you're walking home one day when suddenly you're confronted by a dog it's right in front of you staring and scour the dog's body is tensed up its ears are flattened and it bares its teeth two more dogs appear on either side of you and another one growls behind you, in the United States alone there are roughly four and a half million dog bites a year nearly one in five of those dog bites gets infected and some of those infections can even be deadly so what do you do how do you get away from an aggressive dog or dog pack here's how to survive a dog attack according to science.
Although stray dogs have certainly been known to attack people most dog bites happen because pet dogs aren't trained or leashed properly many people are bitten when they're trying to protect their own dogs from other dogs children should be taught to stay away from strange dogs or at least always ask permission to pet a strange dog luckily there are many ways to de-escalate an aggressive situation with a dog or dog pack whether the dog is domesticated or feral
first stay calm some pet dogs misinterpret people's fearful behavior like yelling and jumping around wildly as aggressive play these dogs will escalate their own erratic behavior because they're excited by yours they'll start jumping barking and even biting turn sideways toward the dog so you're not facing off stand still and don't move say no in a firm and low tone
Second look away when a dog is domesticated and friendly eye contact is completely safe and reinforces friendly bonding but when a dog is displaying aggressive behavior eye contact communicates a challenge to them look to the side or down at the ground
Third put an object on the ground whether it's your purse backpack hoodie or even a shoe place the object down on the ground between you and the dog the dog will interpret the object as a kind of shield or fence do not try to hit the dog with the object that won't do any damage to the dog and it will make the dog even more aggressive
Fourth back away do this slowly while looking away from the dog if the dog also turns its head away and its body seems more relaxed keep backing away slowly after a minute or two if the dog doesn't follow you walk away at a normal pace if these tactics don't work and the dog knocks you down you can still do things to protect yourself.
Fifth curl into a ball this way the dog can't easily blame your most vulnerable areas such as your face in your stomach cover your ears and neck with your arms curl your fingers into fists to protect them what can you do if a dog pack attacks you well there are additional tricks to try.
Sixth find weapons if there are sticks or rocks around pick them up and throw them at the top dog or alpha dog the key is to focus on the dog that's leading the pack if you can scare that dog away the others will follow it try not to let any dog get behind you and if there's any higher ground slowly climb to it that could include getting on top of a car or a big mailbox in a city if a dog does bite you wash your wounds with soap and water apply antibiotic cream and get to a hospital right away to avoid infection you can use ice in a clean wet towel or washcloth to reduce the pain dogs can be dangerous.