Why doesn’t my dog wag its tail when it sees me?

If your dog doesn’t wag its tail, when it sees you, this post will show you why and what you can do about it.

So, why doesn’t my dog wag its tail when it sees me? Likely reasons why your dog does not wag its tail when it sees you are that it is not hungry, is tired, has an illness or injury or has learned that the behavior is discouraged.

There are multiple possible reasons why your dog has been doing it and it might be due to a combination of reasons. However, there are a number of things you can consider to help figure out the main cause and there are somethings you can do about it.

Why doesn’t my dog wag its tail when it sees me?

Below are a number of possible reasons and what would make each of them more likely.

Fear or intimidation

The cause might be that something has been causing it to be fearful or intimidated. This would be more likely if your dog does not wag its tail when there are things that could be intimidating it such as another pet being around or loud noises inside.

Depression

Dogs can become depressed and it might be the reason why yours has not been wagging its tail when it sees you. This would be more likely if it started behaving differently way since an event that might have caused it to start being depressed such as an owner or another pet dying. It would also be more likely if it has not been getting excited at all.

In this case, if it does not begin to improve over the course of a few weeks, it would help to take it to a vet.

It’s not hungry

Often, when dogs get excited at their owners arriving home, it is because they are hungry. The reason why your dog does not get excited to see you could be partly because it is not hungry. This would be more likely if it does get excited when you arrive home but you have not already fed it.

Not giving it positive attention

If your dog has been giving more attention to someone else since you stopped feeding and walking it, the cause could be that it is hoping to get food or exercise from the other person. In this case, if you start feeding and exercising it, yourself, again it will likely start giving you more attention.

Illness or injury

The cause might also be that it has gotten an injury or illness. This would be more likely if it has started doing it suddenly and if it has been showing other signs of being ill or injured such as limping or vomiting. In this case, the best option would be to take it to a vet.

It’s tired

It could also be the case that something has been causing it to be tired when you arrive home. It might be due to an illness, having difficulty sleeping at night or an issue with its diet. If it is constantly tired, the best option would be to take it to a vet.

Discouraging the behavior

The cause might also be that it has learned that the behavior is discouraged. If it did wag its tail in the past but you started punishing it, it could have learned not to do it anymore.

Things to consider

Below are some things to consider to help figure out the main cause.

If your dog used to wag its tail when it saw you

If your dog did wag its tail when you used to arrive home, it would help to consider what changed when your stopped doing it. For example, if it stopped doing it when you started feeding it before leaving it, the cause could be that it used to get excited that you were finally going to feed it.

If your dog does wag its tail, when it sees you, sometimes

If your dog does wag its tail sometimes, it would also help to consider what is different when your dog does wag its tail. For example, if it does do it when it sees you first thing in the morning, it would be likely that it does wag its tail when it is hoping to get something such as food or exercise.

What to do about my dog not wagging its tail when it sees me?

Below are some options you have when dealing with the behavior.

Give it positive attention

It might be the case that it has been doing it due to being intimidated. Instead, it would help to use positive reinforcement training to get it to behave the way you want, to give it positive attention by playing with it or petting it and to be calm around it.

Be the one to feed and walk it

It would also help to ensure that you are the one that feeds it and gives it exercise most of the time. Doing so should get it to pay more attention to you and to be more excited to see you.

Reward it

It would also help to encourage your dog to get excited when it sees you by rewarding it when it does show signs of excitement. Doing so should result in it eventually learning that getting excited to see you is rewarded.

Get help

If your dog has been showing signs of being ill or injured or it has started behaving very unusually, the best option would be to take it to a vet. By doing so, you should be able to get expert advice tailored towards your particular dog and to rule out medical causes.