What to do if a dog is chasing you and your dog? A Complete Guide

You Might Also Like

Co-authored by:

If a mean dog starts chasing you, resist the urge to run away, since the dogs natural instincts will prompt it to charge after you. Instead, stay calm, face the dog, and stand perfectly still. Avoid looking directly into its eyes, since the dog may interpret this as a challenge. Then, back away from the dog slowly and dont turn your back to it until it loses interest in you. If it continues to chase you, use a command like “Stay” or “Sit.” You can also try throwing an object to distract the dog. For tips on what to do if the dog attacks, read on!

  • Bob Jeff “Staring it in the eyes and running at it is great and marking your territory to show who is boss.”
  • Knowing What to Do if Attacked

  • Question What should you do if a dog attacks your dog? Sophie Amphlett Professional Dog Trainer Sophie Amphlett is a Professional Dog Trainer and Service Dog Coach with over five years of experience. Sophie graduated from CATCH Canine Trainers Academy’s Master Course with Distinction in 2016. She is also a Certified Trick Dog Instructor (CTDI) and a Certified Fun Scent Games Instructor (DN-FSG1). Sophie serves as a volunteer adoption counselor and dog walker for Adopt-A-Pet as well. Sophie Amphlett Professional Dog Trainer Expert Answer Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer. If youre walking your dog and you have a stray dog running at you, one of the best things to do is throw food at it.
  • Question What type of dogs are most likely to attack? Community Answer There is no particular breed that is born with a stronger urge to attack than another. It all depends on the bringing up of the dog and its training and owners.
  • Ask a Question 200 characters left Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

  • Do not try to kick a dog that is attacking you.[21] This could get the dog even more agitated, and you could lose your balance and fall to the ground. ⧼thumbs_response⧽ Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
  • All dog breeds are capable of attacking. Do not judge a dog’s likeliness to attack based on its breed.[22] ⧼thumbs_response⧽ Helpful 0 Not Helpful 3
  • Advertisement

    Step 4: Fight Or Flight

    If all of this fails and the dog is still aggressively approaching you, it’s time to decide how you are going to respond: fight or flight.

    A case could be made for either situation. However, if the dog is relatively small compared to your body, choosing to attack back at the dog will certainly be safer than if you have a big canine on your hands.

    Additionally, really big dogs tend not to be the fastest runners, so there is a better chance you could outrun a big dog.

    Although deliberately hurting an animal is never anything a person should do, when your own safety and survival are in question, you have to defend yourself and respond accordingly, even if that means using your force to inflict pain on the dog.

    If you decide that it’s best to fight the dog, apply swift kicks to the legs, trying to avoid the head and torso, if possible. You want to protect yourself but not be reckless.

    To maximize your safety, it’s really important to try to find a large stationary object, such as a tree, telephone pole, wall, or fence of some sort, to hold onto to ensure that you stay balanced and upright.

    The last thing you want to do is fall down because it leaves you in an extremely vulnerable position for the dog to attack you.

    If you are taken to the ground, look for ad hoc weapons like sticks or stones, try to gouge the eyes of the dog, or grab the back of the neck.

    Alternatively, you can curl into a tight ball, trying to protect your own face and organs as much as possible.

    If you aim to resemble a rock, the dog may lose interest and leave.

    If you think you can run away, you can take this risk, although it can initiate the chase response and leave the dog even more thirsty to hunt you down.

    What to do if a dog is chasing you and your dog?

    A Navy SEAL explains what to do if you’re attacked by a dog

    Chasing is a natural behaviour for your dog. Hunting and herding breeds in particular have been bred over centuries to have a strong chase instinct.

    However almost every dog has a natural tendency toward some chase, or predatory behaviour, and this can be triggered by something they see, smell or hear.

    Quite often chase behaviours are directed towards “prey” such as other animals, but they can also be directed towards moving objects such as cars, bikes, people running, and other dogs.

    In the wrong situation, chasing or predatory behaviour can be dangerous. However, dogs that do not have an outlet for this behaviour can become frustrated, and often find other potentially harmful ways of expressing it, so the key is to try and provide your dog with alternative ways to chase, but in an appropriate and safe way. We also want to make sure we manage situations where your dog’s chase behaviours might kick in, such as keeping them on a lead around wildlife. Remember, it is our responsibility as dog owners to make sure that our dog does not cause a threat to wildlife or chase other people or dogs too.

    Take a look at our video on managing chase behaviours in your dog, or follow along with the steps below:

    For dogs who already have a high prey drive, there are a number of toys and activities which can help redirect this behaviour in a safe and fun way. For example, you could use a flirt pole which mimics the movement of a prey animal.

    A flirt pole usually consists of a rod and a long cord with a toy attached to the end. You can whip it around on the floor and encourage your dog to run, chase and catch the toy. You ideally need an open space on soft grass where the dog can be off lead or on a short long-line lead.

    Show the dog the toy and then drop it to the floor and start to move it around. You want to imitate the movement of “prey” so darting movements along the floor will encourage the most interest. Don’t worry if your dog is not showing interest to begin with, but make sure to give lots of praise for any signs they might want to engage.

    Try to keep the flirt pole low to the ground so you don’t encourage too much jumping and make sure to allow the dog to catch the toy on the end too. ‘Misses’ or not catching the toy can build motivation for the game but you do not want your dog to lose interest completely.

    It can be helpful if your dog knows a drop command so you can ask them to drop the toy before playing again, but if not, wait and see if they will drop it on their own, or exchange it for another toy or some high value treats.

    Flirt poles shouldn’t be used with puppies as their bones are still developing and the high impact running and twisting could cause injury.

    Long chaser-type tug toys can come on a bungee cord or a material line with a fluffy toy on the end. Similar to the flirt pole this allows you to drag the toy across the floor and then also play tug too. These toys are easier to carry out on walks with you and furry material toys are often more likely to grab your dog’s attention.

    Teaching your dog to fetch a toy can be a good way to encourage running after the toy, grabbing a moving item and then crucially, coming back to you. You can use a variety of toys that your dog is motivated by. Each toy will move in a different way when thrown, which will keep them interested in the chase.