What should you do if a dog attacks you?

Question

Run away? back off slowly? whats the best way to avoid being bitten?

Answer 1

If an aggressive dog approaches you, stand your ground, observe him. If his hackles are up, he is actually fearful of you. If the bark is deep and bellowing, it means he is serious. Combine the bark and the hackles and you have a very scared dog. DO NOT RUN. DO NOT TURN YOUR BACK. MAKE YOURSELF IMPOSING AND TAKE A STEP TOWARD THE DOG.

Now if the hackles are NOT up, there is a deep forceful bark, and his tail is either wagging or straight up in the air, this means the dog is confident and aggressive. He WILL bite you if you run. If the dog advances on you or lunges, use the longest extension of your body to hit him (usually your leg). If you have a purse or something in your hand swing it instead. If the dog bites you, do not thrash around, stay calm, use your hands to control the dog by grabbing the neck. Use your weight to push the dog to the ground. If the dog is on top of you find a way to get on top of the dog. Use your thumb to gouge him in the eye or ear with force until he lets go. If he is wearing a collar, grab it with one hand and twist it til it cuts off his air. This will cause the dog to open he mouth. Do not let go of the dog, hold him in place until someone comes to help. Control the dog's head by holding him on the neck using your body to control his body.

Most Important: STAY CALM AND DON'T PANIC!

Answer 2

you need to act before it attacks you. If you are faced with an angry dog who looks as though he may attack you and there is no owner near.Do not look at the dog. Do not panic, don't wave your arms about and yell. Instead talk in a low soothing voice saying things like "good boy, sit down, good dog, sit" etc and all the while move slowly away. Try to put a fence or tree or other obstacle between you.
It's very hard to remain calm especially if you are not confident around dogs. I have only ever been bitten once and even while the dog had her teeth sunk in my legs, I still didn't scream, wave, or struggle. That alone helped me as the dog released me and backed away enough for me to do as I suggested above.
I ended up with tetanus jabs and a row of puncture wounds in my thigh, but it could have been a lot lot worse.
The best thing to do is to avoid putting yourself in a position where you will be atatcked in the first place.

Answer 3

Don't run! Dogs are pre-programed to chase and take down whatever runs away from them.

To avoid being bitten, pay attention to the dogs' "body language". Dogs give out LOTS of cues BEFORE they attack. Watch not only for barking and growling but also for things like: raise hackles (the fur on the back and neck standing up straight); "posturing" - the dog raises its head high and may bound forward with stiff frnt legs; and dont' stare the dog in the face. Staring is a "threat" to dogs. If the dog is growling, barking, and posturing give a calm, firm, loud "stop", "Down", "go home" command, and keep walking. Walk slowly, don't run, and keep the dog in the corner of your eye as you walk away.

If the dog comes after you, and attacks, depending on the severeity of the attack you could do one of these things:

If it's a smaller dog, and the attack is more bluster than bite: Stand up as tall as you can and make yourself look as large as possible. Face the dog directly and In a calm, firm, loud voice tell the dog to "get down" and "go home". That can stop a dog in its tracks because it's not something it expects you to do.

If it's a larger dog and the attack it severe, get under something or curl up in a tight ball. Protect you stomach, face and the back of your neck. You may still be mawled, but if the dog can't get to major organs or your neck you'll probably survive the attack.

Answer 4

Lean back (that's a submissive position to a dog, and most attack when they feel you are trying to dominate) water works very well. DON'T RUN AWAY! they've got a prey drive and will follow, most dogs are faster than you. back off slowly is good, put your arms in front of your face, and YELL! hit with a stick if defense is necessary, spray it with water (if you conveniently have a hose/water bottle/bucket with you, lol). And don't make eye contact, that's a sign of challenging for dominance, and most dogs do not like that at all.
The best way to avoid being bitten is to learn how to read dog language. When the fur on the back is standing, or beginning to stand, they're gettin' mad. NEVER reach over a dog's head to pet it when you have only recently met it and they don't know it, they will view that as very dominant, and most dogs will react with a growl, bite, etc. When the tail goes stiff, that can also be a warning, though not always. Also be cautious are dogs that are clearly scared (tail between the legs, going down as low as possible) cuz they may bite out of fear.

Answer 5

some of the answers you have been given not only leave you open to prosecution but will ensure to DO get bitten, It is rare a dog will bite for no reason they attack when they feel threatened or cornered by a stranger, so keeping your distance and ignoring them is safe thing to do, if dog does attack DO NOT RAISE YOUR ARMS AND WAVE ABOUT dog will think you are going to hurt it just very calmly walk away, as others have said dont run the dog will know from that hes got you scared. So my advice in a nut shell is, you dont approach it, it wont approach you.

Answer 6

If the dog is close and it is apparent that it is going to attack you, running will not work, since this action is likely to trigger the dogs preditor instinct. A dog can run faster than you anyway. Also, if you turn your back to it, it will likely bite you in the leg or bum (that happened to me once).

If there is absolutely nowhere you can go to avoid the dog (such as climbing on top of a car) then you could try backing off slowly (and as calmly as possible) while facing the dog but DO NOT MAKE DIRECT EYE CONTACT as this can be interpreted by the dog as an act of aggression by you. Try sternly saying "NO" or "SIT." If that doesn't work and the dog proceeds to attack, try to put something between you and the dog such as a backpack or your bike.

Depending on the size of the dog you can kick it in a sensitive area like the ribs or head. If it's a pit, then forget it there is nothing you could do unless you come equipped with a baseball bat or a gun.

Answer 7

running away will make it chase you. You should if you can back away slowly, making direct eye contact. Dont lose the eye contact or it'l most certainly go straight for the attack as a dog will do with any prey that does this. Do not turn your back EVER. Many people think you shouldnt look a dog in the eye BUT THIS IS WRONG. . keep backing away slowly and grab anything you can that may be of use if it attacks. If dog attacks hit it hard on the nose with object or anything even your fist. This is a dogs most sensitive spot and will usually make it back off. Never hit a dog for no reason though. only in an emergancy

Answer 8

Depends on how much you know about dogs. Most dogs if you stand your ground and run toward them and kick or swat them with a stick they will quickly turn tail and run. As they are bluffing.

If you stand still and do nothing some will just sniff you and maybe bark.

But there is a small percentage of dogs that if they are coming at you they are not going to stop until they do some damage. These dogs you have to fight off with what ever you can grab. A gun would be real handy at this time.

Answer 9

Its more to do with body language and eye contact, you need to adopt a none aggressive posture and avoid eye contact with the dog. Dogs that attack are normally threaten or see you as a threat so to act in a submissive manner such as other dogs would around the top dog will show that you are not about to challenge for control. I learnt this while working with the RSPCA looking after abused dogs and i was only bit once in 5 years.

Answer 10

DO NOT RUN, if you do they will consider you as prey and will case you and more than likely catch you. If you see a dog approaching and you are not sure of its motive, turn around and SLOWLY walk away. Never make direct eye contact, they will assume that is a threat and will protect themselves with the only thing they have, teeth. Remain calm and never show fear.