What to do if an aggressive dog charges you?

[chiguirre]

Our neighbor has an aggressive dog. Today it charged us as we were getting into our car. The kids managed to run in the house, dh got in the car and I stood in front of the kids as they all stampeded up the front walk. Luckily the owner managed to call it off, but I'm concerned. It's always been locked up in its wrought iron fenced back yard before today. It does charge the fence and bark its head off when I take the trash out, but I thought it was securely contained. I hope that my neighbor got a good scare and is more careful about keeping it restrained, but there is a chance this might happen again.

 

What should I do if a dog is charging at me full throttle with its ears back? My first impulse is to run like heck, but today I couldn't because our front path is narrow and my kids were blocking it in their own attempt to get inside. I didn't have a stick or rock at hand. I made myself as big as possible and yelled "NO! Go home! Get out of my yard!" Is that okay or would something else have been better.

 

I don't want to involve animal control or the police because this has the potential to escalate into a war. The neighbor in question has complained about GW and I don't want to give them cause to call the police on him if he escapes and walks down the street stimming. But I do want to be prepared to respond if the dog gets out and attacks me or one of my kids.

 

Ugghh, it's not like I don't have enough on my plate without worrying about the neighbor's dog.

[Guest]

It is only a short-term maneuver but it can be repeated.  Throw your arms straight out to your sides and back away to a point of safety.  The dog will generally stop in its tracks for a few seconds.  Then it will start aggressive behavior again.  Drop your arms and fling them out again.  

 

I held a dog at bay doing this for about 3 minutes one time.  I was delivering for UPS, and at the time, arguing with the owner of the dog about why she needed to get her dog out of my path.  He was hackles-up, teeth-bared and growling, but she insisted he was harmless.  

 

UPS did not deliver to her again.  I learned the arm-fling maneuver in UPS training.  

[Guest]

Oh, and I would call the animal control people and ask them for what to do on a long-term basis.  The arm-fling is only for in-the-moment situations.  It's not a long-term solution. 

 

[JustEm]

When dealing with an aggressive dog you do not want to yell at them or make yourself as big as you can if they aren't already charging.  If they aren't charging and you notice you want to stay as calm as you can and not look the dog in the eyes.  Make sure you can see what the dog is doing but do it in a way that you aren't looking directly at it, that is a challenge.  Making yourself seem smaller to a dog that is not charging yet is what you want to do so they aren't threatened by you.  

 

If the dog does start charging you can try to use an assertive "No" or other command but that doesn't always work.  If your kids are around making the noise will likely get the dogs attention on you and not the kids so thats a good idea. Use anything you have on hand and try to get the dog to attack that.  For example, your purse, umbrella the sleeve of your shirt after you've taken you arm out of it, even you shoe if it is a sturdy, thick shoe.  Once the dog has latched on you can slowly try to move in a direction that gets you to a safe place.  If someone else is around advice them to get a hose to spray the dog with to distract them so you can get away.  

[JustEm]

It is only a short-term maneuver but it can be repeated.  Throw your arms straight out to your sides and back away to a point of safety.  The dog will generally stop in its tracks for a few seconds.  Then it will start aggressive behavior again.  Drop your arms and fling them out again.  

 

I held a dog at bay doing this for about 3 minutes one time.  I was delivering for UPS, and at the time, arguing with the owner of the dog about why she needed to get her dog out of my path.  He was hackles-up, teeth-bared and growling, but she insisted he was harmless.  

 

UPS did not deliver to her again.  I learned the arm-fling maneuver in UPS training.  

 

 

I forgot all about this!  I've used this on some dogs and it has worked wonderfully.  Other dogs not so much.  I'm a pet sitter/ dog walker so I come into contact with aggressive dogs quite often while taking care of other people's dogs.  

[hornblower]

A) Report every such incident to animal control. This is so not ok.

 

B ) http://www.doggonesafe.com

 

Pls look through this website. It has excellent info. It's for kids but it works for everyone.

 

The general phrase is "be a tree"

 

Freeze, silent, arms in and wrapped around your body, do not look at the dog straight on.

[Guest]

I forgot all about this!  I've used this on some dogs and it has worked wonderfully.  Other dogs not so much.  I'm a pet sitter/ dog walker so I come into contact with aggressive dogs quite often while taking care of other people's dogs.  

