# Hind end Hackles



## Carol Boche (May 13, 2007)

Hey all, 

I have been wondering about this for a while.....

When I get Ajay out to play and/or work, he usually has the hackles on JUST his ass up. Never his whole back or in the shoulder area. 

I have been told that it is from excitement and not fear or aggression of any sorts. 

The dog is pretty much totally confident and scared of nothing and after a while they go down and he does not do it again. 

Just the start of each session.....

Anyone have a dog that has done or does this?


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## mike suttle (Feb 19, 2008)

Without seeing the dog I can only tell you what I have seen in the past with this behavior. Most dogs do this when they are a little worried, but if he acts like he is fine, then dont worry about it. You can not do anything to change who he is, so just ignore it and continue to socialize him as much as you can. it will likely go away as he gets older.


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## Kristen Cabe (Mar 27, 2006)

I've always been told it's excitement as well, and seen it on a couple of dogs who clearly were not fearful, and in situations where there was no reason to be (like when they saw their owner pick up the frisbee or ball).


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## Lance Green (Jan 4, 2009)

When I grab the chuck-it, my GSD does the same thing. He gets just crazy when he knows he's going to chase the ball. 

Lance


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## Carol Boche (May 13, 2007)

If I thought he was fearful I would be worried, but he is really confident. And, it only happens at the start of the training time. He is not a lovey dog with others, but he is not in any way nervous around them and he goes all kinds of places with me. 

He is aloof but happy.....he does "drive bys" to people happily showing them he has his ball and pretty much dares them to take it....possession is off the charts with this dog.


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## Candy Eggert (Oct 28, 2008)

Carol, I'd say it's excitment based given all your other assessments of his temperment. 

My young dog's ears goes up forward and tail goes straight out (not up and over the back) when we start training/playing. Some people were saying it was dominance but the rest of his body language did not. I had some very knowledgable trainer's assess this behavior and they all said the same thing "excitment", nothing more. To quit worrying and enjoy my dog ;-) 

He has quite the possession obsession thing going on too  He's an ass but doesn't hackle ;-)


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## Julie Blanding (Mar 12, 2008)

Not saying this is the case in your situation at all, but I have seen it happen with dogs that have something wrong with their backs. 

Julie


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## Carol Boche (May 13, 2007)

Candy Eggert said:


> To quit worrying and enjoy my dog ;-)
> 
> He has quite the possession obsession thing going on too


LOL, totally not worried, just wondering if others experienced the same thing.... 

He is a great dog and a tracking fool.....would not trade him for anything. 

I love his possession quality, because when we take it away, all he wants to do is work to find it. :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## Carol Boche (May 13, 2007)

Julie Blanding said:


> Not saying this is the case in your situation at all, but I have seen it happen with dogs that have something wrong with their backs.
> 
> Julie



So far at 16 months, all prelims are normal. I thought that too, and so I had it checked out. With all the running, jumping, sliding and other dumbass stuff he does, it crossed my mind....:lol: :lol:


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## Julie Blanding (Mar 12, 2008)

Hi Carol,

Yeah, it really stinks if that is the problem. I don't think it is at all by how you described the dog. Sounds like excitement to me as well.


Regarding the back problem..
I have seen this behavior in at least 4 different dogs. One of them was mine. It usually occurred after some running or sharp turns while running (i.e. cornering the blinds) or jumping. Sometimes you can see a little bit if the dog does a stutter step or gathers before getting into a vehicle or the meter hurdle as well.

I remember spending 1300 bucks just to see if that was the problem with my little female. Ugh..:-o Not to mention how much it cost to fix it.

Glad to hear your boy checked out and everything is ok! 

Julie


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## Candy Eggert (Oct 28, 2008)

Carol Boche said:


> LOL, totally not worried, just wondering if others experienced the same thing....
> 
> He is a great dog and a tracking fool.....would not trade him for anything.
> 
> I love his possession quality, because when we take it away, all he wants to do is work to find it. :lol: :lol: :lol:


 
I know you weren't worried Carol...just looking to see if others had the same experiences with their dogs. That was meant for me...#-o It's always good to hear other opinions even if they mirror your own gut feelings.

