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Tail Tuck Question...

This is a place to gain some understanding of dog behavior and to assist people in training their dogs and dealing with common behavior problems, regardless of the method(s) used. This can cover the spectrum from non-aversive to traditional methods of dog training. There are many ways to train a dog. Please avoid aggressive responses, and counter ideas and opinions with which you don't agree with friendly and helpful advice. Please refrain from submitting posts that promote off-topic discussions. Keep in mind that you may be receiving advice from other dog owners and lovers... not professionals. If you have a major problem, always seek the advice of a trainer or behaviorist!

  
Bellatrix

Crazy Ball'O Fur		 
 
Barked: Sun Dec 9, '12 11:29pm PST 
Just something I wanted to ask about...

First thing, today when we were going to the pet store, I decided to walk Bella around the sidewalk where all the shops are a bit first. She was great and stayed in a heel most of the time, though when one of the doors opened she got a bit over excited and wanted to go in. laugh out loud Anyway, when we came across a girl wearing a Santa hat, I looked down at Bella and saw that her tail was tucked/down. It wasn't really tucked under her much, just a small bit. From what I saw she didn't really notice the woman, and kept on walking with her tail like that. When I told her to stop and sit, she did, and when she stood back up her tail was curled again, so it didn't last very long. Is this something I should worry about? She's never done this. shrug
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Lobo

"Stubborn" dogs- don't need- corrections		 
 
Barked: Mon Dec 10, '12 2:11am PST 
Was she showing any other kinds of body worrying body language? Whale eyes? Heavy panting that wasn't related to heat or tiredness?

I would guess that she was either tired, uncertain, or possibly focused on one thing, and when you asked her for a sit, brought her back to focusing on you? When Lobo zeroes in on something, his tail lowers. We can still be walking, and he can still be walking on a loose leash, but you can tell that he's focused on something. Usually turning him around or asking him to do something else breaks that focus.
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Bellatrix

Crazy Ball'O Fur		 
 
Barked: Mon Dec 10, '12 3:09am PST 
There may have been something that I just didn't see, but from what I saw that was all. She kept a good heel next to me the whole time she was doing it, and I know she was paying attention to me, because I didn't verbally ask her to stop and sit, she just does when I stop.

Edited by author Mon Dec 10, '12 3:12am PST

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Sanka

The ground is my- newspaper.		 
 
Barked: Mon Dec 10, '12 6:36am PST 
How does she normally hold her tail?

Sanka tends to just let his tail hang, sometimes a little tucked, but he's not frightened at all. That's just how he tends to hold it while on walks.
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Lobo

"Stubborn" dogs- don't need- corrections		 
 
Barked: Mon Dec 10, '12 7:53am PST 
If it really is abnormal, and she never holds her tail tucked while walking, I would guess that she was just tired?

However, I - being a paranoid person already - would watch and see if there are any other worrying changes in behavior. If there IS anything else that's worrying to you, a trip to the vet might ease your mind. I've taken Lobo to the e-vet for fears of bloat, but it ended up just being REALLY bad gas. confused He had symptoms of bloat, so the vet guessed that maybe the stomach DID flip, but then flipped itself back over.

So, yeah, worth a visit if you get really worried.

And by the way, what first ticked me off that something was wrong with Lobo, was that he got tired about twenty minutes into our walk. Something maybe minor, but for Lobo, that's huge.
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Czarka, CGC- UJJ

Why walk when- you can run?
 
 
Barked: Mon Dec 10, '12 8:44am PST 
No guarantee BUT don't be too sure that she did not see the girl with the hat. If she was a bit upset, the object of the upset may be where she appears to be NOT looking...if that makes sense wink
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Lobo

"Stubborn" dogs- don't need- corrections		 
 
Barked: Mon Dec 10, '12 10:13am PST 
That's definitely possible, Czarka. After all, looking away IS a sign that a dog is uncomfortable with something.
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Smokey

Let's play tug!!		 
 
Barked: Mon Dec 10, '12 5:30pm PST 
I agree with Czarka. I'd also just keep an eye on her body language and if she seems to be nervous around people wearing hats (or carrying stuff, or bikes, or whatever) just do a little basic counterconditioning, and give her treats for looking at them and not reacting.
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Bellatrix

Crazy Ball'O Fur		 
 
Barked: Mon Dec 10, '12 8:57pm PST 
Oh, that does make sense. If she was a bit worried about the girl in the hat she'd look away. Though that's odd since I wear hats all the time, though if I see her do that again, I'll take note of it and try to work on it. It may have just been the way the girl was, she was a little bit odd, maybe Bella reacted to that.

Or maybe it could have been because I was getting a bit panicked?

Anyway, I'm not to worried about it since she was fine the rest of the day in the store, and today I shadowed a vet receptionist for a few hours and showed no odd signs toward any of the people. (Other than her normal attention getting tactics)
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Smokey

Let's play tug!!		 
 
Barked: Tue Dec 11, '12 7:03pm PST 
Definitely could have been either or both of those. Smokey sees me wear hoods and towels on my head and all sorts of things, but he is still afraid of people in hoods if it's dark out.
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