 

I learned from your posts too.  I"m totally not a dog person, so it is helpful to hear from those who are.  (I like them, I just don't understand them.)

 

I didn't know about the "look small" part.  

 

UPS told us that dogs have limited peripheral vision and that's why they stop when you fling your arms out...they don't know where your arms went!  So they re-assess their position.  

 

Who knows if it is true...but it was helpful with THAT dog.  And with others since.  I will note that this nasty one was a small house dog, so I couldn't have made myself much smaller.  :0)

[Pawz4me]

The general phrase is "be a tree"

 

Freeze, silent, arms in and wrapped around your body, do not look at the dog straight on.

 

:iagree:

 

"Be a tree" is the best thing to do from a safety standpoint.

 

People who have lots of dog experience will sometimes do different things.  But that very much depends on the specific situation and on ones experience with dogs and reading their body language and other signals.  If you don't feel really confident in your ability to "read dog," then by far the best thing to do is become a tree.

[Flowing Brook]

I usually stand very still and start talking syrupy sweet to the dog. I think it calms them and realize  I am not a threat. Then I start to walk slowly away.

[ChristyB in TN]

Kick it in the head if it gets too close. It really helps to hold on to something like a tree or the car. I have to collect payments and rent soooooo...... I know this one. I am not an expert, I do not work with dogs so you may not want to take my advise. I do have to get past mean dogs. What I REALLY want to do is kick the owner in the head.

[JustEm]

Certainly "be a tree" if the dog has not already started charging or is slowly approaching but if the dog is charging you need to be prepared to either flee or protect your body the best you can.  Being a tree once the dog has decided it wants you is only going to get you hurt. Since this dog was already charging I imagine the OP needs some skills for that situation too.

 

 

[Pawz4me]

Certainly "be a tree" if the dog has not already started charging or is slowly approaching but if the dog is charging you need to be prepared to either flee or protect your body the best you can. Being a tree once the dog has decided it wants you is only going to get you hurt. Since this dog was already charging I imagine the OP needs some skills for that situation too.

Be a tree is still the best advice.

 

I'd never recommend trying to run. The dog is always going to be faster, and inciting the chase instinct sure isn't going to benefit the human.

 

Neither would I recommend trying to kick the dog. Doing anything that might compromise your balance and make you fall increases the danger.

[creekland]

Kick it in the head if it gets too close. 

 

This is what I instinctively did the one time I was charged by an angry dalmatian that had killed our neighbor's chickens.  It took me off guard, so instinct was all I had.  Fortunately, it worked and the dog backed off.  If it hadn't, I doubt I'd be here typing anything to be honest.  I had never seen this dog and her male companion before... but learned later that day that they had escaped from a nearby house where the owner is now in jail after a drug bust.  I've no idea what happened to the dogs.

 

FWIW, after I went back into my house I called the county police for advice.  I was told to get hubby's rifle and shoot the dog(s).  They said as long as I had chicken bodies as proof, this was perfectly legal.  Hubby was out of ammo at that time or I would have.  I was seriously concerned not only for my life, but also wondered what would have happened if my boys had been out there instead of me.

 

The mail lady drove by later and recognized the dogs, so contacted their owner to come get them.  The dog warden also came by due to my phone call.  The owner was fined a bit.  I never saw them afterward.

[BlsdMama]

Kick it in the head if it gets too close. It really helps to hold on to something like a tree or the car. I have to collect payments and rent soooooo...... I know this one. I am not an expert, I do not work with dogs so you may not want to take my advise. I do have to get past mean dogs. What I REALLY want to do is kick the owner in the head.

I'd check this one out before trying it. We have a German shepherd that is very intimidating though well controlled, just protective if his family. He keeps his head as long as people don't behave threateningly... Kicking him in the head he would perceive as a direct that to his family. I honestly would not try it with a dog that prides himself on protection.... you've confirmed you are dangerous.

 

Maybe bear spray on your key chain?

[Jean in Newcastle]

I had a big German shepherd charge me once.  I love German Shepherds but not strange ones which are rushing at you with their hackles raised.  I kept facing him and said very firmly "Sit"!  Then I slowly backed away always facing toward the dog until I had rounded a corner.  Of course if he hadn't sat, I'd have been toast.  

