Meeting a dog on the street during a run is a common thing. While some dogs don’t pay any attention to runners, others may be aggressive. In this article, we’ll explain how to behave when you meet a dog while running and how to prevent attacks.
Runners frequently come across dogs in parks or forests, and not all of these animals respond positively to strangers.
Dogs usually approach and chase runners out of curiosity. They perceive moving objects as something that could be fun to play with or hunt.
It is important to note that dogs don’t attack for no reason. If they do, it’s typically because they feel threatened or are unhealthy.
When encountering a dog without an owner, your goal should be to prevent an attack. You must quickly read the dog’s body language to understand its intentions. Then, using your own body language, convey that you pose no threat, have no intention of attacking, and are not interested in playing either.
Contents
What to Do and Not to Do When Meeting a Dog
1. Stop and determine what it wants
Dogs perceive a running object as either a playmate, something they want to explore, or as prey. Once you come to a stop, the dog will most likely lose its initial interest, sniff you, and back off.
Pay attention to its body language and respond appropriately with your own.
When a dog raises its tail and wags it back and forth, raises its head and ears, makes direct eye contact, and jumps around you, it is a sign of friendly interest. The dog may want to get acquainted, ask for a piece of an energy bar, or invite you to play.
If you are not in the mood to play, ready to pet an unfamiliar animal, or just afraid of it, it’s best to stop running, avoid making eye contact, and pass by.
If you happen to be running past a dog that is guarding an object like a house, garage, or factory, and it starts barking at you, slow down to a walk and leave in an unhurried manner. The dog will not pursue you as it has accomplished its task of chasing away the stranger from the protected area.
However, if the dog flattens its ears, cowers to the ground, tucks its tail, freezes when it sees you, watches your movements intently, moves slowly, growls, or shows its teeth, these are signs of danger, usually caused by fear on the part of the animal.
Such a dog may attack, and your goal should be not to provoke it with sudden movements, but instead to demonstrate that you have no intention of fighting and don’t claim any resources around it.
A dog with puppies belongs to a separate category of potential threat. Keep in mind that its main objective is to protect its offspring by driving people away.
A stray dog with puppies may bark, jump around, act anxiously, or even bite. However, you must remember that the dog only wants you to leave its territory and eliminate the danger to its offspring. Therefore, you need to quickly move away from it.
Encountering a pack of dogs presents another category of danger. It’s best to avoid them entirely, but if you can’t, try to stop at a safe distance beforehand. Avoid making eye contact with the dogs and move away from them without sudden movements or loud noises.
2. Ignore a barking dog
If a barking dog is chasing you while you’re running, slow down to a walk and keep moving forward without paying attention to the dog. Don’t speak to it or make eye contact. The dog probably thinks you’ve trespassed on its territory like an open gate to someone’s house.
Don’t panic in this situation. Barking is primarily a means of communication and can convey both “Get out of here, human!” and “Come here, let’s be friends.”
However, if the dog switches to a guttural growl, puts its ears flat back, and takes an aggressive stance, then you should be cautious. In such cases, don’t make any sudden movements or actions that may provoke the dog.
Continue ignoring the barking dog, but keep an attentive eye on it while walking past it.
3. Try to drive a dog away from a distance
There are a couple of ways to prevent a dog from approaching you.
If the dog is 10-15 meters away and you are sure that it is interested in you and may have hostile intentions, then pretend to pick up something from the ground, such as a stone, for example.
Dogs see this movement as threatening, and they anticipate that you will throw something at them. Most likely, the dog will abandon its plan to approach you, tuck its tail, and walk away.
If the distance is closer, put anything you have between you and the dog, such as a hat, a running backpack, or a stick picked up from the ground. If you have nothing, extend your hand forward and avoid making sudden movements. The dog will probably sniff it and leave.
4. Speak in a low voice and act confidently
Think about how dogs communicate when they’re in conflict—they use guttural sounds, growls, and low barks. If you need to address an unfriendly dog, make sure to speak in a low voice.
