German Shepherd Has A Reunion With His Mama Dog And Their Tails Can't Stop Wagging
Many dog parents know just how wonderful it is to greet our fur babies after a vacation or long trip. Heck, even a long day might make your dog ridiculously happy to see you. But what about long-lost canine family members? In this TikTok, one German shepherd greets his mama dog for the first time in a while. With 1.8 million views and counting, their tail-wagging reunion is well worth the watch.
@hellosweetpuppy
The 22-second clip — slowed down so we can catch every frame — shows the very moment a mama dog and her pup meet after a long separation. Both dogs circle each other as if inspecting one another, while wagging their tails. Then, face to face, the two sniff each other's noses before one jumps back excitedly, and further sniffing ensues.
However, viewers were split on whether this was a lovey-dovey or more hostile interaction. One viewer said, "This is not playful behavior," claiming that the male dog was quite territorial. Yet another commenter said it seemed like both dogs were saying, "Wait a minute, wait a minute, oh my god!" like a positive realization. The TikToker confirmed that the mama dog and son see each other regularly, but what do you think this video shows?
Can you tell when dogs are happy to see each other?
There is definitely room for debate on the nature of this mama dog and pup's interaction. So, are fierce, tail-wagging inspections and mutual sniffs telltale signs of bonding? What can a dog's body language tell us about whether they like or know other dogs? Cuteness spoke exclusively with Ken Ramirez, Chief Training Officer of Karen Pryor Clicker Training, to find out.
"There is no question that they are curious about each other, but I am seeing a great deal of caution," says Ken. Notably, there were no definite signs of aggression like growling or showing teeth in the brief video, so Ken says he'd have to see more. "It would be very interesting to see what happened after the video stopped," he shares, as the dog's ambiguous body language could have led to either playtime or one dog fleeing.
So, what positive dog body language should you look out for? Well, a happy dog tends to have a pretty relaxed face: flopped ears, relaxed and visible tongue, and squinted and calm eyes. Another sign two dogs like each other, oddly enough, is if they're copycats. Dogs learned mimicry from their wolf ancestors — it's a major part of how they interact! So, if you see one dog copy positive body language from another, that's good — just like how this mini dachshund copies everything her German shepherd BFF does.