I have a 5 month old Germany german shepherd. He has a long list of sch.3 family members including mom and dad .He is very couragious when it comes to pray work and is already showing great drive. I read once that hair raising on their back can be a sign of weak nerves. The only time this happens is when I'm walking him and another dog starts barking at him and also when someone he doesn't recognize comes up to the fence but as soon as they enter he calms back down. Is this a sign of weak nerves? Or am i seeing to much in the behavior? Any input would be appriciated.

The raising of hair on the back shows uncertainty on part of the dog but not necessarily weak nerves. The dog see's the other dog as a potential aggressor and raises the hair on the back to appear larger and to warn the other animal off. My dog will do that with strange dogs that she hasn't seen before or some dog's that she doesn't like. When I put her on alert and have her bark or show aggression the hair also go's up. It's just a natural reaction.
IMHO <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

That's an excellent explanation, Doug.
People are often confused by the term "weak nerved" regarding dogs - their dogs are often "short nerved", instead of 'weak nerved" , with the difference being that a "short nerved" dog is easily activated into drive, whether it's defense, prey, etc.

Bernhard Flinks uses the term "short nerved" all the time in his seminar and he always goes to great lengths to explain the difference, as some dog owners immediately take offense at the term ( but they're OK when they understand the difference that the two terms actually mean).

So owning a weak nerved dog is bad for our purposes in dog sports, but a short nerved dog can do just fine.

Showing hair, raising hackles or as the scientists like to say, piloerection, can be many things. Generally it indicates a state of arousal. In dogs it usually indicates a dog that's a little bit afraid or unsure of the situation that it's facing. As Douglas points out it's often a dog trying to appear a little larger than he really, perhaps is in the hope of driving off a perceived threat without actually having to do anything.

It's fairly common in the animal kingdom, especially among reptiles and on the Jerry Springer Show.

Will is short nerved the same thing as low threshold?

I'd say short nerved and low threshold is essentially the same thing. Wonder what Flinks would say?

A lot less stimuli causes reaction in the dog, no matter the reaction.

I actually like dogs with lower thresholds who are a little sharp, or have a suspicious edge. As long as they don't have low avoidance thresholds you're fine IMO. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

They just get pissed off faster, and that can be a good thing. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Short nerved the way I've heard Bernhard using it is often directed at dogs that are showing some self-defense in the given situation being looked at. Not an awful thing but one that must be recognized in training and taken as only a portion of an evaluation of the whole character of the dog.
As for the young dog that started this thread, heck, he's young. I HOPE the dog is experimenting with a variety of responses to various situations. When I look at youngsters I look at recovery from those things. If they raise their hackles, which end of the dog hackles (rear end hackles often don't mean the same as shoulder hackles).
Example, my PSD will hackle up at the base of the tail when I am putting a lot of pressure on him. He won't bite me (since we resolved that situation when he was a wild teen ager) and this is his lower lip hitting the ground.
If the dog hackles up like a bristle brush and runs around everytime the new people move while they are around and throwing up its hackles I worry about it. Not good enough recovery.
I actuall got my PSD due to a dog fight, and he would go to town on a newbie. No hackles just kick their butt. Now he hackles when he's confronted by a new dog. But, he won't fight, 'casue...well we had that discussion when he was a teen also. Just the stress of not being allowed to follow through and him showing it via hackling.
Any more if he hackles i can tell him to stop. He'll hackle up at a dog that has wandered into our search area and I just tell him to stop. An adult dog has a lot of control over himself if his character is good.
Of course some peopple will argue that piloerection is purely involuntary and therefore a definitive test of their nerve strength. Like so many things in the domestic dog soup we've created....it depends is the best answer.

This is an old thread I know, but question:

My dogs' nerves are not the best -- very quick to react, but I've not seen her hackles up when she's pissed. She has stood her ground before when challenged by someone, and still no hackles. Is this a good thing or bad?

you say the dog is quick to react, yet doesn't raise hackles. what exactly is she doing. what is her reaction and how do you perceive it?

Personally I think 'piloerection' is overrated...let me explain...

I think it's one of those things which tends to be stereotyped as being connected to nerves...or lack of...

But I've seen dogs hackle up when chasing a ball...yes it's 'arousal'...but not necessarily negative...

I've seen many dogs in Ring for example raise hackles when they know they're about to begin protection work...yet knowing these dogs were predominantly prey and extremely social and confident...

I had a dog years ago which hackled up when he greeted me every day and 'talked' (vocalized with a low rumbling growl)--and he only did this when he came out of his kennel exuberant and excited...he was a complete sport dog...Sure it backed most people off lol; but this was his way of showing excitement and affection...It was the ONLY time he did this and he only did this 'for me'...if someone else let him out of the kennel...he just ran out and ignored them (indifference)...

And yes I've seen many who out of sheer fear or lack of confidence or high suspicion/defense...hackle up...BUT I've also seen some which were definitely weak nerved and highly defensive/suspicious and unpredictable...NEVER display piloerection....

Personally I just think too much is read into it or misread as the case may be...I think the whole dog/picture has to be looked at and understood to know what piloerection means in a specific dog....Any thoughts? Would love to hear what others think. Thanks.

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Personally I think 'piloerection' is overrated

Hi B,

I tend to agree.

My Border Collie/Husky mix used to hackle when playing ball and frisbee (back in the days when he was able to play such games <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> )

My Malinois hackles when she sees squirrels and wants to chase them. She is not allowed to chase them and she knows it. She also hackles when meeting new dogs, and has since I brought her home at 9 and a half weeks. She is quite confident in herself and does not back down when another dog tries to dominate her. She will also hackle when "spooked" by something but she still approaches it to investigate.

I believe that in the Border Collie/Husky mix it's a case of arousal and in the case of the Malinois a combination of arousal and conflict but that she is not really afraid.

Another Malinois that I know is quite afraid of strange dogs and people and she does not hackle at all when approached. She simply tucks her tail and tries to get away.

Natalie
http://alikamalinois.tripod.com