Some tips on what to do if attacked by a dog while out on a run

zephito wrote:

.Ok, I guess, but why not just use the pepper spray? What's with all the shooting / neck breaking / stuffing hands down throats / martial arts maneuvers every one is talking about? Why so complicated and/or violent?

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I don't want to carry a can of pepper spray every day.

The question is: what do you do if you're ATTACKED by a dog?

Not talking about coming upon a dog or being threatened by a dog, but ATTACKED by a dog.

My response was don't be defensive. Go on the offense (violence!) and do whatever it takes to render the dog harmless.

We're not talking about going out and looking for a dog to harm, we're talking about defending ourselves. If that means killing the dog, I'll kill the dog.

If you can get your shorts off, do so. Hold them out in front of you with both hands, especially if you've already shit yourself. Wave the good juicy bits towards the dog and offer that to the dog. Usually they will latch onto that. As they grab and pull, bring one hand around the other forming a noose, lift up hard and drive your fingers into the dogs eye sockets. Should pop the dog's eyes out. Leave the blind dog to wander the street.

Bob Sacamano wrote:

Rural areas are 100 times worse than suburbs when it comes to dogs.

This.

I live in boston suburbs (median prices $750K) and very few dogs left outside. Those that are, have the electric shock collar fence (they bark and run to edge of yard, I don't even cross the road and run by the edge of their lawn).

Growing up in a rural (and poor) area was much much worse. Many dogs that lived outside all the time, impossible to run/ride by certain houses. We had to make different routes to avoid houses. I can still remember my adrenaline pumping when riding my bike to school by a certain house with a couple junkyard dogs outside.

A little ankle biter dog nipped my ankle. I turned and punted that little fugher about 15 yards down the road while the owner screamed at me..

This has worked for me before when a big german shepherd dog came after me, I raised my hand up like I had a big rock in it and was going to throw it at him. I yelled at him real loud and acted like I was going to bean him with a rock and he just circled me and then finally backed off. Easy to do and you don't even need a rock.

Stop running, turn around and yell really loudly at the dog. Nearly every dog will stop chasing you if you do this. Remember, unless there's something really wrong with the dog they don't actually want to attack you. They're either defending their turf or they're trying to play. I find that dogs chill more when I use a deep voice.

If the dog is still acting aggressive towards you, try to get out of their territory quickly (without turning your back). While you're doing this look around for anything you can use as a weapon.

If you have no choice and the dog attacks you, don't run away. It will catch you and bring you down if it's big enough. I was doing strides once and out of nowhere a dog slammed into the back of my legs at full speed. It was like taking a blindside hit from a linebacker. Better to face it and fight head on. Protect your neck and head, and don't let it get you on the ground.

Serious footnote: There's no need to physically hurt a dog unless they close the distance to you and are imminently threatening your safety. The vast vast majority of dogs will back down if you yell and don't let them chase you.

I am living in Central Europe right now, in a fairly small, rural town. I told my husband just today, as I was preparing for my run, that I was trying to decide between a really boring route, or one with the risk of loose dogs. They are everywhere here, including a lot of dogs that are guard dogs for businesses on the outskirts of town. It is rare to have a day where I am not chased at least once, but so far I have only encountered a handful of large dogs on the loose. I hate it. It is a constant source of stress and keeps me from doing many runs more than once, or from trying new routes.

In Moscow the dogs ride public transportation freely, and both man and beast are safer than anybody doing the same in Chicago.

Anyone who has run for years has had a dog encounter and if you haven't, consider yourself lucky. I have had quite a few, but I've only been bit once and that was actually a little dog being walked on a least. I've learned over time that most dogs are not nearly as aggressive as they appear to be, if you stop running face the dog and take an aggressive stance, they will stop. Don't panic; I think it's true when people say dogs can sense fear. Absolutely don't attempt to outrun a dog, running away just excites a dog and can turn a barking bluffer into a biter. Btw, the really aggressive dogs don't do much barking, they simply come after you at full speed. Some dogs will actually respond to your commands if you say loudly STOP, SIT, HEAL, etc. If none of that works, follow the Navy guy's tips and be prepared to fight if necessary. I once kicked a dog so hard that he use to run from me whenever he saw me coming.

In the city i live this has become a problem. Owners take their dog to walk without leash and they run freely through running and cycling paths. Sometimes in crowded urban areas - city capital. The owners always look surprised when i look at them angry because i have to literally stop running when i pass by them. Why don't people have a brain?

We were on vacation in Costa Rica and there were lots of dogs roaming around, sometimes alone, sometimes in little packs. We walked everywhere and I ran every morning. Not a single one of them bothered us the whole time we were there. I guess it shouldn't be too surprising that idiot dog owners in this country essentially "train" dogs to be mean and angry, whether intentionally or unintentionally, more so than in other places, but the degree of difference still kind of caught us off guard.

My experience with aggressive dogs in this country has been similar to what a lot of people have posted. I'll ignore the barking dog if I can, because a lot of times they won't leave their yards, but if they start nipping at my heels, I will either give them a light heel to the jaw or I will turn and be aggressive. That has always worked for me so far.

