Australian Shepherds are a herding breed famous for their affectionate and playful nature. One of the many ways these herding dogs express their joy is their "wiggle butt." It is also one of the signs that your Australian Shepherd loves you. When your Australian Shepherd sees you, he is happy.
To express that happiness, he shakes his whole rear end side to side. In a viral Instagram video, an Australian Shepherd is seen wiggling its butt like never before. "That's quite the wigglebutt," says the dog's mom who can't help by laugh.
The term "wiggle butt" is often associated with Australian Shepherds, albeit there are other breeds, including Corgis and Boxers, that exhibit this behavior. While many viewers say the video is cute, some think it would be more cute if the dog had a tail.
Australian Shepherds are a distinctly American dog breed, albeit the name suggests otherwise. They were originally used solely as herding dogs and and worked on farms with animal stock. Docking the tail short was a normal practice then, although some countries outside of the U.S. do not allow docking. Today, an estimated 28% of all Aussies are born with naturally bobbed (short) tails, according to Wag Walking.
Generally speaking, dogs use their tail to communicate a wide range of expressions. Most dogs greet their owner with a furiously wagging tail, are they happy to see them. Without a tail to wag, Aussies with naturally bobbed tails took on a new way to communicate, which is how the Aussie’s "wiggle butt" came about.
Then again, this behavior is virtually universal across all Aussies, regardless of their tail type. The happier your Australian Shepherd, the more he will wiggle his butt! Take the following video for example.
Docking Aussies' tails has historically been deemed a normal practice. However, such practice is becoming less supported by vets and canine enthusiasts worldwide. It is now deemed unnecessarily painful and many U.S. vets advise against it. Tail docking is unregulated in the U.S., and it is still standard practice for Aussies to have their tails docked.
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