That is a pretty natural way to hold the tail for a whippet. People think they are not very sweet dogs because they don't usually have their ears up and their tails are usually clamped like that.

The tail was up in the backyard photo because I was telling her to "get the squirrel".

I am going to get another of her today. She is really ready to be done with all this. She lays on her back and gets stuck, like a turtle! This morning, I could see the perfect outline of of the puppies.