Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

Greyhound tails are awesome. They are long, they are wavy, they have a life of their own. They serve a very useful function as they are the balance for the blazing speed and turns the greyhound is known for. However tails and puppies go through some changes as they grow. When I had Spirit and Apollo's litter a golden retriever friend Kathy helped whelp the puppies. I told her all puppies are alike when they are born, they change when they start growing. Her comment on the first puppy Winnie was….oh my gosh look at the length of her legs, body and THAT tail. The tail doesn’t end -yes it really does but the tail is quite a bit longer than a short golden tail.



As adults the tail should be able to wrap between the legs and cross the midline.



A good puppy tail will drag on the ground when they are babies.



Somewhere around 3-6 months old the puppies “discover “ their tails and it becomes a play thing to be enjoyed. Chased and bitten like any other toy.



As adults the long tail begins acting as a rudder or balance for their turns.





One downside to such a long tail is it frequently gets caught in doors and or broken. Be careful of low objects on tables in reach of a wagging tail, they are coffee table cleaners! They can also hurt you if you are behind the greyhound that is happily wagging it's tail. The tail is skinny and bony and much like a whip. Some greyhounds are prone to what we call "Happy Tail". They wag so effusively that the tail will hit a wall or other object and split open, spraying small droplets of blood everywhere. You also have to be very careful when shutting the car door with your greyhound inside. Their tail can easily get caught!

Still, I think the tail is one of the best parts of the dog!