What to Do If a Dog Charges You
Learn how to handle a charging dog and keep yourself safe.
A listener, Nikki Atkins, and her rescue Greyhound, Kimi, were walking in their neighborhood one day when a dog in a fenced yard began barking at them as they passed and then vaulted the fence and charged them. Without even thinking about it, Nikki pushed Kimi behind her, stood up tall, “pulled out the Big Voice and told the Barky Dog ‘No’ and ‘Go home.’” Nikki wonders whether this was the correct approach. This week, I’ll discuss what to do if a dog charges you.
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What to Do If a Dog Charges You
First, let’s kill the suspense. Nikki’s response to the charging dog was clearly correct. We know this because the charging dog stopped and Nikki and Kimi walked away safely, though Nikki had to give, as she puts it so well, “a few more Big Voice admonitions to keep him from following.” Phew.
How Many Dog Attacks Are There?
Second, let’s put dog attacks in perspective. Terrifying though they are, those rip-you-to-pieces maulings are rare, rare, rare. It’s extremely difficult to find reliable information on the number of fatal dog attacks; the most recent figures compiled by the Centers for Disease Control cover the 20 years from 1979 to 1998. Over those 20 years, there were 238 fatalities — about a dozen a year. One one hundred thousandth of one percent (that’s 0.00001 percent) of dog bites were fatal.(1)
Are Dog Bites Serious?
Most dog bites, even the ones that send people to the emergency department, require about as much treatment as the average kitchen accident.
So even though it sets anyone’s heart racing to see a dog rushing them, especially if it’s a big dog, try to hang on to your cool. The odds are extremely good that even if the dog bites you, you won’t be badly hurt.
How Can You Tell Whether a Dog Will Attack You?
But can you assess the threat in the moment? That’s hard to say. Because serious dog attacks are so rare, few people have ever witnessed one. Because charging dogs are scary, and fear tends to get in the way of calm observation, those few eyewitness accounts are nothing I’d hang my hat on. So my suggestions derive from my experience, common sense, and the observations and experience of other knowledgeable dog people.
Most dogs that attack people are owned, not stray, so your best protection may be knowledge of the dogs in your neighborhood.
Which dogs spend a lot of time out in the yard, charging the fence with a snarl when anyone passes? (2) Steer clear if you can. That goes double for a physical fence that’s too low or in bad shape and for any so-called invisible fence – a shock fence. (3) In general, I would worry more about a silent dog moving fast and heading straight for me than I would about a dog who ran in my general direction while barking his fool head off. Big dogs can generally do more damage than small dogs, and do it faster. And, finally, the more dogs, the scarier. Obvious, right?
Don’t Run Away from a Charging Dog
Running as a tactic has enormous appeal, maybe especially if you’re being rushed by more than one dog. But unless you’re two steps from safety, running may make the situation worse. Domestic dogs don’t generally seem to form stable packs, but they do gang up on prey, and to act like prey by running may turn a group chase into an outright attack. Plus, a mid-size, healthy dog has a faster top speed than you, even if your name is Usain Bolt.(4) Whether you’re being charged by one dog or three, this isn’t the time for your bunny rabbit imitation. Don’t yelp, flail your arms, or run.
What to Do If You’re Charged by a Dog
Nikki’s tactic — stand tall, use a big voice, and order the dog to go away or sit — is a common one. How often does it work? Who knows? Most dogs apparently break off the charge, but remember that serious attacks are rare anyway — maybe those dogs didn’t have mayhem in mind in the first place and are content to have you leave the scene. If you have the presence of mind to greet the dog in a soft and friendly voice, that’s worth a try. As a species, dogs read human signals well, so a nonaggressive response from you may defuse a volatile situation.
If you have a pocket full of treats, try throwing them on the ground in front of the dog to distract and occupy him. Some people advise snapping open an umbrella in the dog’s face. I don’t know how practical this is. (A), I never have an umbrella unless it’s raining, in which case the umbrella is already open, and (B), a charging dog moves faster than my fumbling fingers. Your mileage may vary, I guess.
