Deciphering Dog Body Language: Hackles

What is the first thing you think when you see a dog with raised hackles?

The average person believes that raised hair on a dogs back, neck, and/or shoulders means the dog is angry, aggressive, and ready to attack. And, while this may be the case, it is not necessarily true.

Watch this short YouTube video of Riley hunting for tennis balls.

Do you notice the raised fur on her back, the place where the fur is much darker? That is her “hackles” being raised. She’s not angry or aggressive. So why are her hackles raised?

Raised hackles on dogs (technically called piloerection) happen for A LOT of different reasons. Here are some things that might cause a dog’s hackles to go up:

Excitement
Curiosity
Fear
Tentativeness/Caution
Overstimulated
Focus
Hunting
Fight or Flight
Aggression

Raised hackles don’t happen voluntarily. It is an involuntary response to stimulation caused by the dog’s sympathetic nervous system, kind of like when a person gets goosebumps.

In the video, you see Riley doing something she enjoys – she’s hunting for and finding tennis balls. It’s very stimulating for her, but ordinarily not overstimulating. What you don’t know just by watching the video is that Riley had a vet appointment a couple of days prior and it left her a little off-kilter. She was just starting to feel like herself, but wasn’t 100% back to normal.

So what do her raised hackles, in this video, communicate to me as her owner? First, because I know they aren’t normally raised when she’s hunting tennis balls, I can see she’s still very sensitive to stimulation. Knowing this allowed me to dial back what I had planned for her that day because even though she was feeling better, she still needed recovery time. Second, it tells me that she is having fun, it’s just a lot for her tired nervous system.

Here are some other times I’ve observed raised hackles on Riley, what it tells me, and what I do in response. Every dog is different so you may not notice raised hackles on your dog in the same scenarios.

AT PLAY

When Riley is playing her hackles often go up when she’s getting overstimulated or overly excited. This isn’t a bad thing and ordinarily she will take a break within a minute or two of her hackles going up, shake it off, and then re-engage or take a longer break and go chew on a stick. As her owner, I watch her when she’s at play and if I see her hackles up but she doesn’t take a break relatively quickly, then I intervene and ask her to take a break. (Literally, the command I use is “Take a break“.)

I ask for a break if she doesn’t want to take one because it’s my responsibility to keep her safe and to advocate for her and the other dog she’s playing with. It’s easy for play wrestling and chasing to go too far when one or both dogs become overstimulated. Raised hackles are an easy clue that it’s time for a break. How long the break is depends on the needs of the dog. In Riley’s case, she often just needs a quick shake – which releases tension from the body and resets the nervous system – and then she’s ready to go back. That can be as short as a few seconds. If she needs a longer break, she’ll take it. Thankfully she’s good at regulating herself that way most of the time, not all dogs are. Some dogs need support to know when it’s safe for them to re-engage.

HUNTING/CHASING SQUIRRELS

Often Riley’s hackles are raised when she’s chasing squirrels. Rarely does it happen while she’s stalking them, but it almost always happens once she begins chasing them or has them treed. The more time she spent stalking the squirrel or the more squirrels there are, the more likely her hackles will go up.

This is excitement and part of her prey drive. Raised hackles make dogs look bigger than they are, increasing the intimidation factor, which protects them while they are focused on their prey.

In this case, I don’t ask her to take a break. It’s just part of her body language when she’s chasing squirrels and I’m okay with that. She’ll shake it off when she’s ready to.

Let me clarify this a little further, there are times that I intentionally take her places where she can hunt and chase all the squirrels she wants. There are other times when we’re walking and chasing a squirrel or other small prey is not the point, her hackles up are not the first sign that she’s ready to chase but if I see anything in her body language that indicates she’s in hunting mode/prey drive during these times, I get her attention. This is part of impulse control and it’s vital.

For my purposes with Riley, I want to be able to give a command and have her transition from prey drive back to attention on me (sometimes called pack drive but also an element of handler awareness) even if she’s mid-run after a squirrel she has been actively stalking. We work on this regularly and most of the time she’s very good at it. There are still occasions where the hunter wins and she tries to take off (or does take off) but that is 1 in 1,000 times and is part of owning a dog.

NEW OBJECTS IN A FAMILIAR ENVIRONMENT

If we’re in a familiar environment and there is something out of place or something new often Riley will get rigid and her hackles will go up. Her body is saying, “There’s something here that I didn’t expect and I don’t know what it is. I need to be cautious and prepared to fight or run away.”

Depending on what the thing is, where we’re at, and what we’re doing, I let her explore it. As soon as she deems it not a threat, her hackles go down and her body softens. How quickly that happens depends on what the thing is and her state of mind before seeing it.