[SparklyUnicorn]

I agree with telling the neighbor you are afraid of the dog.

I once lived in a 4 family home where the landlord lived in the same building.  She had a dog that just scared the heck out of me.  It was also a notoriously aggressive breed.  She once called me and asked if I could go into her apartment to feed the dog.  Something like that.  I said no I was too afraid.  She was all upset with me.  But I refused.  I said your dog scares me.  She went on and on about how her dog would never do anything to anyone.  We moved away sometime later.  I went back to say hello to her because I was driving past the place and she told me she had to put her dog down because it nipped at a baby (a little tiny baby and unprovoked). 

 

I think you need to speak up.  There is no reason this dog should be coming near you and if you have a bad feeling about the dog you might be right.

 

If they won't do anything, carrying some sort of self defense would be warranted.  I don't mean a gun, but maybe something else. 

 

Otherwise in terms of what to do?  No clue.  Once a dog ran towards my youngest and he screamed so loudly and shrilly the dog actually turned around and ran away.  LOL 

 

[songsparrow]

Our dog trainer recommended I carry Spray Shield (see http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0002XKIV6/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1413683705&sr=8-2&pi=SY200_QL40 - sorry for the long link - I'm on my phone) when walking our dog in case of encounters with aggressive off-leash dogs. It's a citronella spray that is supposed to be as effective as pepper spray but won't hurt you in case of blow-back. You have to spray it right in the dog's face. I've never had to use it, so I can't say how well it works in practice.

 

ETA: In other threads, I've seen people recommend air horns.

[Incognito]

We have had the best success with being big and confident and yelling "Go Home" with a low voice (while pointing away/toward the home).  

 

We did have one actual full on attack, and that one I did do the tree thing because it was all so surprising and fast there was no time to yell.  It didn't turn out well.

 

There are also zappers that emit a high frequency that many dogs dislike.  You can buy them on amazon for maybe $20?  The dog needs to have decent hearing for it to work (and dislike the sound).

 

 

[1GirlTwinBoys]

We have a German Shepherd and running would be the worst thing you could do.  Serious prey drive kicks in when you do that.

[Cricket]

My dh once stopped a pitbull charging him and my son by raising his arms and screaming very loudly at it. It dog went flat on the ground. It gave them enough time to get away. My dh is naturally intimidating to most people even so I imagine that helped with the dog. I don't know if that would work for me! One of our neighbors carries a golf putter when she walks, just so she doesn't feel completely defenseless.

 

You could make a call to animal control and find out if they tell the owner who called.

[hornblower]

Here's the thing and why posturing is not recommended.

 

That dog was probably not going to bite at all. Dogs can look threatening, can make a lot of noise, but be very unwilling to actually bite. Some dogs put on amazingly grand aggressive displays but are really unlikely to bite (unless cornered).

 

A dog intent on biting willl otoh be provoked into biting by such bhvr. A dog who is really serious can only be discouraged by the idea that you're boring, not a threat, and leaving its territory. (Or mace, air horns, weapons. Though seriously aggressive dogs will try to push through that too.)

 

Unless you're sure that it's a posturing dog, it's safer to freeze and be a tree.

 

Btw, There are instructions too on how to survive mauling.... Dog rescue peeps and dog trainers think about this stuff. We take in dogs that are total unknowns.

 

 

You also cannot outrun a dog. Not even small dogs. And absolutely, running can trigger prey hunt bhvr in friendly but over aroused dogs.

You also cannot dodge a bite - people will say stuff like "he would have bit me if I hadn't moved my hand!" Um no. He wasn't going to bite you at all. They have way faster reflexes and way more control obpver their bite than we do of our hands.

[Pawz4me]

Here's the thing and why posturing is not recommended.

 

That dog was probably not going to bite at all. Dogs can look threatening, can make a lot of noise, but be very unwilling to actually bite. Some dogs put on amazingly grand aggressive displays but are really unlikely to bite (unless cornered).

 

A dog intent on biting willl otoh be provoked into biting by such bhvr. A dog who is really serious can only be discouraged by the idea that you're boring, not a threat, and leaving its territory. (Or mace, air horns, weapons. Though seriously aggressive dogs will try to push through that too.)

 

Unless you're sure that it's a posturing dog, it's safer to freeze and be a tree.

