How to Respond to a Dog Attack

Imagine that you are happily jogging in the park or cycling around the neighborhood when suddenly a strange dog runs up to bared its fangs and is about to attack you. What should you do? There are right and wrong ways to respond to a dog attack. You need to keep yourself safe by staying calm and taking some measures to handle the situation.

Table of Contents

Prevent attack

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Don’t panic. The old adage that dogs and other animals can “sense fear” also holds true. If you become agitated and run away or scream, you may be making the dog more aggressive, or worse, making you a threat. Both of those situations are not good.

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Maintain a stiff and immobile posture. When the dog approaches, stand still, arms by your sides, pose like a tree, and look away. ^{[1] X Research Source} In many cases, the dog will lose interest and walk away if you ignore it.

Do not wave your arms or kick your feet; The dog will take such actions as a threat.
Do not look the dog in the eye, as that may cause the dog to attack.
Stand to one side and use your view to keep an eye on it, instead of facing your dog and looking him in the eye. This signals to the dog that you are not a threat to him.
Do not open your hand and raise your arm overhead. Close your hand to avoid being bitten by the dog. The dog can come close to you, even sniffing you without biting.

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Don’t try to run away. The act of running away can awaken a dog’s hunting instinct. It may aggressively chase you even though it is initially intended to be playful. Furthermore, you cannot outrun a dog if you are jogging. Even many dogs can catch up even if you ride a bike. ^{[2] X Research Source}

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Distract the dog with another object. If the dog continues to threaten, give him something to chew on, such as a backpack or water bottle: anything but your arms or legs. This can distract the dog long enough for you to get away.

Perhaps you should bring a toy or treat to lure your dog through areas where you know aggressive dogs are common. If an aggressive dog approaches, throw the food or toy away. The dog will probably chase those items and leave you alone.

Precaution and self-defense

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Face the dog and give the command, “back.” If the dog is still aggressive, and ignoring or calming down isn’t working, you must confront him and give him strict orders to retreat.

Use a deep, strong, and assertive voice.
Continue to avoid making eye contact with the dog.
The dog may get frustrated or scared and walk away.

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Fight back when the dog attacks. If the dog starts biting you, you have to defend yourself. Hitting or kicking the dog’s throat, nose, and nape stuns it and gives you time to escape. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

At this point you can shout. Call for help while fighting the dog. Hope someone hears and comes to your aid. However, avoid screaming as this may cause the dog to intensify its attack.
If you have a stick or other weapon, you can (and should) use it to hit the dog. However, do not hit the dog on the head; Dogs often have very thick skulls, so this only makes them more angry. If available, pepper spray is also a good self-defense tool against a dog attack.
Fight back as if this fight were your life, because it is. Dog attacks can be fatal. While you don’t want to hurt a dog unnecessarily, you do need to use force when actually being attacked.

Dealing with the consequences

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Care for wounds. If bitten by a dog, make sure to take care of the wound immediately, as even a light bite can cause infection. Perform first aid procedures for dog bites:

Gently press on the wound to stop the bleeding. Use a clean cloth or sterile gauze. If the bleeding is severe or won’t stop after several minutes of compression, you should seek medical attention.
Wash the wound thoroughly. Use warm water and soap to gently clean the wound.
Dressing. Use a bandage (for any minor cuts) or a sterile gauze dressing for large lacerations.
Look closely for signs of infection such as redness, warmth, tenderness, or oozing pus. See a doctor if any of these symptoms appear.

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Call the authorities. It is important to determine if the dog that attacked you has rabies or a history of aggression. Call the authorities immediately after a dog attack to prevent the dog from causing further harm, plus it also gets tested for disease.

If it is a stray dog, it may also attack other people. Getting your dog out of the area is the best way to keep yourself and others safe.
For dogs with owners nearby, how the situation is handled is up to you. If you are injured, you may be able to take legal action. Many states in the US have laws that hold dog owners accountable for the consequences of their dogs.

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Seek immediate medical attention. If you have been bitten by a stray dog, confirmed rabies, or drooling dog, it is imperative that you seek immediate medical attention for deadly rabies preventive treatment.

If necessary, rabies shots should be given as soon as possible after a bite.
Most countries in Europe are considered “rabies-free”, so rabies vaccination may not be necessary if you have been attacked by a dog in Europe.
If you have not been vaccinated against tetanus in the last 5 years, you may need additional preventive treatment for tetanus.
In general, serious dog attacks should be examined by a medical professional.

