Field Guide · Glossary
Raised hackles
Body languageFur standing up along a dog's neck, shoulders or spine, caused by an involuntary muscle response rather than a deliberate display.
How it works
The technical name is piloerection, and it is the same mechanism that produces goosebumps in humans: automatic, not chosen, and not under the dog's control. That is why it is a poor guide to intent. It indicates arousal, and arousal covers fear, surprise, frustration and excitement equally well. A dog with raised hackles meeting a new dog might be about to play or about to react, and the fur alone does not distinguish them. The rest of the body does.
What it looks like
A dog rounds a corner and meets an unfamiliar dog. A stripe of fur lifts along their shoulders, their tail stays high and loose, and within a few seconds both dogs are play-bowing. The hackles were about surprise.
Commonly confused with
- Stress signals
- Stress signals are behaviors a dog performs, and they can be interrupted or trained around. Raised hackles are an involuntary physical response, so they cannot be, and they say less about how the dog feels.
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