 

Btw, There are instructions too on how to survive mauling.... Dog rescue peeps and dog trainers think about this stuff. We take in dogs that are total unknowns.

 

 

You also cannot outrun a dog. Not even small dogs. And absolutely, running can trigger prey hunt bhvr in friendly but over aroused dogs.

You also cannot dodge a bite - people will say stuff like "he would have bit me if I hadn't moved my hand!" Um no. He wasn't going to bite you at all. They have way faster reflexes and way more control obpver their bite than we do of our hands.

 

I absolutely agree with the bolded.

 

The scariest encounter I ever had was a few years ago when we were at a campground.  DH and I were walking our dogs (a Brittany and a beagle) and two pitbulls came charging across the campground straight at us, ears back and growling.  We froze. That response was partially knowledge/training and partially simply because there was nothing else to be done.  We were out in the open with nothing very close by to put between ourselves and the charging dogs.  They stopped a few feet away and began a lot of posturing -- silly stupid barking with obviously no intent (IMO) to really do anything.  Had we attempted to run or kick them or anything like that -- gosh, I don't want to think about what might have happened.  It's too scary.  They were both just doofus dogs who wanted to pretend they were a lot tougher than they were.  And they had stupid owners.

[chiguirre]

A dog intent on biting willl otoh be provoked into biting by such bhvr. A dog who is really serious can only be discouraged by the idea that you're boring, not a threat, and leaving its territory. (Or mace, air horns, weapons. Though seriously aggressive dogs will try to push through that too.)

The crux of the problem is that this dog thinks our yard is its territory even though we live across the cul de sac. I can avoid its yard and even walking on the sidewalk on that side, but I can't avoid my own front walk, the cluster mailbox or my driveway. Is there any way to establish my yard and the mailbox cluster as my territory or one of the other neighbor's dog's territory? We have at least a dozen dogs on the street and none of the other ones are scary.

[hornblower]

Are these dogs allowed to be loose on your streets?

Our minicipal laws prohibit this. Even if you don't have leash laws, odds are you have dangerous dogs laws. This is dangerous, and it becomes more dangerous as the dog is allowed to continue putting on its aggressive displays.

I adore dogs, and tolerate a lot from dogs, but I would,not put up with this.

This incident needs to be reported imo.

I read what you said about your worry with them reporting your child - having a non nt child in the pictur would make me even more determined to report. A wonky dog with aggressive bhvr patterns could be triggered hard by a stimming child.

 

The only other thing I can think of is to make a huge effort to befriend the dog. Have the owner come with the dog on leash. You will have a whole bunch of ziploc bags of very small cheddar cubes and cut up hot dog. You will gently toss the food pieces on the ground in front of the dog. Do this in your yard, in the street, at your door. You do not have to pet the dog. The idea is that the dog would begin to see you as lady with yummy stuff and would be happy to see you rather than defensive. This will not stop the dog wanting to come see you obviously but wd make him happy to see you.

[creekland]

You also cannot dodge a bite - people will say stuff like "he would have bit me if I hadn't moved my hand!" Um no. He wasn't going to bite you at all. They have way faster reflexes and way more control obpver their bite than we do of our hands.

 

Out of curiosity, from post 15, do you think the Dalmatian that was actively charging me, whose face met my boot in mid stride a partial leg length away, me was planning on stopping? It started the charge about 15 feet away, maybe a little less.  I was close enough to see that she had a dead chicken she was eating.  She went back to her chicken after the kick (fortunately!) and just growled.  I retreated back to my house to call the police.

 

I don't know that I can believe that one, but I'm still curious.  No matter what, there was no way I was just going to stand there and see, nor did I have time to even think about my response to be honest.

 

Her partner/mate never got involved.  He just made wide circles around me until I got closer to my house.

[hornblower]

I obv can't know for sure but I'd guess yes. Snapping mm away from skin, grabbing just fabric, pinching skin with front teeth instead of biting down, muzzle punching - these are all pretty common "bitey" bhvrs. They really have amazing control.

 

My malamute mix girl was once being harassed by a humping black lab. She told him off once. Lots of teeth and snarling but minimal contact. Second time, a bit more contact but open mouthed. Third time she nailed him: pulled out a circle of short lab fur from his shoulder; didn't break his skin at all, just a precise, almost surgical strike. This is all happening fast, both dogs are moving etc but still they're actually very precise with their mouths.

