My GSD is a little over 4 months old. I have noticed lately that his hair on the back of the neck will stand up when he sees another dog or even a cat. Is this a really bad sign of nerves or is it something he can get over? I haven't had him around many other dogs. Should I try to introduce him to more dogs? I'm just trying to avoid a bad situation for when he gets a little older. Any help would be appreciated....Thanks.

Not really. A dog will do that for many reasons. It is his how he shows dominance over that animal. He makes himself look bigger and more intimidating that way. I would correct him when he shows animal aggression. Maybe try and socialise him a little more with other dogs and animals. But be careful and not let another dog dominate him. If you want an alpha male then he has to feel he is the dominant one.

Hope this helps some.

A very dominant animal both communicating dominance and threatning aggression if challenged could/will show these signs. Ears forward, nose wrinkled, lips curled teeth exposed, corner of mouth forward. stiff legged stance body leaning slightly forward. hair up tail raised and bristled

a frightened dog that might attack if pressed may/will have ears back, hair up, nose wrinkled, lips slightly curled, corner of mouth back. tail tucked, body lowered.

which one of these does your dog fall under


http://www.vonhunterkennels.com

He was never showing aggression, as far as, growling or showing teeth. And he wasn't really all that fearful. His tail wasn't tucked or anything like that. He was leaning a little forward with his hair standing up on his neck. Thanks for the help.

IMHO, hackles up does not necessarily indicate weak nerves (unless your dog also shows the other signs of fear or shyness) sometimes it just means the pup is excited -- My 14 month old bitch is bold, dominant & hard, with lots of drive in both prey & defense, but she often has her hackles raised even in play, although she does not aggressive...

Sounds like it may be dominant posturing.

How should I deal with this? Or is it really not that big of a deal?

http://www.leerburg.com/120.htm ("Your Puppy 8 Weeks to 8 Months")

http://www.leerburg.com/117.htm ("Raising a Working Puppy")

at 4 mo old, he's still a baby, and if he hasn't been exposed (read "socialized") to a lot of different scenarios, it seems natural to me that he would hackle in order to make himself seem bigger (defense of self, right?) to prevent these puppy-eating animals from even considering taking him on.

his particular "nerve" issue i won't even address, but i suspect that it would behoove you to get him out in public, as often as possible (go out of your way, MAKE the time), expose him to as many different places/people/things as you can.

but make sure he knows that you're there, it's ok, and he can "do it"; vocal & food rewards would be good. i'm planning on taking my baby (8 wks) to town with me this weekend--this socialization process is difficult for me as i live WAY out in the middle of no-where. so he'll go to town, we'll stop in at the feed store, the farm supply store, the service station, the mechanic--everywhere i can take him. even the bank (ha,ha). and i plan on doing this every weekend on our "trip to town". try this sort of thing w/your boy. i think he may get better.

if not--don't sue me. i'm just another drone in the big pic, no $$$!! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

hair standing up on neck, shoulders, back, is an instinctive response. all dogs use hackles for purpose of appearing more intimidating. it's part of behaviors labeled 'stancing'. the reason for it can be varied from high drive and aggressive excitement to unsureness. in a 4-mo. old pup it is probably the latter. exposure to well-behaved dogs and social situations would be good. do not correct such a natural behavior; if is inappropriate, then note the subject that causes reaction and begin a sequence to de-sensitize, or neutralize, dog's reaction. if there is more than one cause that seems inappropriate, initiate sequence for each cause. at 4 months take your time, try to end each sequence with strong confident behavior, whether near or far. the rule for neutralization is proxemics and kinesics. these are the issues for the dog. use parallel movement, telescoping movement, and a use of horseshoe movement is also effective. do you need more details or are you familiar with this type of conditioning?

My 5mth. old pup hackles up at strange animals and some people.I thought maybe he had bad nerves or was just a chicken!at first. Now I think he is trying to be the big dog and just isn't real sure of himself yet.