Your voice can actually deter the animal, and what you say doesn’t matter. If the dog is not a stray, it probably understands commands like “No” or “Stay.”
The key is to act confidently: in addition to speaking in a low voice, keep your back straight, maintain direct eye contact, and project outward confidence without showing any fear.
5. Don’t panic or show fear
If you are scared of dogs, it can be challenging to overcome that feeling, and these animals are very good at sensing fear.
When facing an aggressive dog, try to conceal that you’re afraid. Avoid running or screaming, and instead, behave quietly. Focus on calming yourself mentally, controlling your breathing, and staying still.
6. Avoid sudden movements
Another effective way to prevent dog attacks is by imitating their body language. When dogs are about to engage in a fight, they stand almost still and their movements are very slow.
Mimic this behavior to avoid escalating the situation. If a dog is nearby, don’t make any sudden movements with your hands or feet. Avoid throwing anything or jumping, as these actions could trigger an aggressive response.
7. Don’t shout or raise your voice
Remember the advice about using a lower tone of voice? Keep your voice under control so that it doesn’t turn into a shout or a high-pitched squeal, as a dog may interpret it as aggression. Moreover, a high-pitched voice won’t make you appear more confident.
8. Avoid making direct eye contact with a dog
When two dogs are about to fight, they often engage in staring at each other for a while.
Don’t look directly into a dog’s eyes, especially with a steady and intense gaze, as it may be interpreted as a sign of readiness to fight and provoke an attack.
Keep the dog in your line of sight but avoid direct eye contact.
9. Don’t turn your back when walking away
Turning your back on a dog can be a risky move as it’s seen as a sign of weakness and vulnerability. An aggressive dog may perceive it as a threat and attack you.
Interestingly, during conflicts between dogs, they never expose their backs or allow their enemies to approach from behind.
10. Don’t rush to start running again
First, make sure the dog understands that you don’t want to play and won’t give it any food. If the dog stopped following you and turned away from you, then you can continue training and pick up the pace. However, if the dog is still pursuing you, keep moving away while facing it.
Ideally, find an obstacle such as a fence, a car, or a building corner to go behind. Once you do this, the dog is likely to back off since there’s nothing to gain from chasing you.
What to Do if a Dog Is Attacking You
- Arm yourself with anything at hand, such as a stick, a stone, or a handful of sand or snow. By throwing it in a dog’s face, you may be able to stop the fight before it even begins.
- If you happen to fall during an attack, protect your neck. A bite to the neck can be fatal. Curl up and try to shield your neck from the dog’s bites.
- Never attack first. In a fight with a dog, humans have very little chance of winning. Due to the adrenaline, a dog may barely feel pain, and physical blows can even further provoke and anger the animal.
- If a dog is already attacking you, try to hit it in its nose, stomach, or groin. These areas are painful for the dog and may cause it to retreat. However, it’s unlikely that the dog will allow you to do this, but it’s worth a try.
- If an attack has escalated to a life-or-death situation, try to choke the dog. Grab its neck with both hands and squeeze as hard as you can. Squeezing the dog’s trachea is almost the only chance to calm it down or make it release its grip. Don’t worry about killing the dog—it’s unlikely to happen, but you can save your own life.
- If you regularly encounter packs of dogs or protected areas, it is a good idea to arm yourself with special items. Some useful options include an ultrasonic dog repellent, a regular whistle, or anything that can be thrown. These items can help maintain the dogs at a distance and keep you safe.
If you couldn’t avoid an attack and were bitten, seek medical attention immediately. You may also need to get vaccinated for possible infections.
Conclusion
The likelihood of being attacked by a dog is very low. Dogs may chase runners due to their instincts and interest in moving objects.
If you find yourself in such a situation, slowing down to a walking pace and ignoring the dog is often enough to make it back off. In case this doesn’t work, try saying “No” or “Stay” in a low voice, or use any means at your disposal to defend yourself.
It’s crucial to avoid displaying any aggression or fear toward the dog. This means refraining from shouting, waving your arms, or making direct eye contact with the dog.
If you do get attacked, your first priority should be to protect your neck.
