How to Fend off a Dog

Although dog attacks are rare, they can happen and result in serious injury or even death. It's important to know to avoid stray dogs and how not to provoke them. Unfortunately some dogs may get offensive for unknown reasons. Use the tips below to avoid a dog attack.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

1. Stay calm. Dogs like any other animal, can smell fear. This sends the signal to them that they can attack. Try taking slow deep breaths to keep heart rate down.

2. Resist the urge to run. Dogs love a chase and will probably charge if you run, even if they didn't intend to. Instead, very slowly back away, and stay facing the dog.

3. Say "No!" Use a low, strong unwavering voice. It needs to show authority. Most dogs know this word over any other. Don not scream at the dog, follow the string "no" with a soothing comment like "nice dog."

4. Place hands in pockets. This not only appears passive to the dog, but can take away temptation of biting you. Most dogs want something easy to latch onto, and hands and arms are most common for biting.

5. Look down. Keep the dangerous animal well in your peripheral vision, but avoid eye contact with it. Maintaining eye contact with a dog is a challenge and determines dominance.

6. Don't attack first. Hitting the dog, or even coming towards it at all only provokes it and sends it flying into defensive mode. Don't wave arms wildly or anything that the dog can interpret as offensive.