Let me give you an example.

A child leaves a toy in a grassy area where we frequently walk.

Most of the time Riley’s body will stiffen, she may even stop completely while she looks all around to see if there are other changes. Her hackles will rise and she’ll begin walking toward the unrecognized object in a weaving pattern, puffing out her chest making herself as big as possible. (Note the hackles and puffing of the chest are not voluntary responses. It’s a protective mechanism.) She sniffs the area near the object as she continues approaching and when she’s satisfied it’s safe, she relaxes and moves on.

I’ve seen this behavior with tools landscapers have left lying beside a building, toys, napkins, or paper bags lying on the sidewalk or parking lot, portapotties, traffic cones, etc. Once she’s ascertained there is no threat, she’s good to go.

Not every dog is skeptical or cautious about new items in their environment, but I know Riley is, and her raised hackles let me know she’s feeling uncertain. I can use this information to walk with her toward something that is scaring her to help show her that it’s safe if it’s not something she’s willing to approach on her own. Doing this increases her confidence and allows her the opportunity to safely explore new things with less stress.

NEW ENVIRONMENTS

A new environment might be a place we have never been, a place we have not been in a very long time, or a place we go often but under different circumstances. For example, if I take her to do public access training at a store when it is not busy but one day take her to that store where there is a lot of activity (maybe it’s freight day, or a sale is going on, or there are just more people than normal) it may as well be a completely new environment because so much in the environment is new or different.

Sometimes I see her hackles go up in this scenario and sometimes I don’t. It depends on how she feels about the environment and how she’s feeling generally. It’s easy to forget that dogs have off days too, and something that wouldn’t be a problem most of the time, can be an issue when they aren’t on top of their game. Raised hackles can communicate that this might be too much, depending on the rest of their body language.

In new environments, I give Riley time to acclimate. I also do a personal check-in – am I nervous, anxious, or on edge? I try to do that personal check-in before we go somewhere new because I know she feels about new environments how I feel about them and if I’m impatient, anxious, or not feeling great then I’m not going to be a good resource for her in a new space.

With that said, depending on where we are, if her body language doesn’t relax after several minutes, I won’t keep her in an overstimulated state. We’ll leave and go somewhere that she can relax and try again later. Sometimes it requires multiple exposures to an environment to get her to a place where she can navigate it calmly and I’m okay with that.

YOUR DOG

I encourage you to take some time in the coming weeks to observe your dog and take note of when you see their hackles raised. What are they doing? How do they seem to be feeling? How quickly do they shake it off and the hackles go back down? Are there environments where raised hackles happen more often than others? Are there people or dogs you see the hackles go up around? What are the people doing? What are the dogs doing? What is the rest of your dog’s body doing?

If your dog is nervous or reactive, sometimes seeing raised hackles can be a stressor because you’ve seen them so often in reactive situations. But if you start to watch you’ll likely discover early warning signs that can help you support them successfully navigate high-stress situations; which could contribute to you being more calm and present.

The more you know about your dog and how they communicate – voluntarily and involuntarily – the better you will be able to communicate with them, and the more harmony you’ll find in your relationship.

READ THE WHOLE BODY

I’m going to do more posts about deciphering dog body language because I think it’s one of the most confusing things as a dog owner and incredibly valuable. Especially when you begin learning to decipher what your dog is communicating. Just keep in mind as we go through the series, that it’s rarely one thing that tells you what your dog thinks, feels, or needs but a combination of things. Raised hackles are a piece of the communication puzzle, but their eyes, tail, head, chest, neck, the way they are walking, and even the position of their body relative to you are components that need to be understood and considered as well.

Of course, the best way to know what your dog is telling you, is through intentional observation and engagement, and that takes time.

“Handler awareness” generally refers to the amount of attention or “awareness” a dog gives to the person who is their handler – whether that is their owner, trainer, dog walker, or someone else.

For example, if I’m out with Riley, I am her “handler”. If my mom is taking her for a walk, then my mom is her ‘handler”. If she goes on an outing with a trainer, the trainer is her “handler”. Basically, whoever is responsible for guiding the dog in their environment at the time is the handler.

Awareness is not just about whether they obey or not. It’s about check-ins and general attentiveness.

Does the dog look at you periodically? Do they even acknowledge your existence? If they are headed in a direction they have not been before, do they look to you for approval or do they plunge ahead?

Handler awareness is something that can be taught and it’s primarily about communication. Does the dog trust you and rely on you for guidance and leadership in whatever environment you happen to be in at the time? If they do, they will look to you and follow your lead.

This is where most definitions of handler awareness end – the dog is aware of their handler and responsive to them.

