What does it mean when a dog "huffs"?

That would be stress. It's akin to the heavy panting that some dogs do when stressed. I saw a lot of dogs do this at a reactive dog seminar I went to a few weeks ago. The trainer was showing everyone how to get their dogs to stop that rapid stressed-out panting but noted that just because their mouths are closed doesn't mean they aren't doing that. They are still rapidly and shallowly breathing, and you can see their cheeks puff out as they do it.

That would definitely make sense then! I figured it had to have been extreme nervousness, since she released her anal glands and cowered in the corner, the poor thing. Thanks! 

When Kenya gets stressed in that time of situation, she will moan/groan.  It's not the same as a growl, more like "ouch! mom!"  It's not very loud.  Sometimes she will pant heavily and every 10th pant or so will come out more like a little huff.  When she intentionally huffs at me, she's usually excited.  She doesn't bark, but she will huff at me every great once in a while when I'm trying to get her excited for agility or rally. 

I actually call that a chuff...it's a half bark with the mouth mostly closed. Wolves do this as well...

It's an unsure sound...mine do it when something unseen or in the distance, has their attention but they are not sure whether it's friend or foe...they are undecided but edging toward a good bluff just in case. Most times they do crouch and advance then retreat....sometimes escalating to a full bark with front foot stomp but usually not, many times their hair is raised.

They also chuff when they are trying to engage one another in play...the play bow...and the half bark with the mouth closed...a puffing sound again....sometimes going on to bark fully but not always. It seems something they do when they are unsure about what something is or how their overture will be received.

 not to hijack the thread but whats the "anal glands"? and what is "releasing them" sorry if its a silly question

I'll comment because my Gaci does that a lot, and it is certainly due to uncertainty/minor anxiety/minor fear (could be any or a combination, for her it's a combination). She does this when she is in a situational conflict:
- She wants to investigate a person
- She's normally scared of people
- She has learned that people = treats, and she is gaining confidence around people
- She is not quite that confident yet
- She reallllly wants to see the person, but also has the backed-up want to bark, but wants to see the person....but the barking.....urrrrg
- This what I call inner conflict results in the huff or "chuff", almost a combination between the two that displays her conflict to others.

Personally I'm happy when I see this in Gaci, and I only say that because I know that our work has been getting more and more successful, and her automatic response to people has become less classical (reactive and automatic - the back-up-and-bark-loudly) and more operant (thinking about things instead of reacting - the huff/chuff), so I know that while she's a little unsure, and even a little anxious, she's still in thinking mode and I can work with her quite easily. And she is making decisions on her own, such as staying a distance away or actually approaching the person.

Anal glands are glands on the sides of the anus and they sometimes fill up with a really stinky liquid.  Realeasing them realeases the smelly liquid that is in them.

californiaglock

 not to hijack the thread but whats the "anal glands"? and what is "releasing them" sorry if its a silly question

If you want the full definition, marvistavet.com goes more into detail than most would like!

http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_anal_sacs.html 

I don't know about the general rule, but I *DO* know that with my dog, Billy, when he 'huffs' (with the cheeks filling with air) it is NOT a good sign - it means he doesn't 'like' that person and is about ready to snap.  That's my warning sign to disconnect him from that situation NOW.

calliecritturs

I don't know about the general rule, but I *DO* know that with my dog, Billy, when he 'huffs' (with the cheeks filling with air) it is NOT a good sign - it means he doesn't 'like' that person and is about ready to snap.  That's my warning sign to disconnect him from that situation NOW.

Same for my Rosco. It's usually when he's going into "I don't like that dog" mode, and it's time to redirect his mind ASAP.

 That's definitely the feeling I was getting from this RR. I knew she was scared, but it didn't feel like a nervous dog, it felt like she was peeved and was going to take it out on me! I know that when a dog is frightened it can come out as aggression, I'm just glad the vet stepped in when she did!

That was most definitely the impression I had of this RR. Even though I knew she was terrified, I had the impression that she was irritated and about to snap at me. I'm just relieved that the veterinarian intervened at the appropriate time because I know that a dog's fear can manifest as violence. https://basketball-stars.co/