Avoid being attacked

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Pay attention to the warning signs. Dogs are not usually aggressive, they are just curious or protective of what they consider to be their territory. Therefore, to avoid unnecessary conflict, it is important to know if a dog is just playing or is really aggressive. Some breeds are considered particularly aggressive, but any large or medium-sized dog can be dangerous, ^{[7] X Source of Research} so don’t ignore the warning signs because that certain breeds are harmless or friendly. Look out for these common signs of aggression (or non-aggression): ^{[8] X Trusted Source The Humane Society of the United States Go to source}

Growling, baring fangs are obvious signs of aggression and must be treated with respect.
An angry dog may roll his eyes, especially if that’s not his usual image.
Ears tucked back and close to the head are a sign of aggression, while a dog’s naturally soft and erect ears are usually a sign of indifference.
If the dog approaches you but the body is relaxed and the center of the body is bent down, the dog is probably not attacking.
When the dog’s body is tight, tense, and rigid (head, shoulders, and hips aligned) there’s a problem.
The bouncing dance pose shows that the dog is happy and curious about you. A steady running gait means that the dog can be dangerous.

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Avoid teasing the dog. Most dog attacks occur as a result of the dog’s lack of restraint, poor training, or irritation. Unfortunately, the world will never run out of bad dog owners, so it’s wise to take precautions. Common sense tells you not to tease any animal.

Never disturb a dog that is eating or caring for its young. At such times, the dog will have a high defensive attitude.
Avoid laughing at the dog. You may think you have a friendly face and an open smile, but an aggressive dog will assume you are baring your teeth about to fight.
Dogs that are leashed or tied up for long periods of time are more likely to be aggressive, so don’t get too close within their reach.

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Treat all strange dogs as a threat. In general, the best rule of thumb for a dog attack is to do everything possible to avoid it in the first place. If you feel a certain dog looks dangerous, stay away.

Report any dog that looks dangerous or may be a dog wandering around in your area.
Teach your children never to approach unfamiliar dogs until they are sure they are safe.
By staying away from any strange dogs, you can avoid most of the dangerous situations that confront them.

Advice

If you’re traveling with small children, especially if you’re dealing with a large dog, you may need to hold them in your arms. When picking up the baby, you need to move slowly. Do not look the dog in the eye, especially when you are stooped. Tell your child to calm down, be quiet, and look at you.
Teach children to remember “never run away from a dog, make a tree or log” in case your child is confronted with an aggressive dog.
If you’re biking, get off the bike and use the bike between you and the dog as a protective barrier. If the dog attacks (not just barks), use the bike as a weapon against the dog. Grasp the handlebars (handles) and saddle, toss the wheel to hit the dog. Don’t let your hands slip away, because if you do, you’ll lose a valuable self-defense tool.
If you are afraid of encountering an aggressive dog, you should bring pepper spray, an air whistle, or a can of compressed air to startle the dog and stop the attack. Aim for the dog’s face, but if you forget, spraying near the dog’s face or body is enough, because the dog’s nose is very sensitive. In this case, you should continue to spray until the dog stops.
Dogs can sense fear, but they also feel your determination to defend, unless the dog is really aggressive (with rabies, a history of abuse or despair, etc.)
Never turn your back to the dog, always observe the dog but avoid looking directly at it. Don’t try to appear more intimidating than the dog or make sudden movements. Pay attention to keep the movements slow and even. Do not approach the dog or turn away until the dog no longer shows any signs of aggression.
If the dog turns towards you and howls, keep walking and slowly get out of the place, avoiding eye contact as much as possible.
If a dog runs towards you, don’t run no matter what you’re doing. Maybe the dog isn’t angry, but just wants to play with you or get to know you. But if you run it can get agitated. Just because your dog’s appearance may be bad, that doesn’t mean it will harm you. Dogs need to be loved too!
If the dog’s ears are tucked back close to the head, it is a sign that it is scared. If the dog’s ears are pointed up and towards you, it is more likely a sign of dominance or aggression.
Dog belongs to the wolf family, but try to fight it.
Act with certainty and go to the hospital if you are bitten by a dog; Dog bites can spread rabies and/or become infected.

Warning

Owners of aggressive dogs can be worse than their own dogs. If you must injure or kill the dog that attacked you, leave the scene and call the police as soon as possible.
Every dog is different, and dogs sometimes react very unexpectedly. These tips will keep you out of danger in most cases, but you may have to respond to an immediate attack, so stay alert.
Be careful when using pepper spray. The chance of spraying the right dog’s face before it can attack you is quite low, and if you are in a downwind position, you will be affected by over-spray. Even if you spray it on the dog’s face, you’ll probably just make it angry, especially if it’s an aggressive dog.
If the dog appears sick or falls ill within ten days of the accident, it must be tested for rabies immediately. If the test is positive for rabies, you must have a series of rabies shots.
Remember that some dog breeds are “slow to wag their tails” (for example, some extremely friendly breeds like Akitas only start wagging their tails when they’re 2 meters away), so don’t assume the dog is approaching. you are about to attack you just because they don’t wag their tails.

Steps