How to Deal with Aggressive Dogs

Most dogs are friendly. So, when we encounter a dog who is mean or aggressive, it can really catch us off guard! In order to stay safe, especially when you’re out for a walk, it’s important to know how to deal with aggressive dogs and what to do if you’re approached by an aggressive dog.

watch my video: what to do if an aggressive dog approaches you

What to Do if An Aggressive Dog Approaches You

Stay calm. Realize that you cannot outrun a dog. Stay calm and slowly back away from the dog (keeping an eye on them – don’t turn your back to the dog).

Avoid confrontation. Never hold eye contact with dogs, especially an aggressive dog. Prolonged eye contact is seen by dogs as a challenge.

Speak to the dog in a soothing voice. It can be difficult to stay confident when you’re face-to-face with an aggressive dog. But speaking softly to them may make them realize you don’t pose a threat, thereby eliminating the aggression.

If you can’t get away. If an aggressive dog comes toward you, or even lunges at you in a threatening way, try using any items you may be carrying (like an umbrella or backpack) to put between you and the dog. You also might try yelling, clapping, or putting your arms above your head in order to appear larger. This may frighten or intimidate the dog, so they’ll run away or at least back off.

If the dog attacks you. Lie down on the ground and protect your head with your arms and hands. Shout loudly for help by screaming, “Dog attack!” or “Help!”

Why Are Dogs Aggressive?

Understanding why the dog is being aggressive may be the best way to know how to respond.

The dog may be afraid. Backing away slowly while speaking softly will demonstrate that you’re not a threat.

The dog may be guarding or protecting something. This may happen if you step into their yard or if you’ve approached something important to them such as their owner, a child, or even a toy or bone. Get out of their “territory” by backing away slowly.

The dog might be hungry. If a dog has been lost or has been a stray for some time, they may actually be hungry. If you’re carrying any food, throw it far away from you. If they’re hungry, they’ll run after the food, and you can get away.

For more information about why dogs are aggressive, read my article, How to Stop a Dog from Being Aggressive. In this article, I discuss common misconceptions about dog aggression, what actually causes a dog to become aggressive, how to solve dog aggression towards other dogs, and how to stop a dog from being aggressive toward people.

What To Do If There’s an Aggressive Dog In Your Neighborhood

You might have a neighbor close by who has an aggressive dog, or there may be an aggressive dog living in your neighborhood, possibly near your park, near a school, etc.

Although you shouldn’t be too quick to lash out at the owner, you also have the right to treat the dog’s aggression as a serious matter. Because it is.

According to Petful.com, these are the steps you should take if you’re experiencing difficulty with an aggressive dog in your neighborhood:

Don’t make things worse. If you react in an aggressive manner toward the dog or the dog’s owner, you’ll only make things worse. You’re better off trying to stay calm and be diplomatic. No screaming over the fence or leaving nasty notes on their door!

Consider what may be triggering the dog’s aggression. I could list a hundred things here, but a few possibilities may be:

- Are your kids, or neighborhood kids teasing or provoking the dog, even unintentially?
- Are you getting too close to the dog’s house or fence?
- Does the dog react when you let your own dog outside, or cat?

See if you can pinpoint what’s going on whenever the dog is behaving aggressively. Eliminating the trigger(s) could be a simple solution.

Be sympathic with your neighbor. Unless you’ve already spoken to your neighbor about the problem and they’ve taken no action, it could very well be that they’re aware of the problem but simply don’t know what to do about it.

If that’s the case, perhaps they’d be open to suggestions such as asking their veterinarian for advice or employing a dog training program for aggression called, The Dog Calming Code.

I’ll tell you more about this program later in this post, but you could tell them this program is $47, consists of a two-hour training video with 5 easy steps to follow, and comes with a money-back guarantee. They may be quite grateful for the solution!

If the dog’s owner has taken no action to solve the issue after being spoken to, you’re within your rights to contact the authorities. I hate when it comes to this because in my opinion, if dogs are behaving aggressively, there’s a good reason for it that can usually be easily solved with proper training.

That said, your safety and your family’s safety has to be a priority. You can contact your Local Animal Control Officer, your local SPCA, or ask a local veterinarian’s office who you should call.

For much more information on dealing with aggressive dogs in your neighborhood, visit Petful.com’s post, Dealing With Neighbors Mean Dogs.

Aggression is Not Specific to Certain Breeds

All dogs are capable of being aggressive, and of biting or attacking. A study by the American Veterinary Medical Association, the CDC, and the Humane Society of the United States found that the statistics don’t show that any breeds are inherently more dangerous than others.

Pit Bulls are often thought of as aggressive dogs. For more information about this, read my article, How to Help Pit Bulls.

Professional Dog Trainer and Behavioral Specialist, Doggy Dan, has a nice tutorial about the common misconceptions about dog aggression and the real reasons why dogs are aggressive.

How to Help an Aggressive Dog

Sometimes dogs are aggressive because their owners simply don’t know how to properly train the dog. If your dog is aggressive, or if you know someone who has an aggressive dog, I recommend an effective dog training program that focuses on dog aggression called, The Dog Calming Code.

Developed by Professional Dog Trainer and Behavioral Specialist, Doggy Dan, this program teaches you how to communicate with your dog to help them achieve and maintain a calm state. They’ll be more able to listen to and obey your commands no matter what is going on around them. This is the best way to help an aggressive dog to behave appropriately.

For More Information

For a more in-depth discussion about dog aggression, read Doggy Dan’s article called, What to Do if You’re Approached by an Aggressive Dog. Doggy Dan is the owner of the dog training website, The Online Dog Trainer. His website contains more than 300 step-by-step dog training videos with Doggy Dan demonstrating and working with dogs and their owners on common dog behavior problems. You can visit the site at TheOnlineDogTrainer.com.

I Donate to Animal Charities

Thank you for visiting my website. I hope this post makes you better prepared if you’re approached by an aggressive dog.

I donate 10% of my earnings to animal charities. You can see a list of the charities I donate to here.

If you like this website, please share it with your friends who have pets. Thank you! Debra