 

(Ftr, 20/20 hindsight we humans should all have intervened much faster but in our defense, we were actually dealing with a third dog who was fear aggressive and trying to get him calm. We were only paying marginal attn to these 2 and since they were size matched and not actually aggressive we let them sort their differences themselves.... )

[SKL]

In the experiences I have had - which may not have involved a super dangerous dog (I wouldn't know) - I have just remained super calm, stopped moving, and spoken in a very low voice.  Something like "sit" is perfect - simple, non-threatening, and not acting like I'm afraid.  No eye contact as that is read by dogs as instigation.  I think I have instinctively lifted my arms as well.

[Firefly]

I've always read that you should NOT run, because it triggers a prey instinct.  The one time this happened to me I stopped, crossed my arms in front of my chest and said "no!" firmly.  We sort had a stand off (no eye contact) until the owner came and grabbed it.  It was so hard because every instinct was telling me to RUN!

 

 

[swellmomma]

Despite teh risk of a war with the neighbor I would involve animal control.  TOday you were out there with your husband and the owner called it off.  WHat if it was just your kids? MY kids often head out to the car without me as I go through the house turning off lights, and making sure we have everything etc before we leave.  Or what if they were heading outside to ride bikes etc and the dog escapes from the yard again and attacks before the owner even notice? I would call Animal Control and tell them what happened, and do tell them the owner called it off before an attack occurred but you want to know what to do if it happens again.  It will not necessarily start a war with the neighbor but will allow for documentation to show a pattern if the dog escapes and attacks again.  If someone gets bit next time they might try to claim it was a 1 time situation, dog was provoked etc.  WIth documentation from this time showing it has happened before they would take it much more seriously kwim.  Especially since they could claim dog was provoked by your child's stimming behaviours you need to show the dog is aggressive through documenting this.

[chiguirre]

Are these dogs allowed to be loose on your streets?

Some of the other dogs on our street are allowed off leash occasionally, but I've never had a problem with them and they've never done more than sniff me and wait to be petted. This dog is (almost) always in its own fenced in yard. Yesterday, the owner had it out with her off leash. After this incident, I hope she never does that again. I don't think it's got anything against me, I think it would do this to anybody that it sees. I hope the owner got enough of a scare to never try to have it unrestrained ever again. We do have a leash law and the owner would be liable if the dog bites someone.

[creekland]

I obv can't know for sure but I'd guess yes. Snapping mm away from skin, grabbing just fabric, pinching skin with front teeth instead of biting down, muzzle punching - these are all pretty common "bitey" bhvrs. They really have amazing control.

 

 

I could see this all being true if I had walked up to the dog and she was merely protecting her catch from there.  However, she was in a run straight toward me snarling, etc.  She'd have had to veer off quite suddenly or put on some sort of amazing sliding stop as my boot met her mouth within 3 feet of me.  I still feel I wouldn't be here today if she'd continued the fight rather than going back to her chicken after being knocked off balance.  There was no one else around and no way I was going to beat her if she'd been determined to win.

 

I'm guessing she saw my move as defensive and figured she'd proven her point enough.  She certainly did!  However she'd have paid with her life if hubby had had ammo in the house and I'd have had no regrets shooting her - esp on that day when she REALLY had my fear hormones high AND I had legal permission from the police.

[TammyinTN]

There are lots of dogs on my walking route...I always have pepper spray and mace and a bat with me for us these reasons.   

[hornblower]

I could see this all being true if I had walked up to the dog and she was merely protecting her catch from there.  However, she was in a run straight toward me snarling, etc.  She'd have had to veer off quite suddenly or put on some sort of amazing sliding stop as my boot met her mouth within 3 feet of me.

 

actuall what you're describing does not sound at all unlikely to me. I've seen dogs do exactly. that. Charge right up snarling. Then veer off completely or just muzzle punch or shoulder slam. I spend a lot of time watching slo-mo video of dogs playing in dog parks & watching for when play turns into aggression. It's only recently  that we've been able to get really good high quality video to see how dogs do this stuff.  Otherwise, it's just a blur. You need really high fps to see what dogs do.

 

An aggressive dog would have simply bit onto the leg, & if it had been kicked off, would have shot in with even more force to grab & hold again.

