# Hair standing up down her spine



## LuvMySophie (Jan 3, 2010)

Hey all! I am sooo curious. My Sophie (3 mos.) was zipping around the yard with my older dogs this afternoon & her hair was standing up down her spine (looked like a lil' ridge back dog). What on earth? It also happened this evening when I was tossing the tennis ball across the house for her to fetch (again other dogs were playing along in the game). Anyone have a clue as to what this is about?


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

Hackles. Commonly rise when dog is overly-excited and/or adrenalized. 

Hackles up at the butt end of the dog are commonly a response to fear-arousal.


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## Oaklys Dad (Dec 28, 2005)

Steph is probably right but it could also be the guard hairs starting to come in down the back. Many of us golden owners have approached panic stages when our pups lost their bunny soft puppy hair and got that stiff coat down the back. Don't worry it will turn soft again.


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## Murphysmom (Nov 2, 2009)

Murphy's hair just started standing up a couple weeks ago. It cracked me up when it first happened, and now that he's been doing it for a while he's starting to learn how to control it. I wouldn't worry too much about it. I think it's just part of her coming into her own. :


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

I think it it's happening situationally, it's probably hackles. But yes, coat change can sometimes appear to leave a ridge of hair along the spike. Hackles are typically pretty "up" like a mohawk and then go back down once the dog relaxes.


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## pburchins (Mar 11, 2009)

I never heard of Hackles before. I can't wait to play scrabble against the family. LOL


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

pburchins said:


> I never heard of Hackles before. I can't wait to play scrabble against the family. LOL


Even better? The technical term for hackles going up is piloerection!


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## LuvMySophie (Jan 3, 2010)

Thanks All! I have noticed the hair down her back changing to a lil' darker color (seems) & coarser but it definitely was standing like a mohawk. LOL! Glad to know it wasn't fear or aggression only excited. Now I can relax & enjoy the next time I see it


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

LuvMySophie said:


> Thanks All! I have noticed the hair down her back changing to a lil' darker color (seems) & coarser but it definitely was standing like a mohawk. LOL! Glad to know it wasn't fear or aggression only excited. Now I can relax & enjoy the next time I see it


Keep in mind that hackles *can* also happen when a dog is aggressing, but from what you describe - the dog running around w/ other dogs in your yard - it sounds like in that case, it was just arousal from the activity.

We sometimes also see them along with the low, gutteral growl when a dog means business in an aggressive/threatening way. And again, if hackles at the butt-end of the dog come up, those are pretty consistent with a fear-response from the dog.


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## LuvMySophie (Jan 3, 2010)

I have a fearful aggressive 3 y.o. N/M GSD! He loves Sophie but he is why I could not keep the 2 male GR's I fostered last year (I fell in love with them thus got Sophie female pup. I DO NOT want an aggressive dog of any kind (fear or territorial) but who does I am trying to do everything right with my Sophie girl


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## jmamom (Dec 3, 2009)

Josie gets this sometimes during playtime at puppy class. She definately gets over excited, but not aggressive. I think I just need to work on not letting her get overstimulated so she doesn't get to that point. Hard to do when there are so many fun puppies to play with!!!!


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## paula bedard (Feb 5, 2008)

Sam never raised his hackles that I ever saw, so when Ike comes along and his are raised at the merest bit of excitement, I thought something was wrong with him. Nope, he's just easily excited and up they go.


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## esSJay (Apr 13, 2009)

I've never heard the term 'hackles' before either so I googled it and this is the only picture I can find that descibes the mowhawk look the OP said, but here it is on a hyena! lol


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## hollyk (Feb 21, 2009)

I also would see this when Winter would be very excited in play. I only saw the raised neck hair when she was playing with her puppy playmate. The pups are evenly matched so no one was bulling the other. I never it with us. It went away around the age of 6 months.


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

I've attached a couple diagrams that show hackles.


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## Oaklys Dad (Dec 28, 2005)

Thanks for the link Steph. It is nice to have that knowledge for when the boys meet other pups.


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

Whoops! Here's the other one I wanted to add. Fig. A shows the hackles.


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## Oaklys Dad (Dec 28, 2005)

Oakly does the active and when pressed the submissive submission when he meets new dogs. The thing he does when he meets other dogs that seems to tick them off is the "licky face" thing. I don't know what to do about that?


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## Loisiana (Jul 29, 2009)

Flip's hackles really stood out when his coat was really short. He also had an area about two inches from the base of his tail that would puff out at the same time. It was very funny. I don't notice it now that his coat is growing out.


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