty. Its important to pick up on the cues a dog is giving to avoid heightening the situation.
Submissive dogs will often lower their tail or tuck it between their legs. This is typically done because the dog feels threatened and does not want to be harmed. This tail position is telling other dogs (and people!) that they need time and space to work through the discomfort. A submissive tail position may or may not be associated with a tail wag.
If a dog has their tail tucked tightly between their legs and is wagging the tip in a tight fast motion, this is typically indicative of the dog experiencing a fear responseand wanting to pacify another dog. Many dogs show signs of submission when theyre scared as a survival strategy.
Because the speed of a tail wag is reflective of how intense the dogs feelings are, a submissive tail wag can be thought of as a dog saying, Please dont hurt me! If a dog is exhibiting this sign, its best to stop approaching or interacting with them.
Allow the dog to approach when they are feeling safer. And remember: a dog moving forward with a tucked tail wagging low and tightly may not be an invitation for interaction.
Aggressive/Threatening
A dog moving closer to exhibiting aggressive behavior will move their tail into a vertical position that often arches over their back. The tail will be very stiff and may or may not be moving.
If a dogs tail is in this position, it means they are preparing for an interaction that involves agonistic behaviors. The tighter and faster the tail movement, the more agitated the dog is.
If a dog is showing signs of feeling threatened, action needs to be taken to change the environment immediately. The dog should not be approached because its likely they will attempt to bite if a human or animal tries to interact with them in this state. If the dog cant be removed from the situation, the people, other animals, or events causing the dogs distress should be.
In addition to the high, stiff tail, other signs dogs may exhibit include:
Stiff body pointing at the target
Staring with wide eyes
Pinning or flattening their ears
Closing their mouth with tension in the lips
Standing perfectly still/freezing
Moving forward in slow motion
Exposure of canines
Growling
Lunging
Avoidance
When dogs dont want to interact at all, they typically stop wagging their tail and move away. They may even exhibit displacement behaviors like self-grooming or sniffing the ground. A more direct translation of these behaviors is, please leave me alone, or please calm down.
At this stage, this isnt associated with aggression; its just the dogs way of requesting to be left alone. However, if the dog is approached, the avoidance signals may transition to submission or aggression, depending on the dog. Heed the dogs request and do not approach unless absolutely necessary. If you are able to give the dog some space, they may willing come to you after some time.
Right-Sided vs. Left-Sided Tail Wagging
Scientists have also discovered there is a difference between a moreright-sided versus left-sided tail wagging. Dogs conveying more positive emotions will wag their tail slightly to the right, while dogs that are conveying more negative emotions will wag their tail slightly to the left.
Dogs that are wagging their tail slightly to the right tend to be friendlier and exhibit other behaviors indicating a willingness to interact socially. Dogs that are wagging their tails slightly to the left tend to be more stressed or anxious and exhibit avoidance or escape tendencies when presented with social opportunities.
How Do Dogs Without Tails Communicate?
Because dogs communicate so many different emotions with their tail, how do dogs without tails communicate? Just like humans, they use vocalizations and body language.
With or without a tail, here are just a few ways that dogs use their voice and body language to communicate their emotions:
Vocalizations:barking, growling, snarling, whimpering, whining, crying, howling
Facial expressions
Moving their tongue, such as lip-licking
Eye position
Ear position: flattened, perked up, relaxed, pinned
Stance/posture: hunched, cowering, play bowing, hackles raised, stiff/frozen, body weight shifting forward or back
Movement: stiff/frozen, lying down, walking around, lunging, tip-toeing, moving backward, turning head away
Learning how to speak tail can be complicated, but the most important thing to remember is that just because a dog is wagging their tail, it does not necessarily mean they are friendly.
Keep in mind this is just one body part dogs use to communicate emotion. Always ask the pet parent before approaching and petting their dog. And even if they say yes, take a look at the dogs posture yourself. If you see anything that gives you pause, its OK to decline.