That type of possession is wonderful, isn't it? I have Rico in scent detection classes and he's so intense hunting for that odor that students are taken back by his intensity. He lives for that toy!! And the fight!

So I totally understand YOUR boy  Gotta love 'em!! Is he a Malinois?


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## Carol Boche (May 13, 2007)

Candy Eggert said:


> Gotta love 'em!! Is he a Malinois?


Nope, he is a GSD....I have Mals too and he rates right up there with them. I think that is why I like him SO much. =D> =D>


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## Candy Eggert (Oct 28, 2008)

Carol Boche said:


> Nope, he is a GSD....I have Mals too and he rates right up there with them. I think that is why I like him SO much. =D> =D>


Congrats Carol :-D He's a honorary Malinois:wink: Must be his environment or kennel neighbors ;-) Great to hear about a GSD that can keep up with those crazy hounds!!


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## Carol Boche (May 13, 2007)

Candy Eggert said:


> Congrats Carol :-D He's a honorary Malinois:wink: Must be his environment or kennel neighbors ;-) Great to hear about a GSD that can keep up with those crazy hounds!!


Thanks....I am really happy with Ajay, and I am not a big GSD fan. I owe a huge amount of thanks to Betty and Jason for thinking of me when they wanted to place him. 

Ajay has two brothers, KC and Ammo, and was the last to be born...had to be taken by C-section, that is how much of a stubborn shit that he is...he is also the runt of the litter weighing in at 91lbs (lean). He did not stay small for long. :lol: :lol:


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## Anne Jones (Mar 27, 2006)

My male will hackle up at certian times. I work & run my dogs together alot of the time out in the fields near my house & he gets very excited when they are retreiving their balls & just runing in the field together. He doesn't seem to do it when they are out in the yard playing & running around together...only when I am there. I up the excitement notch a bit ' cause when I am there....the REAL fun begins in their minds. In his case it is just excitement ...there is no fear or aggression issues going on at all.


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## jim kirkendall (Jan 31, 2009)

Ok,, here is a question for u.Do u think hackling is all fear, and/or aggression, or excitement as some have suggested.I would like to hear opinions.Is it a negative,a positive,a signal, or what.


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## Carol Boche (May 13, 2007)

I think dogs hackel for a variety of reasons, and that is why I brought it up. 

In Ajay's case, it is excitement for the play/work time.....


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## Candy Eggert (Oct 28, 2008)

Carol Boche said:


> Thanks....I am really happy with Ajay, and I am not a big GSD fan. I owe a huge amount of thanks to Betty and Jason for thinking of me when they wanted to place him.
> 
> Ajay has two brothers, KC and Ammo, and was the last to be born...had to be taken by C-section, that is how much of a stubborn shit that he is...he is also the runt of the litter weighing in at 91lbs (lean). He did not stay small for long. :lol: :lol:


A good dog is a good dog Carol. And Ajay was just destined for you ;-) I'm partial to the Mali's but I LOVE a good working GSD! Sounds like you have one of those ;-) Have lots of fun with Ajay!

LOL That's pretty funny.....2 pups born and HE decided he wasn't going?! I've seen too many runt puppies that didn't turn out so runty afterall. 

That would be an interesting thread for the breeders on runt pups vs size at maturity. Hint, hint


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## Al Curbow (Mar 27, 2006)

Mike,
you're a breeder and trainer and you don't know the answer to this?


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## Gerry Grimwood (Apr 2, 2007)

I don't know what the hind end hackling means aside from the obvious, but has anyone had a dog that will not allow you to brush it ?

From a very young age he has always spun around and grabbed the brush, whether it's a wire/stripper or just a scrub brush, thank God he's a short hair dog and he doesn't really need brushing.


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## mike suttle (Feb 19, 2008)

Al Curbow said:


> Mike,
> you're a breeder and trainer and you don't know the answer to this?


