What To Do When Your Rushed By A Dog?

[Lisey]

I had a bit of a scary experience this afternoon. 3 of us were walking home from having lunch and we thought we would walk a different way. We were walking on the road, not the footpath and one house we went past, all of a sudden 2 large dogs came rushing out, barking and carrying on. They had a gate but it was open :-( and they ran onto the road. I thought one of them was about to knock me over but in the end they didn't end up making contact thank god! The 3 of us all did different things, I walked away quickly with my arms kind of blocking me for some reason, my friend ran and my partner tried staying still and trying to stay calm.... What is the best thing to do in this situation? They backed off once we went past their driveway. It frightened us a bit so we didn't think to get the number or name of the street... We just wanted to get as far away as possible.

I'm just so happy that I wasn't walking either of my dogs at the time!

[k9angel]

How scary for you all.

The best thing to do is to remain calm, quiet and still, just like your partner did.

Don't run or scream and don't make eye contact with them. Also try not to face them, but instead stand side on to them, keeping your arms folded tightly against your body to protect your hands and fingers.

If worse comes to worse and you are knocked to the ground, curl up into a tight ball faced down to the ground, using your arms to cover your head, ears and neck.

[RubyBlue]

Haha - I shouldnt laugh but when I started reading your post I thought you were a member of my group who were walking this morning and almost exactly the same thing happened to us.

We were all walking our dogs at the time and passed a property where two dogs rushed up at the driveway gate barking...we all commented that it wasn't very secure but kept going where we walked passed the footpath gate and one dog...a bulldog almost came out underneath it at us. We walked past quickly commenting that our dogs (two labs and two GSDs) could all fit under that gap and that that was very concerning. We went round the corner (it was a corner block) and had almost completely passed the house when the two dogs came running up behind us. I was at the back and the closest and as I turned around it was almost on me so I kicked out at it and connected the toe of my boot with its head. At this point all four dogs were trying to get at it and I was doing my best to hold mine back and ready myself for another kick. It eventually though wiser and turned back. I had not realised at the time that one of the ladies in our group had tripped and fallen over as she'd turned around and the other guy was helping her up.

I have looked up the address on google maps and will be reporting them to the council. I understand that a lot of dogs are territorial but that property was in no way secure and the dog got out after we had passed and followed us around the corner...I also feel that it is necessary to tell the council incase the lady that fell over has been injured in anyway.

I was a bit worried that despite the overwhelming odds of 4 larger dogs and 3 people against it, it took that dog a very long time to back down and turn away.

As far as what to do in the moment...I've had a few occasions and have always reacted instinctively and my reactions have always been very assertive and I am quite prepared to be aggressive. Any dog that wants to go my dogs (or anything else I feel protective towards) will have to be prepared to put up with as much pain as I can possibly inflict on it - maybe not the right approach but its the way I feel and react at the time.

[GeckoTree]

On all the occasions a dog has rushed me, I have used different strategy, I must sum up the best course of action subconsciously in a split second, So far Its been standing still like a statue, stomping the ground at it, hollering at it. I've never run, I have always walked of slowly but facing the animal.

[tdierikx]

I stand still but have my balance ready to swing a very hard kick to the head or chest if the dog thinks it's going to do more than just check me out.

Never step backwards from a dog that is coming at you - if anything step towards the dog as that will put you more in control balance-wise if the dog has intent.

T.

[TheMadDogLady]

I had a bit of a scary experience this afternoon. 3 of us were walking home from having lunch and we thought we would walk a different way. We were walking on the road, not the footpath and one house we went past, all of a sudden 2 large dogs came rushing out, barking and carrying on. They had a gate but it was open :-( and they ran onto the road. I thought one of them was about to knock me over but in the end they didn't end up making contact thank god!

Sounds like the 2 bastard, murderous mastiffs at Norman Park - "The Muppets", their owners, as a few of us in the area call them, have let them slip out a few times whilst they dither around with their gate, rubbish bins etc and there's been un unholy screaming, yelping affair as they've gone for the throat of whatever is walking past. STILL victims refuse to take it to Council and file a complaint despite being told they have several willing witnesses.

[Staffyluv]

I have always taken a step forward and growled NO... Very firm and quite loud.. So far, so good..

