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Post by ginge3 on Dec 5, 2013 16:04:06 GMT
Wondering if anyone has any suggestions... our 2.5yr neutered lab retriever is a very gentle chap, to the point of being a little too submissive at times but ever since he was a pup his hackles have come up easily. I've socialised him as much as possible to try and ensure he is capable of dealing with situations that may make him nervous and stressed and at the same time tried to ensure he knows his order in life so he doesn't get too big for his boots. Recently he's had to have a lot of physio and been kept on lead with reduced exercise, then was GA'd for survey x-rays. He had an adverse reaction to a sedative and was nervous that same evening growling when Int to put the lights out so I could go upstairs to bed. The same the next night... but then thankfully no more. However when we were throwing his Frisbee for him at the weekend his hackles weren't just up he had a Mohican from his neck to the gland on his tail. He wasn't displaying any stress but was excited. I'm worried about this as I would be worried if a dog looking like that was wandering around off lead and I don't want others in the park getting the wrong idea about him. Hoping this decreases as his exercise increases. Does anyone have any suggestions?
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Post by BorderTerrier on Dec 5, 2013 16:53:54 GMT
He may simply be a nervous dog inclined.
Or he could simply be having trouble getting over his past bad experiences which have made him nervous. Make sure as well as keeping up his socialisation ect, you give him plenty of cuddles and you/him time so he feels safe.
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Post by smokeybear on Dec 5, 2013 21:27:14 GMT
Piloerection is a sign of a dog in a state where he may choose, fight, flight, freeze or fart about. I really would not worry about what others think.  |
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Post by migsy on Dec 5, 2013 22:10:18 GMT
I have noticed some dogs on greeting Skip have raised hackles even though perfectly behaved,I must admit when it first happened, I thought 'oh oh'!but Skip was relaxed around the dog so I felt o.k.
I just accept now that some dogs have hackles raised perhaps in excitement when not displaying other signs of aggression.Just relax,incase your dog picks up on your anxiety.
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Post by gladys on Dec 13, 2013 16:21:57 GMT
Bit late to this thread but I have noticed the same as migsy about friendly dogs with raised hackles. In fact Coopers sometimes raise when he is playing with his Bull Terrier girlfriend at dog training.  |
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Post by ginge3 on Dec 14, 2013 19:08:29 GMT
Thanks for all the replies. I've been doing a little research and it seems that hackles being raised is simply a sign to other dogs that you are feeling nervous, not necessarily aggressive. So I've stopped worrying about it. I've been paying attention to his interaction with other dogs and noticed that they don't get too bouncy around him when his hackles are up (more than can be said for him once he realises he is ok). Seemingly play bowing can indicate the same, and here was I thinking it simply meant come play with me. Very interesting, I shall have to read some more.
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Post by Avansa on Dec 14, 2013 22:02:29 GMT
Milo has ALWAYS raised his hackles when greeting other dogs. He's naturally quite a nervous dog, but I have noticed that actually, most Labradors that I see out and about do it - even when they're playing.
If it's not causing any problems, I wouldn't worry about it.
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Post by Jessie99 on Dec 15, 2013 13:49:14 GMT
My Uncle's Labrador, Oscar has always done it and he is 6 years old now. He has done it since being a pup and he has always been well-socialized, etc. Must just be a Labrador thing but my next door neighbours Labrador called Tino I used to walk done it as well. Don't worry, I don't think it is too much to worry about really |
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fionacouper
Newbie
Posts: 13 
Pets I own: Shepherd/Collie Mix
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Post by fionacouper on Dec 20, 2013 10:11:09 GMT
Willis is quite a confident dog but never aggressive. His hackles go up every time he meets a new dog and I'm 99.9% sure it's excitement. He tends to go from hackles to play bow to 'chase me' in about 5 secs. I think other owners worry about it more because they don't know him, which is fair enough.
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