Featured Image: Adobe/e-Kis
10 Simple Raw Food Recipes for Dogs
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Lately, I've been getting a lot of emails from people who want a simple raw food recipe for their dog and I usually share a simple recipe that I use and direct them to contact a meal formulator for recipes that are tailored to their individual dog. But, the other day, I received a message from someone asking for simple raw food recipes and I cannot find the message to reply so if you sent me that message, I'm sorry for not responding. This blog post is for you.
Why create simple recipes when someone can buy them from Planet Paws or work with a meal formulator?
Not everyone has the funds for a meal formulator or to buy recipes online no judgment, this is a uncertain time for many of us. I hope that this blog post will help those folks get started on raw feeding.
10 Simple Raw Dog Food Recipes
What You Should Know About These Recipes
- I'm not a veterinarian or an animal nutritionist. I've been feeding raw since 2013 to six dogs (over that time) and I'm self taught.
- Each recipe is based on what I feed to my dogs and this is just the food; not the whole food supplements like eggs, sardines, veggie mix, etc. You're more than welcome to adjust each recipe to meet your dog's needs.
- There isn't much of a difference between each recipe beyond the main protein because each recipe calls for a base mix from Dr. Harvey's (I'm not an affiliate) these are simple recipes, remember?
- Each of these recipes calls for bulk meal prep and they can be fed to any dog of any size; these recipes can all be fed to puppies with a few tweaks (noted below).
- I alternate between an organ blend created by GreenTripe.com and organs sourced from local farms (which are usually heart, liver, and kidneys).
Balance Over Time
I believe that my dogs' raw food diet reaches balance over time. This isn't the only way to feed a nutritious raw diet and there are great resources if you would like to balance by macro and micronutrients, using meal formulator software or the NRC guide to reach balance.
There are people who disagree with this manner of feeding raw and I completely understand. Sadly, there just isn't enough information out there to tell us EXACTLY how to feed our dogs a raw food diet if we're choosing DIY. So, each of us figures out what works best for our individual dogs Feed the Dog In Front of You.
Creating an Organ Blend for My Dogs
When I don't have access to GreenTripe.com's organ blend, I mix up my own with either pork or beef organs and there are times when it's a blend of pork and beef. My organ blend is a mixture of heart and liver. And, when I can get it, I'll also add pork kidneys as well. This is the only blend that I make; I don't buy poultry organs for my blend because they aren't as easy to source for me.
You may be tempted to ask me how much of each organ is added to my blend and I'm going to disappoint you by saying that I grind and mix up everything I receive. If four pigs were butchered, then my blend may have four hearts, four livers, and eight kidneys. I transfer my blend to freezer-safe containers and use it when needed.
1 Grass Fed Beef * Raw Dog Food Recipe
Does it have to be grass-fed beef? No. This is just what I feed to my dogs (on occasion) because I'm fortunate enough to have an affordable local source. The reason people push for grass-fed proteins is that it's believed that how the animals are fed contributes to the nutrient levels, with grass-fed equating to higher nutrient levels than grain-fed.
Ingredients
The following is split between three 8-quart, stainless steel mixing bowls.
- 20 lbs Grass-fed beef (ground or in chunks)
- 6 lbs of organ blend (yes, this is a lot, but this is also an excellent source of nutrients)
- 3 lbs of duck wings (or green tripe)
- 3 cups of Dr. Harvey's Paradigm (dehydrated)
- 3 cans of boiled oysters (optional)
2 Duck * Raw Dog Food Recipe
I source my duck through a local raw food co-op. Duck can also be sourced in bulk from restaurant meat suppliers.
Ingredients
The following is split between three 8-quart, stainless steel mixing bowls. I prefer to grind the drummette of the duck wings (or the entire duck wing). Sometimes, I buy a case of the wing without the drummette and I leave those whole when feeding the dogs.
- 10 lbs duck wings
- 5 lbs duck necks
- 5 lbs duck gizzards
- 6 lbs of organ blend (yes, this is a lot, but this is also an excellent source of nutrients)
- 3 cups of Dr. Harvey's Paradigm (dehydrated)
- 3 cans of boiled oysters (optional)
3 Rabbit * Raw Dog Food
I source my rabbit through a local raw food co-op. I only have three sources of rabbit and, at the moment, none have inventory as supply lines slow down.