[OSoSwift]

So far I have taken to putting my dog behind me (If I have one with me) taking a very assertive pose and yelling in my meanest nastiest voice - which is quite nasty I discovered one day - I also get ready to let fly with a kick but have only had to actually do that once, thank goodness it worked as I had a Boxer with a full set of fangs exposed not very far from my face.

[Lyss]

I was attacked by a dalmation once the only dog that has ever attacked me. I was walking a friends terrier x when he galloped over growling at me I quickly picked up the terrier (who despite his small size decided he was going to take this dog on) and turned my back on him as he started jumping up trying to grab my face. The dog scratched my back and was trying to grab my sholder while Butch (the terrier x) nipped at his face from over my sholder. We were in an off lead dog park and the dogs owner was standing there watching the whole thing happen while I'm screaming at him to "Get his f**king dog off of me" he eventuanly came over and dragged his dog away while I continued to scream abuse at the owner at having a dog like that off of a lead to begin with. So probably not the best reaction to have but the owner was standing right there.

[Whippetsmum]

Glad you are all OK.

If my dogs are with me, I always get between them and the other dog. If I was on my own, I feel a bit safer, as it's only me i have to worry about not my dogs. If I was on my own, I'd do what others have , said, stand my ground or advance a step, telling them to Get Home (not cause they know what I mean, but dad always said that to dogs in a stern voice and that's all that comes out of my mouth.

I had 2 Border Collies go at us Friday night and had 2 dogs with me. I faced my dogs into a retaining wall with me between them and the Borders. The 2 Border Collies meant business, I don't know why they were so aggro, but they were launching themselves at us and snapping. Luckily there was a lady, her adult son and teenage son where we were cowering in their driveway. They were all yelling at the 2 dogs to get lost/go away and had to resort to kicking them and hitting then with a broom. This might have made the dogs more excited, not sure. We all caught our breath as they bolted up the road 100m or so, and then they came back again. This time I got bundled into their garage and they fended them off again. I'm calling council Monday morning to make a report, the family don't know the dogs but council may be able to track them down. These dogs were so brazen, and persistent, coming at us aggressively from the get go. They didn't get to do any damage- this time. Had it not been for that family, it would have been very different.

[Dame Aussie]

How scary.

I agree, stand your ground, stomp and yell at the dog, most dogs will back off from this. If not, kick them.

[Alkhe]

I have read on Patricia McConnell's (dog trainer, author, etc) blog that something that (apparently) always works is throwing treats at them. I've never had to do it myself, and am not sure whether in the heat of the moment I'd be able to, but according to her, it does work. And it's stuck in my head as something to do if in this situation, since reading the post many months ago. She is one woman whose opinion and judgment I trust

See the article here: How to stop an approaching dog in an emergency.

[Obi246]

I had a similar thing happen at my local oval. I took my dog to have an offlead run around a baseball oval - located next to the main oval, fully fenced but one gate has no latch so can be pushed open (my dog doesnt know this yet!). Two massive GSD's ran from about 100m away over to my dog, pushed the gate open and chased him, teeth bared growling at him for about 1 minute before returning to their owner. Then i decided it was time to leave, so put him on the leash and started walking home. They then ran over to me and my dog again a second time, same thing growling with their teeth bared - i suppose some kind of pack drive fuelling them. I stood still and as my dog couldnt run he rolled onto his back and luckily they went away.

After this the dogs owner took them back to his car then drove over to where i was walking and assured me they were friendly dogs. What if my dog was a reactive dog? What if they did start attacking my dog? I sure wouldn't back myself against two GSDs. And how irresponsible for him to allow them to run amok when they have no recall.

Makes me angry just thinking about it again!

Edited April 22, 2012 by Obi246

[wantsapuppy]

I had a similar thing happen at my local oval. I took my dog to have an offlead run around a baseball oval - located next to the main oval, fully fenced but one gate has no latch so can be pushed open (my dog doesnt know this yet!). Two massive GSD's ran from about 100m away over to my dog, pushed the gate open and chased him, teeth bared growling at him for about 1 minute before returning to their owner. Then i decided it was time to leave, so put him on the leash and started walking home. They then ran over to me and my dog again a second time, same thing growling with their teeth bared - i suppose some kind of pack drive fuelling them. I stood still and as my dog couldnt run he rolled onto his back and luckily they went away.

