I kinda figured, but still think it's funny. :-)

Yes, I agree, it is I have an Oriental Shorthair cat and when he gets a cold draft from an open door he looks like a cartoon.

I've seen my dog get hackles up when another dog approaches that is acting all goofy (wanting to play) even though they are both on leash. If the other dog approaches calmly then all is well no hackles. It's like she is sending out the energy to the other dog to chill out.

The hackling behavior just confuses me as I read it as coiled up aggression. It makes me uncomfortable and I try to redirect the attention off the other dog. I never let the dogs meet if I can help it. As that's all I need is for her to put a hole in a strange dog.

We were at the obedience club last month and a young female GSD turned, lunged and tried to bite my dog on the face. My dog didn't do anything no hackles, no try at retaliation it was weird. She was calm as calm could be.

One thing a dog a wants to play and her hackles go up and another where the dog is aggressive towards my dog and nothing?? I wish I could read and understand it better.

Well hackling in that instance is still a defensive measure. Hackling doesn't always automatically mean aggression is to follow. Hackling when another, excited or hackling dog is approaching can mean "I am big. You don't want to fight me." Hackling is always a reaction, not an action. When the GSD came at her she may have felt that hackling was a lost cause, being intimidated by the other animal first. Hackling with forwad movement is a confident defensive measure, hackling with slinking/hiding behavior is a weak defensive measure.

If a dog encounters another dog that is larger, dominant, and forward, it may not hackle because while the other dog may be a threat they do not want to instigate a real fight. Dogs can choose battles same as we can, just some are not quite smart enough to pick the right ones. I find that females are more likely to hackle at other females, and males with males. Fights of dominance, while definitely not isolated to same sex altercations, it is more common for females to want and be forward in engaging another female, and likewise a male with a male.

P.S. Can't believe I forgot to mention it! Hackling is also used in situations where dominance is an issue. A dog may hackle at another dog that is doing something they deem "inappropriate" to reinforce their dominance, to seem bigger, taller, stronger.

Hackling with forwad movement is a confident defensive measure, hackling with slinking/hiding behavior is a weak defensive measure.

 Quote: Jennifer Marshal

Hackling with forwad movement is a confident defensive measure,

 Quote: Jennifer Marshal

hackling with slinking/hiding behavior is a weak defensive measure.

So these 2 different but similar looking postures can indicate which way a certain dogs nerve pendulum is swinging then?

My GSD hackles come up when chasing a ball or at prey items, it might be a little disturbing to some people at the park I frequent

Yeap. Dogs don't always hackle all the time consistently when faced with the same or similar situations. It depends on what they are encountering. Hackling is to make them look bigger, period. They hackle when they feel that they will benefit from looking bigger/stronger.

The same as a high held dominant threat tail wag and a high held excited tail wag. Looks very similar - two drastically different meanings.

 Quote: Jennifer Marshal

It is what the dog/animal views as a threat that determines its nerve level.

people view weak nerves and sharpness to be the same thing, but a weak dog will not face the threat.

Jennifer,
thanks, this helps clear it up in my mind. Ive had someone tell me that they think my dog is weak nerved because she hackled once when barking at a couple of strange men coming onto our property but she didnt seem scared, only probably unsure of whether she could take them on if neccesary. she stood her ground and didnt back or turn sideways, so I wondered if that was a fearful reaction.

 Quote: Dennis Jones

My GSD hackles come up when chasing a ball or at prey items, it might be a little disturbing to some people at the park I frequent

Mine sometimes does it as well when she has engaged prey items as well .. Like I said earlier I always thought it was a lead up to aggressive behaviour. So it always threw me off when she would do it in times when you'd least expect aggressive behaviour.

 Quote: Jennifer Marshal

Yeap. Dogs don't always hackle all the time consistently when faced with the same or similar situations. It depends on what they are encountering. Hackling is to make them look bigger, period. They hackle when they feel that they will benefit from looking bigger/stronger.

The same as a high held dominant threat tail wag and a high held excited tail wag. Looks very similar - two drastically different meanings.

I don't know if it ALWAYS is to make them look bigger. I have seen two dogs (both were young, one my female) that hackled from excitement during training. They were not and did not feel threatened in any way shape or form when it happened, and it was during obedience and not protection. Simply so fired up and excited to play two toy that some hackles raised. I have heard of other dogs doing this too.