What should I do when an off-lead dog approaches?
What should I do if a dog runs at me?
What should I do if a dog chases me?
What should I do if a dog attacks me?
With an ever growing population of dogs, it's not surprising that we are seeing an increase in behavioural issues and dog attacks on people. Failure to adequately train their dog, an unregulated dog training industry, aversive training, poor advice on social media, and a lack of knowledge of canine behaviour and communication, are all factors that contribute to dog attacks.
I am constantly hearing experiences of off lead dogs running up to people and their children and harassing them. The dog has no training or recall (not the dogs fault) and the guardian is usually miles away and completely absorbed with their phone. Not everyone is a dog person and even the “friendly” dog can cause fear and harm. So how should you respond if an off lead dog runs up to you? Well, firstly there are some decisions you should definitely avoid.
If the dog seems aggressive or you are afraid of the dog, your instinct may be to run, but this is one of the worst things you can do, since this will likely trigger the dogs instinct to chase. If you are running, jogging or cycling, it's best to stop and stay still until the dog is under control. (Chances are the dog just wants to join in and say hello but best to be safe than sorry.)
You may also consider shouting at the dog and running at them in an effort to intimidate them. (They are not bears) This would also be a very bad idea. Even a "friendly" dog could find this behaviour threatening and become aggressive in response. Some may try to pacify the dog by getting down to eye level, looking at the dog, sticking out their hand for the dog to sniff and talking to them, but even this can be considered threatening to a nervous dog. (And believe it or not, this isn't the appropriate way to greet any dog) Trying to interact with a nervous dog and giving them your attention puts them under more social pressure and could cause more fear.
So what should you do?
Calm and non-threatening body language is essential when communicating with any dog. Most of their communication is through body language but most just simply don't understand it or regularly misinterpret it. First of all, avoid looking at the dog or giving them direct eye contact, as this is considered threatening. Look away, turning your head away from them.
Whilst it is not advisable to turn your back on a dog that you fear is aggressive, you can slowly turn side on to the dog, keeping your arms by your sides, to look less threatening. (In canine body language, looking and turning away are calming signals used to diffuse a tense interaction.) K. Dwayne Hearst calls this strategy the Stop, Drop and Roll.
Stop moving, drop your gaze and roll your body to side to reduce your stature. These steps will make you look less formidable.
If you have children with you, do your best to remain calm and instruct them to stay behind you and not look at the dog or make any loud sounds. Whilst it used to be recommended to crouch down and make yourself small this can make you more vulnerable, and coming down to eye level with a dog may be more threatening. So remain standing but try to remain still and avoid making any sudden movements.
In many cases, aggression is triggered by fear, and body language, such as snarling, showing teeth, pinned back ears and a hard gaze, are all used to communicate that the dog does not feel safe and that they need space. Look around and see if you can see the owner anywhere. If they approach, calmly ask them to put their dog on lead. Although I know it would be incredibly difficult, it's best to not become angry or abusive. The person is more likely to be receptive if you calmly explain how dangerous this situation is and how this situation could have escalated. Hopefully a frank conversation will move the person to take the appropriate steps to prevent this happening in future and you won't need to do anything else. If they aren't willing to listen, take note of the person's appearance and the breed of dog and inform the police via 101. It's also helpful to raise awareness in the local community via social media.
If no guardian appears, you may need to carefully increase the distance between you and this dog. This should always be the goal, as this is usually what the fearful dog wants. If it is safe to do so, slowly side step or back away from the dog, observing their response ( without direct eye contact) and try to put a barrier between you and the dog, such as a bench, bicycle, tree, fence or a car. Once you are behind this barrier, it is time to call for help. If you feel this is an emergency, call 999 and inform the police of your situation. If you need advice but you don't think it's an emergency dial 101.
If the worst case scenario was to occur and the dog lunges to attack, try to put a bag between you if you have one. As horrible as it is to imagine, you may need to use something as a weapon, such as a nearby stick or rock. If you fall to the ground, do your best to remain still and lie in the foetal position with your arms over your head and neck. If you or someone else is harmed by this dog, this is criminal offence and it must be reported to the police immediately. In this scenario, I would get a photo of the person and the dog if possible. There is no law preventing you doing this in a public place.
What if the dog is not aggressive?
Any unknown dog can bite, so it is still important to be careful. Majority of dog bites are inflicted by dogs that are known to the victim and usually they report that no signs of aggression were observed beforehand. This is due to the fact that many don't understand the subtle signs of stress. Many dogs regularly communicate that they feel threatened and only bite as a last resort when their communication has been continually ignored.
If an unknown dog approaches you, but isn't growling or barking, they could still be aggressive. In fact, the quieter the dog is, the more we tend to worry. A happy, relaxed dog usually has an open mouth, wiggly and loose body movements, a helicopter tail (loose wide wag in a circular motion), soft eyes, a bouncy gait and relaxed ears. In comparison, a tense dog will usually have tight and rigid body movements. Their eyes may be hard or they'll show the whites of their eyes. (Known as whale eye) Their mouth may be tightly closed, with facial tension along the jawline and brow. They may also lick their lips, showing their discomfort. Be aware that even a stressed or aggressive dog can wag their tail, so you need to observe whether the wag has stiff movements and where it's positioned. (There are lots of types of tail wags, so it doesn't automatically mean a dog is happy or friendly) Always read the body language in context with what the whole body is doing.
A tense dog will show a lot of stillness, which can be the calm before the storm. This body language is far more threatening to me than the barking growling dog, who is usually asking for space. Sadly, if a dog isn't growling or barking, a person may read the above body language as a calm dog, when in reality they are the complete opposite. You would respond to this dog in the same way as you would if the dog was barking and growling.
If the dog seems friendly but is very boisterous, for example jumping up and mouthing, it's still important to respond as if this dog is potentially unsafe. An excitable dog may have no bite inhibition, meaning even mouthing could cause injury. Excitement and frustration can also cause a dog to nip, pull clothes and jump up, all which could cause potential injury to a child or someone that struggles with mobility. It can also be traumatising for those that are afraid of dogs.
So how should you respond to the friendly but boisterous dog?
When the dog jumps up, ignore them and avoid using your hands to push them down, as they can view this as invitation to play. Talking to them may only increase their excitement, so it's best to be as boring as possible and remain silent. Turn your body calmly away, so the dog falls off you. You may need to keep repeating this until the dog becomes disinterested. Then calmly ask the guardian to put their dog on the lead. (And maybe politely remind them of the law to have dogs under control in public spaces) If you carry dog treats with you, you could always throw these away from yourself, in an effort to distract the dog.
If you have children, I recommend you teach them to be a statue when any dogs approach. This game teaches them to appear non-threatening to any off lead dogs. Here's the handout. https://kidsarounddogs.co.uk/pages/free-resources?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR3tm-bmbw_gOP64F8OR4Rs_rNbnZR6B_kSxo2TSCzoujUpW8ntx_5uTFUI_aem_vDJmFZ6StQYxPBMFgaFOoQ
Regardless of the dogs emotional state it's crucial to remain calm and utilise non-threatening body language to try and deescalate the situation. If you don't know a dog, you should always be cautious, especially if you have children with you. While we'd love to assume all dogs are friendly and safe, this is simply not the case. If you have concerns regarding an aggressive dog, this should be reported to the police and your local dog warden.
Unfortunately, you will continue to run into off lead dogs because there will always be those with no awareness or consideration. But I hope this article gives you the knowledge to stay safe.
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