My question is this: why do people walk their leashed dogs on their left? Almost everyone here does that. It's not safe for the dog or for anyone who needs to pass. Shouldn't it be common sense to try to keep your dog on the right?

Holding your ground and yelling is the best first line of defense. I was attacked by two pits bulls once. The just walked up to me from the other side of the street and suddenly it was bark bark bite bite. No charging and no growling. The thing that got them to put their tail between their legs was stomping my foot near their heads. When dogs go into their prey instinct, doing something that prey animals cannot do can be very effective. Stomping also has the benefit of not engaging the dog by touching it. Once you start hitting, kicking, etc. a dog, you are further triggering fight/flight and prey instinct. Pit bulls, in particular, just get more agitated and committed to fighting when you hit them. That is why people who fight pit bulls will get them to play tug of war and beat on the dog before a fight.

Double wrote:

Many decades ago in Jim Fixx's book he provided a useful strategy. As soon as the dog looks like he is going to break towards you yell STOP very loud while at the same time acting like you are bending down to pick up something. Almost all breeds will change course or pause at this aggression. If they do you pretty much have the upper hand...repeat as necessary. I have used this countless times. Always keep a eye on the dog. That's what they do so they have no idea if you've picked up anything against them.

I too have used this successfully and have picked up a handful of roadside gravel at times and threw it at the dog(s). They hate getting hit with gravel in the face.

I've been bitten twice - both times by big dogs that I never heard or saw coming. If the dog is barking or growling, you're usually ok. When they come in to attack they're often silent.

Concealed carry handgun.

AND / or

Open carry medium sized knife.

Dogs suck. I live in the country, and I could make some nice routes on the roads but everyone has dogs unleashed. Tried it once and a pit bull came running out at me, I just stopped and looked at it as it ran toward me, and said some stuff in a happy grandma voice like "oh hey doggie". Just stopped and went back to owner. I once picked up a large stick which I was going to defend myself with, but dog retreated. Most dogs are nice, just stop running and face them and be prepared. Pepper spray/pocket knife are easy to carry and effective.

Anon wrote:

This has worked for me before when a big german shepherd dog came after me, I raised my hand up like I had a big rock in it and was going to throw it at him. I yelled at him real loud and acted like I was going to bean him with a rock and he just circled me and then finally backed off. Easy to do and you don't even need a rock.

This has been working for me for about 35 years of running alone outdoors in a variety of environments (rural, suburban, urban). I'm a small woman and not physically imposing but I can yell loudly and sound very angry. Instead of just pretending to have a rock, I bend over and pretend to pick on up off the ground (better yet, actually do pick something up if there's anything within reach) and throw it. I have a terrible arm and have never actually hit a dog but they run like hell from an angry human armed with a projectile.

I've only been bitten once, and that was by a 35 pound mutt in full view of his owner. I offered him my hand to sniff and he instead took a nip out of it and ran away. Some blood but not a serious wound. I made the owner show me the dog's rabies tag (and was amazed that she could do so), told her she needs to keep her dog under control and left.

If it's a regular dog (not an attack dog) I just turn and face it. That usually stops it from approaching. From there I'd probably yell, pretend I have something to throw at it (or actually pick up a rock and throw if necessary), and if necessary try to use my feet and shoes (kick) so that it it tries to bite it will hopefully end up with shoe. But usually facing it causes it to stop, bark, and show it's teeth, that's it. But I guess usually the owner is around when I've had these situations, so I was just stalling until the owner got control of it. Of course it's a nuisance, but I realize dogs always having to be on a leash makes it a lot harder to get them good exercise.

When I was living in New Mexico (it's a dump there) I had to unfortunately lightly kick a dog that was nipping at my ankles and not relenting, in order to shoe it off. The owner was one of those crazy dog people (you know what I'm talking about) and she started lashing into me with her BS. My ankle had drawn blood from the poorly trained and coddled dumb mutt. She screams histerically, "how could you hurt Shyla!!" She's sobbing manically as if the worst thing has happened to her. She runs to her garage like a waddling duck and grabs a rake. I'm thinking, what the heck is that crazy woman about to do? She comes charging at me with the rake raised up!! She screams, "I'm gonna kill you!!" How dare you hurt Shyla!!" I run out of there fast and easily get away from the waddling duck of a woman. She throws the rake towards me in an uncoordinated attempt to hit me. It lands a good 30 feet away from me. I'm out of there and I called the cops when I got home, telling them the exact details. The cops said they've had many complaints about her. Stay clear of the crazy dog people and their crazy dogs.

Stop running, remain calm, face the dog, start off with a friendly voice and talk to it. Most dogs if asked to "come here" will actually turn and move away. From there you can escalate your voice to a firm, loud "no" or "stay". Then slowly back up and move away. Most barking dogs are simply scared/excited and want you out of their area.

Also, don't ever offer your hand to a dog. That's a perfect way to get bit.