VintageJeans wrote:

capellalayla wrote:

Hackles up just means they're so aroused (not sexually, mind you) that the skin on the hackles pinches together so that the hair stands on end. Often this signifies stress or unease but not usually aggression. Aggression in dogs is actually VERY rare and is incorrectly blamed for so many types of behavior. Mishka was probably a little stressed/excited but was communicating with a play bow to everyone that he was not a threat and just wanted to play.

I was walking Juneau last night and we came upon a loose dog.  His hackles were raised and he was focused on Juneau.  Shortly after, he started lunging for her and tried attacking.  Thankfully I'm not scared of stray dogs and I was able to keep him away.  Does this mean he was stressed?  Was he trying to appear bigger?  Juneau raises her hackles when she gets excited to play with toys and other huskies that we pet sit.

It's hard to tell but it seems likely the stray dog sensed that Juneau (or you, even) could be a threat and raised his hackles out of stress/arousal, especially if right afterward he started lunging. A key sign that the dog is stressed and wants you to back off is it will turn its head slightly away from you and will show "whale eye," meaning you can see a small crescent of the white of the dog's eye. They may also slightly bare their teeth and growl. If you ever see a dog doing this, back off immediately; it's a fear response (note: NOT aggression) and could be a bite waiting to happen.

Raised hackles do have the added effect of making the dog appear larger and more intimidating to the perceived enemy/threat. Dogs raise their hackles for a lot of reasons, mainly because of some sort of stimulant (whether play or perceived threat) in the environment that has caused them to become aroused (i.e. excited).

The only time Link raises his is when he first enters a dog park and gets swarmed with attention by the other dogs. He likes to set the pace at all times, so he tries to get them to back off. He won't attack or anything, just snap at times if they don't back off.

After a minute or so, he's fine.

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By telling someone their dog must've been poorly bred I'd be afraid of backlash from them to the like of, "No, their parents had champion bloodlines, blah, blah, blah," or, "They were a rescue so I had no say in how they grew up," etc.

I worry about that a lot too because people can be pretty sensitive about their animals but since this kid had decided to share HIS opinion of my husky with me, I figured it was time to share my opinion with him regarding his huskies. I did get the "they were rescues so we really don't know" spiel after I said it, to which I responded that I got Karli from a breeder and she's within standard.

My husky is white with brown eyes. That just gives everything down. a lot of people think my dog is not a husky, but a Laika instead. But when i correct some of them, they say: No, it does not look like a husky. My mind goes like ''What are you kidding me? Laikas are bigger, like labs".

My favorite is a recent development..someone consistently telling my dog sitter that Teddy is a malamute. First of all, Teddy looks nothing like a mal. He's very much within the standard. Second, I know his sire, dam, gransires, granddams, half siblings, aunts, uncles, etc....he's not a mal and he looks nothing like a mal. I told kiley (our sitter and my good friend) to hand him a copy of the standards next time, because if he knew a damn thing about siberians and mals he'd know ear placement is completely different. Stupid people.