The term “hackles up” refers to the hair along a dogs back standing up on end. The hackles can be up just around the base of the tail, just over the shoulders, or all the way down from the dog’s shoulders all the way down to his tail. The actual term for this is “piloerection”.
When people see a dog with it’s “hackles” up, they tend to get worried assuming that this is a sign of aggression. It is a reason to take notice but not always a reason to worry. The piloerection occurs when a dog is stimulated or aroused. This will sometimes happen when a dog is frightened, aggressing or excited. It can also happen when a dog is cold.
The key in finding out the emotional state of the dog is looking at the rest of the body language.
If a dog is looking at you and barking with a deep chested bark, standing with his body leaning forward, with his head up and tail straight up and has his hackles up, you clearly want to be careful. This dog is warning you.
If a dog is hiding behind his owner and peeking out barking, then running back and hiding and his hackles are up, this is a dog that is highly conflicted. The hackling in this case is a fear response. Another dog to be careful of because if pushed or threatened he may feel forced to react aggressively.
If the dog is running and playing with another dog and his hackles are up, keep a close eye on the play to ensure you can protect both dogs. This is what I have seen happen next:
A) the hackling dogs is over aroused and jumps on the playmate, sometimes still playfully but too rough, with the hackles up. Remove the hackling dog from the play and give him a time out (1 to 3 minutes) to cool down. This type of play may tip into a fight. (Note: if you pull the hackling dog off and the other dog is still trying to play with him, things were probably ok on the other dogs end, but I will still do a cool down).
B) the hackling dog is over aroused and jumps on the playmate, does a lot of deep
growling, stands stiffly over the playmate. Again, remove the hackling dog from play
and give a time out (1 to 3 minutes) to cool down. This dog may be uncomfortable
with the play, or possibly the playmate is not a good match in play style for this dog. I
see this in puppy class a lot and what we do is find a more appropriate playmate
which usually helps quite a bit. We also be sure to make sure that we are keeping all
dogs comfortable and relaxed.
C) the hackling dog is simply excited and aroused and has a piloerection when playing.
With these dogs the body language is loose and appropriate as is the play style. I see
this a lot in Labradors (I don’t know why, this is just an observation, not in any way a
proven fact or science based conclusion).
So, just keep in mind to look at the whole dog and the whole picture when determining if the hackling is a reason for concern.
Vicki Ronchette is the owner of Braveheart Dog Training in San Leandro and the author of Positive Training for Show Dogs - Building a Relationship for Success.
