Finn has the funniest hackles...just at the base of his tail, and one big "bulb" of hackles on like the third vertebrae on his tail. I need to take a photo of it somehow. He does this around other dogs but even when happy, so I think it's just excitement. The trainer at our puppy class put me at ease when she said that the hackles can go up in response to just being excited (after I was so dismayed that the first puppy playtime he was in he had full hackles raised, oh my)
If either Betsy or Charlie have their hackles up I take it as a sign that they are at least slightly fearful and in some kind of fight/flight state. I've never seen them do it otherwise. Betsy most often does it when the dog next door is flinging itself at the fence barking. She is definitely worried and on her toes in case she has to defend herself. Interestingly, I think, running my hand down Betsy's back to lay down the hackles definitely calms her down and she is better able to ignore the annoying dog. Charlie will do it if an interaction with another male dog isn't going well and pretty much never apart from that. I've never seen them do it when I think they are just happily excited.
I find this subject really interesting. Any clues as to what my dogs are experiencing internally are useful. I have never seen Casper with hackles raised,. With Benson hackles raised are fleeting, and usually associated with other behavioural markers, such as a stiff legged stance. So Benson with raised hackles is not a good thing, although when he was younger, hackles raised was more in excitement/play arousal. Brambles hackles are all over the place! When her hackles go up, they flow the entire length of her body. She isn't an easy dog to read tbh, so I tend to err on the side of caution. This looks interesting though, and the author appears well qualified on the subject: http://thebark.com/content/piloerection
mmm....not so sure about that! It's pretty anecdotal. In my dogs, it's definitely the other way round. Betsy has high and obvious hackles in a line all the way down her back and she is the least confident one - Charlie simply could not be bothered to walk over to the garden fence to pay any attention whatsoever to a growling, barking dog, for example, he's just too cool for that. And Charlie's hackles, when I see them, are generally just around his shoulders.
I have never seen Annie's hackles up. Fred's only when a dog who is going by barks at him and Annie in the garden. He runs to the gate and gives a good bark back with his hackles up. I don't know what he would do if the dog came to him, he is a big softie and his family nick name is Lurpak
That's what I'm concerned about. I'm getting better at judging her body language but I'm definitely not an expert. My concern is that, while she seems to be displaying other playful signs, she's nervous about the situation. I suppose the next question is, do I remove her from the situation or do I wait to see how she goes (as often her hackles disappear and she seems OK after a moment or two)?
I am in a similar situation, I find it quite hard to tell with Bramble, (maybe it's a bitch thing??) so I opt to remove her from the situation, with a cheerful distraction.