All I do know about it is this: I have seen good dogs with great nerves do it, and I have seen nerve bag shitters do it also, but in my opinion it is still a sign of some type of nervous energy, even if the dog shows no other outward signs of stress.


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## Gerry Grimwood (Apr 2, 2007)

mike suttle said:


> All I do know about it is this: I have seen good dogs with great nerves do it, and I have seen nerve bag shitters do it also, but in my opinion it is still a sign of some type of nervous energy, even if the dog shows no other outward signs of stress.


So, when a dog does this is it a totally different situation than neck/body hackling or will a dog do both at different times in different situations, or is it a either or type of deal ??


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## Don Turnipseed (Oct 8, 2006)

Airedales don't hackle that I am aware of, or, if they do, you just can't tell when they are doing it because of the curly coat, but, I always thought hackling was simply another form of posturing to look bigger and better filled out....but that would be neck and shoulder hackling. Never saw a half hackled dog but I would say it has nothing to do with a serious posture so it must be for fun and excitement....maybe. LOL


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## Carol Boche (May 13, 2007)

Ajay has never raised his shoulder/front hackles that I have ever seen....just on the top of his butt.....at first I thought his hair was messed up.....and I noticed tonight when I came in from watching yard work (that he watched me do ALL day) that he was all happy I was back, and had them up with a ball in his mouth wanting me to go in and throw it for him.....


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## Jeff Oehlsen (Apr 7, 2006)

Piloerection is caused by the dog being overstimulated. Doesn't have to be in a good or bad way.

I have seen this before, and on dogs that were playing with a toy in the yard by themselves. 

Not likely it was a nerve issue, considering they were by themselves.

Being that it can show by itself, it can also appear along with other things.

It is just not something to wig out about.

I am talking about the hair on the tail and butt, not the shoulders. Just making sure.


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## Carol Boche (May 13, 2007)

Jeff Oehlsen said:


> Piloerection is caused by the dog being overstimulated. Doesn't have to be in a good or bad way.
> 
> I have seen this before, and on dogs that were playing with a toy in the yard by themselves.
> 
> ...


Thanks Jeff.....:lol: :lol: :lol:


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## Gillian Schuler (Apr 12, 2008)

I have a GSD that is similar, not afraid of anything, very friendly with all and sundry, excitable, lightweight, jumps from second floor if I don't stop it, i.e. a nomal, working GSD but hackles over his butt in bitework sometimes. He can also show the whole length of hackle, i.e. from shoulder to rump. I've learned to live with it!!

He's athletic, cheeky to a point of danger, succombs to our older GSD "mostly" and I can't find anything wrong with him so I let it be.

Our helper pointed it out to me when he was younger, to watch if he had back problems but these didn't arise.

One of the Mali handlers at our club, now at the FMBB, i.e Emil Keller, once said he'd take him on - he's more Mali than GSD but I have to admit my older heavyweight GSD has not less drive.


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## Chris Keister (Jun 28, 2008)

I had a malinios do this and she had a bad back.......


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## Konnie Hein (Jun 14, 2006)

Hey Carol - I thought of this thread when I watched this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fhAVKqxIqw

If you look closely, you can see that the hair on this dog's rump is standing up. My younger Mal does this too sometimes if he's really stoked. The Mal in the video is a half-brother (same sire) to my dog.


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## Adam Rawlings (Feb 27, 2009)

So how would you read a GSD that hackles up on the shoulders with his tail up over his back and always moving forward when he is suspicious of some one or guarding his yard?


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## Jeff Oehlsen (Apr 7, 2006)

Has nothing to do with what is being discussed here, but some people want a dog that does that.


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## Mike Scheiber (Feb 17, 2008)

Adam Rawlings said:


> So how would you read a GSD that hackles up on the shoulders with his tail up over his back and always moving forward when he is suspicious of some one or guarding his yard?


Hes nervous and uncomfortable not good. Guess if I want a ppd I would like it to be trying to tear the fence apart to get to the perceived threat not posturing


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