Ingredients
The following is split between three 8-quart, stainless steel mixing bowls.
- 20 lbs whole rabbit (ground or in chunks)
- 3 cups of Dr. Harvey's Paradigm (dehydrated)
- 3 cans of boiled oysters (optional)
4 Lamb * Raw Dog Food
I source my lamb through a local raw food co-op. Lamb can also be sourced in bulk from restaurant meat suppliers but it's crazy expensive where I live.
Ingredients
The following is split between three 8-quart, stainless steel mixing bowls.
- 20 lbs lamb (ground or in chunks)
- 6 lbs of organ blend (yes, this is a lot, but this is also an excellent source of nutrients)
- 3 lbs of duck wings (or green tripe)
- 3 cups of Dr. Harvey's Paradigm (dehydrated)
- 3 cans of boiled oysters (optional)
5 Pork * Raw Dog Food
I source my pork through a local raw food co-op. Pork can also be sourced in bulk from restaurant meat suppliers and local farms. I usually order pork cushion meat and pork loin meat.
Ingredients
The following is split between three 8-quart, stainless steel mixing bowls.
- 20 lbs pork (ground or in chunks)
- 6 lbs of organ blend (yes, this is a lot, but this is also an excellent source of nutrients)
- 3 lbs of duck wings (or green tripe)
- 3 cups of Dr. Harvey's Paradigm (dehydrated)
- 3 cans of boiled oysters (optional)
6 Venison * Raw Dog Food
I source my venison through a local raw food co-op. Venison can also be sourced from hunters; a friend of mine scores big time each year with bags of venison and moose. I only scored once on this protein.
Ingredients
The following is split between three 8-quart, stainless steel mixing bowls.
- 20 lbs venison (ground or in chunks)
- 6 lbs of organ blend (yes, this is a lot, but this is also an excellent source of nutrients)
- 3 lbs of duck wings (or green tripe)
- 3 cups of Dr. Harvey's Paradigm (dehydrated)
- 3 cans of boiled oysters (optional)
7 Wild Goose * Raw Dog Food
I source my goose through a friend who hunts. This is a very nutritious protein, I feed it as red meat (it's crazy dark), and it's been a bonus for my dog that has food sensitivities (he does great on it).
Ingredients
The following is split between three 8-quart, stainless steel mixing bowls.
- 20 lbs wild goose (ground or in chunks)
- 6 lbs of organ blend (yes, this is a lot, but this is also an excellent source of nutrients)
- 3 lbs of duck wings (or green tripe)
- 3 cups of Dr. Harvey's Paradigm (dehydrated)
- 3 cans of boiled oysters (optional)
8 Emu * Raw Dog Food
I source my emu through a local raw food co-op. Emu isn't something I feed that often. I used to place an order for a couple of hundred pounds once a year but then restaurants clued in on this nutritious, lean protein and the price skyrocketed. And, now, the supplies are low due to the pandemic.
Ingredients
The following is split between three 8-quart, stainless steel mixing bowls.
- 20 lbs emu (ground or in chunks)
- 6 lbs of organ blend (yes, this is a lot, but this is also an excellent source of nutrients)
- 3 lbs of duck wings (or green tripe)
- 3 cups of Dr. Harvey's Paradigm (dehydrated)
- 3 cans of boiled oysters (optional)
9 Goat * Raw Dog Food
I no longer have a source for goat; but when it pops up in our raw food co-op, then I'll pick up a bit. Another great source of goat, besides local farms, is Raw Paws Pet Food.
Ingredients
The following is split between three 8-quart, stainless steel mixing bowls.