Keep Calm as You Walk Away
In removing yourself from the situation, take soft, relaxed breaths: Not only do you need oxygen, but also held breath tenses and freezes your muscles. Relaxed movements have better odds of pointing toward deescalation than tense, jerky movements do. Keep your body sideways to the dog. Much or most aggression is fear-based, and some fearful dogs will lunge or bite from behind when they wouldn’t quite dare to do so head-on. Move away calmly – remember not to run – and eventually you should see the dog lose interest. He may shake his body as if shaking off water and leave the spot where the confrontation took place.
What to Do If the Dog Bites You
If the dog does grab and bite you, do your best to remain calm. If he’s got hold of a limb, don’t pull away or shake – that can turn punctures into tears and also make the dog hang on harder. I know this is hard to believe, but it is possible to think clearly enough even in such a dangerous situation! Protect your face and belly as much as you can and try to remain upright.
How to Protect Your Dog
Suppose that like Nikki you have your own dog with you. Nikki’s move of putting Kimi behind her was a good one, but many dogs would confront a charging dog. The most likely result is a tussle with not much damage done. If the dogs are very different in size, the risk of harm goes up. Ditto, of course, if either dog has a history of serious aggression toward other dogs. Leashes may escalate tension and make the fight worse, but on the other hand an unleashed dog who panics may wind up miles away or run into the road and be struck by a car. For how best to break up a dog fight, check out my article on the subject.
Call Animal Control If You Are Charged by a Loose Dog
Finally, once you’re in a safe place you should call your local animal control agency. No dog should be running at large, especially not one who threatens people or other dogs. And the loose dog herself is in danger, too. Even the most conscientious guardians can make mistakes; the dog with a good home should be returned to it, and for the dog who has an abusive home, a negligent home, or no home at all, a shelter may be his only hope for a happy ending.
Well, that was a downer, wasn’t it? Remember, though: Serious dog attacks are rare. We can make them even more rare by socializing our dogs, using humane modern methods to train them, and educating ourselves about their behavior, their body language, and their reasonable doggy needs. I welcome your comments and questions – email dogtrainer@quickanddirtytips.comcreate new email. And you can talk to me on Facebook, where, amazingly enough, I’m The Dog Trainer. Dogalini is me on Twitter. Thanks for reading, and have a great week.
Notes
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Sacks, Jeffrey J., MD, MPH; Leslie Sinclair, DVM; Julie Gilchrist, MD; Gail C. Golab, PhD, DVM; Randall Lockwood, PhD. 200o. Breeds of dogs involved in fatal human attacksin the United States between 1979 and 1998. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 217 (6), 836-840. By the way, although the figures in this article are probably the best available, the breed statistics should be taken with many grains of salt. Both Janis Bradley (Dogs Bite: But Balloons and House Slippers Are More Dangerous [James & Kenneth: 2005]) and Karen Delise (https://nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com/) have published careful analyses of the problems of breed identification.
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The National Canine Research Council suggests a distinction between “family dogs” and “resident dogs.” Family dogs live indoors and get good care; resident dogs are the ones you see chained up in yards or roaming loose to guard a house. Family dogs do bite people, of course, but all other things being equal a socially isolated dog who’s harshly treated is more likely to have behavior problems.
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On shock fences and aggression: There isn’t solid research on the point, but many trainers have had clients report that their dogs’ aggressive behavior began after a shock fence was installed. Many dogs are left to learn how the fence works by repeated experience of shock (rather than by being meticulously taught to avoid the shock). A dog who rushes to the boundary to greet a passerby and gets a shock may come to associate shock with passersby. On the face of it, that seems unlikely to improve his opinion of strangers near his yard. See Cheryl S. Smith, “What Do You Say When Your Clients Want Electronic Containment Systems?,” Animal Behavior Consulting: Theory and Practice 1(1) (Winter 2006), p. 27-32.
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The top speed of a Greyhound is nearly 40 mph. It’s hard to find good numbers for “civilian” dogs, but most estimates I found hover around 30 mph. Usain Bolt’s top speed at the Beijing Olympics was probably about 44 kph, 27.3 mph.
Scary Dog Charging image courtesy of Shutterstock
About the Author
Jolanta holds professional certifications in both training and behavior counseling and belongs to the Association of Professional Dog Trainers and the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants. She also volunteered with Pet Help Partners, a program of the Humane Society of the United States that works to prevent pet relinquishment. Her approach is generally behaviorist (Pavlovian, Skinnerian and post-Skinnerian learning theory) with a big helping of ethology (animal behavior as observed in non-experimental settings).