 

Have you watched video of french ringsport & schutzhund?  They train dogs to do this. Aggressive dogs do it with no training & don't have an off switch.

 

This isn't the best but it's what I found quickly

See 2.52 mark  & see him go for the decoy guy. Nice visual of futility of trying to run from a dog too... & this isn't a particularly fast one. I've seen some top dogs be way faster on chasing down a decoy.  (notice later this dog is actually muzzled while working with someone not wearing a bite suit. Seems to me has a serious jaws...)    

 

This isn't my sport at all but I like to occasionally watch how their dogs work because they are tapping into prey hunt sequences & I find that quite fascinating.

 

There's just no way a kick, or a shove is going to deter a *truly* aggro dog.  Fortunately, those are really rare.

 

 

BTW, the scariest thing hands down is a pack of dogs that turns aggressive on a single target. Most fatal maulings that we have occurring in native villages in northern communities are packs of dogs.

 

 

Glad you weren't injured btw! So scary. My heart would have been racing for a week after....

 

 

[Moxie]

I would risk the neighbor's wrath and call animal control. I might even make up a story so the neighbor doesn't know it was me. I have zero tolerance for crappy pet owners.

[creekland]

There's just no way a kick, or a shove is going to deter a *truly* aggro dog.  Fortunately, those are really rare.

 

Glad you weren't injured btw! So scary. My heart would have been racing for a week after....

 

I can't watch video at home due to too slow of an internet connection.  I'll try to remember to come back and watch it at school if I get my prep time to myself as it sounds interesting.

 

I totally agree that if this dog had been wanting to get me, she would have.  That's why it remains pretty scary to me to be honest.  If I thought, "Cool, I can just do this to any dog coming at me," it wouldn't be scary... In my mind I KNEW I was toast if she hadn't backed off.  Since I didn't know if she was going to back off, I had a glimpse of being toast then and there and that memory sticks with me now.  It's given me FAR more respect for strange dogs wandering around.

 

Initially I was just walking over to the two of them to see if they had names/phone numbers on their collars to see if I could contact their owners figuring they had gotten loose.  It was only as I got closer that I saw they had killed the neighbor's chickens, but even then I never expected one to come after me, so idiot me kept walking closer to see if I could find info. I won't do that again with strange dogs!

[Pen]

I have taught ds the "act like a tree,"  no eye contact, nothing likely to be perceived as threatening, idea, and as well to place his bike or other such object if any between himself and dog. We have also been through the "calming signals."

 

In addition to these ideas, calming signals and so on, I have had a situation where I stopped a dog from attacking a child by telling the dog to "sit" while I moved between the dog and child. I then asked the child to go home at a slow walk not to incite the dog's prey drive. Then I told the dog to "stay" as I went home (opposite direction from child). The dog belonged to a neighbor and usually was on a chain, but was off for some reason, as both child (yet another neighbor) and I were taking a walk, and had fallen in together talking. The boy was nearer the dog's property as it came charging down, and he was clearly more terrified than I was. I did not call animal control, but perhaps should have since I heard that a later time the dog had gotten off its chain and bitten another child. It was similarly though a situation of not wanting to start a war with the neighbor. My ds was able to use the "act like a tree" and other rules successfully with this same dog, though by the time they had interactions the dog was getting pretty old.

 

PS for Calming Signals, search for books or films with the name Turid Rugaas.

 

The more you know about this particular dog, also, possibly the better (just as your neighbors better understanding your son might help). Some dogs charge fences and bark, but are not especially aggressive, others may be. Some dogs have not been trained in English so "sit" would be meaningless. We had a dog once who was apt to behave aggressively with people it did not know--until they threw a ball for it. Then the person was his best buddy.  

[DesertBlossom]

I was a missionary in Argentina 10+ years ago. There were dogs everywhere. We would always bend down like we were picking up a rock and the dog would run off. If it started to come back, we'd just bend down again to pick up another. You didn't even have to really have a rock in your hand. But if we did that several times we could get past them.

 

I assumed that everybody must have thrown rocks at dogs for them to have learned that. ?? 

[Incognito]

FWIW, the dogs that are usually fenced but somehow breach that fence are the ones we have had the most trouble with - I've heard the theory that they are frequently frustrated by their inability to defend their territory, so when they can they end up doing it in too big of a way.