- 20 lbs goat (ground or in chunks)
- 6 lbs of organ blend (yes, this is a lot, but this is also an excellent source of nutrients)
- 3 lbs of duck wings (or green tripe)
- 3 cups of Dr. Harvey's Paradigm (dehydrated)
- 3 cans of boiled oysters (optional)
10 Turkey * Raw Dog Food
I don't often feed turkey because Rodrigo struggles with this protein. But when I do order it (he can eat minimal amounts), I pick it up from a local farm, through a raw food co-op. It's a blend of ground turkey necks with turkey liver, heart, and gizzards.
Ingredients
The following is split between four 8-quart, stainless steel mixing bowls.
- 20 lbs turkey blend (ground or in chunks)
- 2 cups of Dr. Harvey's Paradigm (dehydrated)
- 2 cans of boiled oysters (optional)
Duck Wings vs. Green Tripe
You may have noticed that I added green tripe as an alternative to duck wings in my simple recipes above. When I'm out of duck wings, which I use as my bone source (they're 60% meat, 40% bone), I use green tripe, which is a good source of calcium.
I don't make a habit of this, but I have learned that it's always a good idea to have a backup plan.
Additional Foods Added to Raw Dog Food
I do add supplements to each dog's dish that are specific to each dog, along with whole foods:
- raw egg (or cooked for Rodrigo) for choline and other important nutrients
- canned sardines (or ground) for Omega 3 fatty acids
- additional vegetables for fiber
When it comes to supplements, as I said, I give supplements based on each individual dog's needs. The following is a list of what I'm supporting through supplementation for each dog.
- Rodrigo: joint health/arthritis, aging, cognitive care, allergies, gut health, exocrine pancreatic insufficiency
- Scout: cancer survivor, joint health, gut health
- Zoey: joint health, gut health, glandular support (for female dogs)
- Apollo: joint health, gut health
What About Fasting Day?
I fast my dogs once or twice a week depending on how the week is going. One fast is a raw goat's milk (or kefir) fast and the second one is a true fast (for about 20 hours). I recently wrote about our fasting routine. It's pretty easy to follow and not a requirement for all dogs. And definitely NOT something you should do with puppies.
While fasting offers many benefits, I fast my dogs to give my dogs' gut a break, while boosting gut health and their immune system.
DIY Raw Feeding for Puppies
I haven't fed a puppy in a couple of years; the last one being Apollo. When it comes to feeding puppies, I prefer to feed commercial raw because, despite my feelings on balance, I understand that puppies need a balanced diet because they're growing so quickly.
However, commercial raw is expensive and mixed breed puppies (we usually adopt) are fed three times daily at 10% of their body weight. So, I transtioned Scout and Zoey to DIY raw when they were around four or five months of age. And when Apollo came around, I transitioned him to DIY (cold turkey), feeding him the same as I feed the adult dogs with a few exceptions:
- I added more calcium to the diet to support growing bones.
- I prefer adding green tripe because it's a 50/50 balance of calcium and phosphorus.
- I make sure there are Omega 3 fatty acids in the bowl to support brain development.
- I go easy on the organs, building up over time (for younger puppies) because organs are rich.
- I limit the supplements I add to a puppy's meal, sticking to whole foods (sardines, eggs) and digestive enzymes, on occasion if needed.
This is a good start, but it's important to educate yourself, which is why I'm not sharing amounts every dog (and puppy) is different and the numbers would change based on the size of your puppy. It's also important to keep in mind that some breeds may require adjustments to their diet. Also, if you have a puppy (or dog) with health issues, that adds something more to consider when formulating their diet.
Nutritional Blueprint Testing for Raw Fed Dogs
You might wonder how I can share these basic recipes and feel confident that they work. Well, they work for my dogs. I've fed five dogs this way for years, successfully. I know this because I have them nutrient tested with ParsleyPet to confirm that they are receiving all of their nutrients. So far, so good.
Keep Educating Yourself
Raw feeding is a marathon, not a spring (unless you stick with commercial raw). Many things that I learned when I started feeding raw have been proven false. It can be tempting to panic, thinking that we're harming our dogs, but my dogs haven't been harmed as I taught myself about their nutritional needs. I believe that as long as you're committed to educating yourself, raw feeding can be easy to manage.
