Thursday, February 21, 2013

Canine Body Language: Piloerection

There are times Elka becomes aware (or decides that she's aware) that Something Happened outside. Or that Somebody is there. Or maybe the wind blew. Something.

But she'll go look out the door, or a window, growl or grumble, and sometimes give a bark. Invariably, when she decides she's the home's protector (or at least that something requires our attention), she sports a "mohawk", as we call it. Or, as Real Dog People call it, piloerects. Piloerection is when the hair stands on end; on a sleek, short haired dog like Elka, it is really very apparent.


There's an interesting, very short article, on The Bark about the different ranges of piloerection the author has noticed, and what she interprets them as meaning. I can't really say that any of the three states of piloerection that she describes are entirely accurate with regards to Elka's demeanor, though saying that one of them (a patch of hair on the shoulders and a patch by the tail standing up, with nothing in between) reflects emotional ambivalence is probably pretty close. I haven't kept a fully accurate log either, that I could say. But I also haven't actually seen Elka behave aggressively, ever.


Even when Elka is has gone "full mohawk", as you can see above, she's still under threshold. She still listens and responds accurately to cues. Typically, I'll check out the door, or window, and go from there. I will always say "Thank you" to show that I acknowledged her "alert", and that it is my responsibility at that point. If I see nothing, I'll tell her "There's nothing there, all done." If it's neighbors coming home, a dog going past, I'll say "I see, all done." We'll also frequently say "put your mohawk away", which is fun to say, and not necessarily a cue that Elka understands.



We always have more "alarm" incidents when it's nicer out, and we have the inner door open. When Elka can see and hear the local wildlife (read: college students), she's far more likely to want us to know what's going on. I mean, they interest her, we must care too, right? Yeah, not unless they threaten to cause property damage. 

My opinion on piloerection, based on my Elka observations, is that it indicates arousal. Not necessarily aggression, not necessarily fear, though these two things might fit into that category, depending on the dog and the situation. If a dog was giving me a fixed, hard look and was piloerected down his or her back? Yeah, I would believe that dog was ready to be aggressive. But plain old, amped up, "Hey!" seems to be the usual pattern of piloerection for Elka.





20 comments:

  1. BOL! Put your mohawk away! Too funny.

    Thank you so much for your comment on my post about intact dogs. I really appreciate it.

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    1. You're welcome! It's one of those topcis I'm still building a stance on. "Spay and neuter" isn't the best health choice for every dog, and "intact" is not the best choice for every owner. And I can respect that you have an ideal in mind for your sport.

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  2. Those are great pictures. We really can't see that on our dogs, but when Thunder is in protection mode he stands very tall and on the tips of his toes. :)

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    1. On the tips of his toes? How funny. Part of it must be to look bigger and more threatening! And I'm sure it is, if you're on the receiving end, but I'm just imagining your Chessie ballerino ^^

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  3. Olá Jen amigo querido....
    SAUDADES de voce.
    Obrigada por não ter esquecido de mim.
    Tenha uma ótima tarde e seja FELIZ SEMPRE!
    Beijos 1000 e Aus 1000 das amigas do Brasil....

    KIPPY & LILLY

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  4. I think you might be right. The thing with dog body language is that you can't just look at one body part to determine what a dog is trying to say. You have to look at the whole package. And every dog has his or her own mannerisms. I think you are on to something with assuming piloerection means arousal. The type of arousal depends on the dog and on the rest of the dog's actions.

    Shiva doesn't always have a mohawk when playing with other dogs at the park but certain dogs will bring it out in her so I think it might depend on her mood or maybe on the intensity of play. Oddly, she doesn't show this when barking at people outside or at the door, unless they catch her unaware. It's usually pretty short-lived. Now that you've written about it, I am going to have to pay closer attention!

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    1. It's like how the whole "wagging tail doesn't mean he's friendly" thing works; piloerection doesn't necessarily mean threat or aggression.

      Interesting that Shiva doesn't do it while barking at folks outside!

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  5. I've been noticing more piloerection on Elli since we moved to MT. She will usually do it (obviously it's not a voluntary thing) when greeting other dogs (shoulders and end of spine). That's always happened. Now she does it at home when she seems uncomfortable with something. I was putting her coat on for a walk in the wind the other day and she piloerected (near her hips). She also does it when she's greeting my roommate (who once threw an armful of wood at her on accident). It's odd. And it makes me feel bad, haha. Either way, I don't think it's a positive thing (indicating aggression or fear or something in between - ambivalence). Elli never does it (again, involuntary, despite what it sounds like I am saying) when she's working or high at a coursing trial, for example.

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    1. Accidentally threw an armful of wood at her? Poor Elli, and poor roommate! I wonder if she'll do it less as she acclimates more to your new place (I don't know when you moved). Funny that she'd do it when you were putting that coat on, though; unless she was excited for the walk? They can't be easy, can they? ;)

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  6. Beamer does this all too often. Not because he's aggressive, but because he's a wimp. When too many dogs approach him at once at the dog park, his hackles go up instantly. I get embarrassed sometimes because other dog owners are looking at my dog like he's on the brink of attacking theirs.

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    1. Aw, poor little guy. He's all "I'm big enough that I'm not a target! Hello!" (speculation, obviously. I'm not there, nor a behaviorist).

      Hey, at least the other dog owners are watching; we've all heard dog park rudeness stories.

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  7. I've noticed that Shyla gets piloerection when she's excited to play with other dogs but the play gets rough. She never gets it when she's scared (like her fearfulness of people and town).

    It sounds like a good article! Great photos.

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    1. It's so neat hearing when dogs do it versus not do it! Obviously, I've only got my Elka example.

      I don't know why I hadn't taken pictures of it before. It really is so readily apparent with her super short hair.

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  8. Silas never does it when he's just afraid, only when he's excited. Good or bad excitement doesn't seem to make a difference. I do see it as a red flag if he's also indicating his other "bad excited" signs like barking.

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    1. It's a piece of the puzzle, and a very interesting one. I've liked reading other peoples' replies! It's definitely something I want to read more about myself.

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  9. Amped up would describe when Morgan's fur is piloerect, too! Generally, it involves someone walking past the house, in what she assumes to be a Highly Suspect Manner.

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    1. Yes, "while looking outside" is definitely one of the times Elka does it! Those pedestrians, they must be Up To No Good. We had somebody over yesterday and the front door open, and he seemed surprised when Elka gurgled (she didn't growl but wasn't talking) about something outside, and I said "Thank you, I don't care." and she stopped!

      Is it visible with Morgan? It seems like you'd see her bristling, anyway, but not quite the delineation that I see with Elka.

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  10. I used to tell my late chocolate lab, Richard, to ”put your hair down”--mohawk would have been funnier! Also, on a tangential note, I think it's interesting how we ascribe emotions to dogs based on their body language, when it really may have nothing to do with how they're feeling. One time, Richard had sprained his tail (basically--the vet gave it a more complicated explanation, but it was pretty much a sprain), and before I realized his tail was hurt, I thought he was depressed! I don't think I specifically thought ”oh, his tail is drooping, so that means he's sad”, but until I really thought about it, my immediate reaction just glancing at him was that he seemed sad.

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    1. I'm not sure where "mohawk" came from in our Lingua Elka; I think my fiancé coined it, actually.

      A sprained tail, that poor guy! He probably was sad.

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