What I have discovered is that there is another, equally important facet of handler awareness that isn’t discussed nearly enough. And that is the awareness the handler has of the dog.

Awareness goes both ways.

Why should Riley be aware of me and checking in with me, if I’m not paying attention to her? If I’m on my phone or engrossed in conversation and not attentive to what is happening with her, then I’m going to miss her check-ins, her requests for permission or direction, and other vital communications. The more of these I miss, the less valuable I become and the more disconnected she becomes.

This is something you can see clearly at a dog park.

There are dog owners there who are attentive and engaged with their dogs. They know where they are, and what they are doing, and they are providing guidance – verbal or non-verbal. They are watching and they take responsibility for their dogs’ behavior and needs.

Then there are the dog owners who check out. They get their dog inside the park and they are immediately on their phones or distracted. These people don’t know where their dog is or what they are doing until something happens that gets their attention – usually something negative.

And some people are too much. They stress their dog out. They are continually in their space, talking to them, asking things of them, and the dog has no freedom or autonomy. That’s not handler awareness, that’s anxiety. There’s a difference.

Let me give you an example of what good hander awareness might look like:

I take Riley to a field where she can safely run off-leash. I remove her leash and before running off she stops and looks at me, waiting for the go-ahead. I nod or say “free” and off she goes.

She sees a squirrel but it’s on the other side of the field, much further than I usually let her go. I know she’s tracking something because I’m paying attention to her, and I see her look at the squirrel and then look at me. I check out the environment to make sure it’s safe and give her a nod or “Go get it”. She takes off at full speed after the squirrel while I follow, paying attention to everything that her hunting drive mind can’t even see.

When she has treed the squirrel, she looks at me to see if I’m happy. Usually, I encourage her to “talk to it” and she hops around the tree, barking happily at her captive prey. Then I call her “out” and she stops and comes to me, and we walk off in some other direction to see if we can find more squirrels. I’m watching and paying attention to her and the environment, she’s periodically looking at me while she’s looking for more squirrels.

Handler awareness is important in a dog-owner relationship. It helps keep the dog safe. It keeps communication open. It helps to build confidence and trust even as it deepens relationships. It also helps a dog develop impulse control. Just that single moment of stopping to check in before allowing the impulse to chase the squirrel or go say hello to a dog or friend makes a huge difference.

The fact that I know that Riley will not just take off without checking in even when we’re running around and she’s off-leash, gives me confidence in her. The fact that I also have backup commands for those times when impulse wins in her hunting dog brain, also helps. I know that 99% of the time Riley will stop on a dime if I say, “halt” even if she is mid-run after a squirrel, and I have the backup of an e-collar for that 1% where the adrenaline is too high for her to hear anything but the pounding of her own heart and the pull of the prey drive. That is all part of handler awareness.

It’s developed over time, and it requires intentionality and focus.

If you want your dog to pay attention to you, you need to pay attention to them.

Some dogs do this readily. They are naturally keyed into their handler. Some dogs are more aloof and distant, and they have to learn handler awareness. Some dogs can do it but choose not to.

Riley has had great handler awareness with me from day one, which has been a blessing. It has improved and grown stronger as we’ve established our relationship over the last six years. And I’ve worked hard and intentionally to help her build handler awareness with people I trust; friends and my mom who walk her; the trainer who used to take her on half-day pack outings. This matters because if there’s ever a time I can’t take care of her, I want her to be reliable for whoever is helping take care of her for me.

It’s not something we often think about when we first get a dog but helping them get used to someone else walking and leading them; to someone else caring for them, feeding them, and giving them commands is important. We don’t necessarily plan to be in a position where we can’t be there but if you have your dog for 10-16 years odds are there’s going to be a time when you will board them or have a dog sitter or a dog walker.

I broke my foot and couldn’t walk her. Then I got COVID and landed in the hospital for a month. When I got home it was a long recovery. I thanked God every day that I had a support system in place that included her. That I could trust her with the people taking care of her. I knew they knew her needs and preferences and communication style and that they would take good care of her; and that she would be okay. Not just because I built the relationships but because I was intentional about developing handler awareness with people other than me, with her.

I’m not bragging. Much of it was done without really realizing what I was doing. I’m sharing because it’s much better to do things like this on purpose, and half the battle is understanding what handler awareness is.

I encourage you to start paying attention to the subtle and not-so-subtle ways your dog communicates with you, both in the home and when you’re out and about. How much attention are they giving you? Are they uber-dependent and stuck to you like glue to the point where they get anxious if you take a few steps away from them? Are they so independent that it feels like they don’t even know you’re there?

It doesn’t matter where you are, it matters that you recognize it so you can begin making changes. This is something a good trainer can help you develop.