After this the dogs owner took them back to his car then drove over to where i was walking and assured me they were friendly dogs. What if my dog was a reactive dog? What if they did start attacking my dog? I sure wouldn't back myself against two GSDs. And how irresponsible for him to allow them to run amok when they have no recall.

Makes me angry just thinking about it again!

That owner sounds like a t$@t. Yes they sound l REAL FRIENDLY. Not

What is it with owner of these dogs getti g all defensive claimi g there dog is crie dog when clearly they are not.

[Lisey]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions!

[TheMadDogLady]

Got rushed by a Staffy today at Southport off-leash.

It was the first time my 3-4 month old babies had been out besides puppy play group - all 3 were on leashes for only the 2nd time in their lives and were doing fantastically well until this.

I placed myself between the Staffy & my pups and just kept blocking him every time he lunged at them. The owner comes up and says, "He just wants to play with every dog he sees" and I politely replied, "Well, I'd prefer he didn't play with mine if you don't mind" whilst looking at his heckles & unmoving tail (with bloody good reason, 2 of mine weigh in at 2 kilos and the third weighs in at just under 1 kilo).

Then the moron starts, "Well .... you shouldn't have brought them to an off-leash area if that's the case" - he obviously didn't see my eyes glaze over beneath my sunnies, because if he had he would've run screaming like a girl. How dare he, the arrogance of the SOB, I'll take my damn dogs wherever I damn well please and however I damn well please, leashed or unleashed as part of their training/socialisation without risking being eaten by a feral who's not being watched adequately or controlled!!! I'm thinking next time I'll take my 2 adult Mastiffs along to play guardians to their little buddies and see how inclined his damn dog is to lunge then.

For the most part though I have to say I was pretty impressed with the crowd down there, both canines & their owners. Only a few dog spats that, coincidentally, the offending dogs all had boguns trailing along calling their dogs' name in vain.

[SkySoaringMagpie]

When there is more than one of you, what my partner and I do is one of us takes the dogs (usually me) and the other (usually OH) advances on the rushing dog. That way one of us can concentrate on keeping our own dogs out of the way, and the other can concentrate on dealing with the rushing dog.

The question of who at the owner of the dog is decided later :laugh:

[Diva]

Around here they often rush in pairs. I find that much harder to deal with than one.

[Greyt]

Got rushed by a Staffy today at Southport off-leash.

For the most part though I have to say I was pretty impressed with the crowd down there, both canines & their owners. Only a few dog spats that, coincidentally, the offending dogs all had boguns trailing along calling their dogs' name in vain.

I think it is really dangerous there for dogs so small. At the moment, there are a lot of very exuberant youngsters that play with each other and the older dogs. Whilst they are having fun, it would be very easy to see a time where they could unintentionally severely damage dogs as small as yours, simply by crashing into them when running. As well, there are a lot of overly friendly staffies there all of the time and whilst they just want to play, their weight and momentum make them dangerous to small dogs.

I would pick my times until your dogs grow and harden up a bit, go during non-peak times if you can, or go to the parts of the park that are not busy - then you can pick and choose who you want your dogs to socialise with.

To the OP, I put my dogs behind me and walk assertively toward the offending dog yelling at them. I have often wondered how this approach would work with 2 or more dogs at "their" fence line.

[rubiton]

There used to be two shih tzus that were left offlead (in an on lread park) that use to rush and tag team tryimg to get past me to my dog while the owner just stood away laughing. Second time they came and a lewt fly with a few kicks (missed but they backed off) owner wasnt paughing so much and I have no idea what he was doing the day I came around the corner and saw them too late (third time) so when one came at me I just charged at it planning to make it a football and within a metre it slammed on the brakes and ran the other way whil the second one also backed off. Fourth time they came out of the bushes and some girl was in charge of them I just let fly and they took off (didnt contact them). Reported from the second time to the council and they were going to try and find them to educate them on proper dog control

Another time years before I was walking my dog down a street when two rushed out from across the road as we went past - the Bull terrier just ended up behind us following while the alpha dog stood in the middle of the road eyeballing me and growling - my response? I growled 'gittttt' back at him while walking along the path at the exact same speed I wasnt going to stop watching him as he was a big nasty crossbred thing and not a sole about (I didnt know about reportoing them then) and he lost interest once we were beyond his territory (same time the other dog went back as well)