# Hackles



## Nigel (Jul 10, 2012)

So occasionally Zoey will raise only the rear portion of her hackles, right above her hips. It usually happens with the neighbor dog (new one) through the fence. At other times, when there is a stray dog in the alley, she will go " full puff" front to back. Do these have different meanings? I would guess yes, but I've never noticed it with my other dogs.


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## Bear L (Feb 9, 2012)

I'd be curious to know as well. My dog puffs the front when playing with my other dog, but puffs the entire length from front to back when being territorial or fearful of other dogs.


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## Nigel (Jul 10, 2012)

Piloerection
What’s going on when a dog does this?
Karen B. London, PhD | April 4, 2012

“His hackles went up. What does that mean?” It’s such a great question and one that I hear from clients regularly. When the hair on a dog’s back goes up (technically called piloerection), it’s usually a sign that the dog is aroused or excited in some way. It is an involuntary reaction, just like the goose bumps we humans get, so it’s important not to have any expectation of a dog being able to control it. While sometimes aggressive dogs do exhibit piloerection, it is not true that it’s necessarily a sign of aggression.

Data are limited on this phenomenon, but as an ethologist trained to observe animals and their behavior, I have noticed some things about it. Based on my experience with many dogs over the years, it seems that different patterns of piloerection are associated with different behaviors, probably because they are associated with different internal emotional states.

Some dogs exhibit a thin line (at most a few inches wide) of hair all along their back to the base of the tail. I associate this pattern of piloerection with a high level of confidence and in my experience, these dogs are more likely to go on offense and behave in an aggressive way than other dogs.

Another common pattern of piloerection is a broad patch of fur (up to 8 or so inches wide) across the shoulders, which does not run more than one-quarter or one-third of the way down the back. I associate this pattern of piloerection with low confidence and I often find that these dogs are somewhat fearful.

The most confusing pattern is when a dog exhibits a patch of hair that is raised at the shoulders and another raised patch at the base of the tail. The hair in between along the back is not raised. This pattern of piloerection often occurs in dogs who are in an ambivalent emotional state and feeling conflicted. Many of the dogs who show this pattern are somewhat unpredictable in their behavior and inclined to be more reactive than other dogs.

Of course, there are many exceptions, but these generalizations apply to the majority of dogs that I see. What have you observed about dogs and piloerection?



Well ,this is all I could dig up.


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## Grizzpup (Aug 4, 2012)

A dogs hackles can raise either when they are scared or angry. My dog sometimes raises his in fear not anger.


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

It is an adrenalin response, often to fear or "being angry" but also extreme arousal such as intense play.


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## Gretchen (Jan 20, 2011)

Nigel, thanks for the info.

Our previous female GSD mix and our current one, frequently get their hackles up, almost the norm for the both of them. They were generally not offensively aggressive when hackles up, usually just curious. Sometimes what happens is if we are meeting or near another dog, the dog's owner reacts negatively to our dog's hackles, then sometimes a slight mutual reaction may occur. 

I'd say with my dog, hackles appear with curiosity, showing interest most of the time, although they do go up when she sees our neighbor's black cat that she hates.


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## Nigel (Jul 10, 2012)

Gretchen said:


> Nigel, thanks for the info.
> 
> Our previous female GSD mix and our current one, frequently get their hackles up, almost the norm for the both of them. They were generally not offensively aggressive when hackles up, usually just curious. Sometimes what happens is if we are meeting or near another dog, the dog's owner reacts negatively to our dog's hackles, then sometimes a slight mutual reaction may occur.
> 
> I'd say with my dog, hackles appear with curiosity, showing interest most of the time, although they do go up when she sees our neighbor's black cat that she hates.


We were up camping this weekend, lots of new smells and what not and I noticed she does it fairly often now. I think sometimes it is curiosity and other times nervousness or fear. I just thought it is strange for her to raise the "rump" section only. Tuke, Zoeys sister rarely ever raises them.


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