Ouch what to do if you’re attacked by a dog. Ah yes the dog also called k9 bow-wow fleabag critter beast puppy mongrel setter varmint wiener dog pooch fight of Chomper hound fur baby dog mutt and Canis familiaris did I leave any nicknames out expect any threat from an adorable creature that’s been rightly dubbed our best friend but never forget that first of all dogs are animals and they have animal instincts and if they haven’t been trained properly by their owners to be sociable with other animals and people then even the friendliest looking pooch can attack you if something goes wrong before you find out what exactly you should do if you come across an aggressive dog or even worse you’re attacked.
3. what to do if a dog doesn’tattack but acts aggressively
A dog’s body language can speak volumes if you know what signs to look for for example if a dog’s ears are tightly pressed back against his head and it’s growling guess what you better stay away don’t approach such an animal unless you want to provoke an attack but if avoidance fails.
The dog still looks ready to charge it you remember the following do not try to calm the dog down or smile at it animals perceive a smile differently than you do while a smile means friendly intentions to a human a dog will think that you’re baring your teeth to challenge it avoid direct eye contact.
The best strategy will be to ignore the dog it’ll eventually calm down and stop paying attention to you in other words the more you show your anxiety and flail your arms the more likely the dog is to attack if there’s someone around you may try to ask for help but don’t raise your voice keep it calm and low-pitched instead do not swing a stick at the dog or use pepper spray first of all the wind can spoil your plans and blow the spray right into your own eyes besides these actions probably won’t scare the dog away on the contrary such behavior will make the dog more aggressive.
Let’s admit it even a friendly pup won’t be happy if you start swinging your arms or throwing sticks at it retreat slowly and carefully remember the main rule of getting away from an aggressive dog do not turn your back to the animal it’s better to move away with your side to the dog you’ll be able to see both where you’re going and the dog’s reaction do not run this will awaken the dogs hunting instincts it’ll start to chase you and you won’t be able to outrun it most dogs can charge faster than Usain Bolt.
2. what to do if a dog attacks
An animal always attacks for a reason at the same time their reasons aren’t always obvious for example stray dogs usually attack if they’re hungry or if they’re protecting their puppies or territory if you’ve done everything possible to prevent the dog from charging at you and it still attacks you need to remember the following rules do not shout at the dog even if you can’t think of anything else to do the dog will perceive shouting as a sign of aggression and this will only make the animal angrier.
If you have an ultrasonic dog repellent on hand use it immediately this device emits high frequency sound waves as soon as you switch it on you won’t hear a sound but the dog well this type of noise irritates animals and makes them feel uncomfortable that’s why if you’re lucky the dog will run away.
If the dog charges at you try to cover its head with your jacket or sweater as soon as the animal gets within your reach while the dog is distracted make your retreat try to put an object such as a tree post bench or your neighbor between you and the animal well maybe not your neighbor if there’s an opportunity you can even climb a tree the dog won’t be able to follow you there just watch out for aggressive squirrels if you don’t have any outerwear with you throw your bag or any object you have on hand to the side this will distract the dog as a result the animal may attack the object first giving you some time to run away and if you have some food in your shopping bag or your lunch box for example a turkey sandwich or a piece of sausage throw it to the dog maybe that’s what the animal wants from you anyway if you haven’t managed to distract the dog and it’s still after you cover your neck with your hands the neck is one of the most vulnerable parts of the human body there are too many major arteries and veins there to leave it unprotected.
If you realize you’ll be bitten no matter what the safest place for the dog to bite you is your shin or forearm yes it’ll hurt like crazy but at least you’ll avoid fatal bleeding if the dog has sunk its teeth into your limb do whatever you can to free yourself but don’t attempt to pull away by pulling away you can seriously worsen the injury because the dog’s teeth will tear your flesh further instead hit the dog on the nose or eyes experts also recommend grabbing the animal’s hind legs and lifting them off the ground use your weight to press the dog to the ground with your knees or elbows dogs can bite bark and snarl but they can’t wrestle this is why this is an effective way to immobilize the animal so you can wait until someone comes to your rescue at the same time the danger can escalate dramatically if you get attacked by not one but a whole pack of dogs well it’s just not your day in this case do thesame thing you would if there was just one dog the only crucial difference here is that you mustn’t let the dog surround you try to stand with your back to a wall or fence do not run the dogs will without a shadow of a doubt chase after you because at that moment you look to them just like a juicy tennis ball.
1. what to do if you’ve been bitten
If a dog has bitten you you must take care of the wound as soon as you’re out of harm’s way here’s what you need to do carefully rinse the wound with soap and water after that swab it with alcohol ouch to avoid infection despite what most people think it doesn’t matter whether you’ve been bitten by a stray dog or a domesticated one either way you’ll still have to go to the hospital for necessary testing and treatment you’ll then perhaps be vaccinated for rabies.
If you cannot prove that the attacking dog doesn’t have the necessary vaccinations contrary to popular belief this doesn’t involve twenty to thirty injections to the stomach nowadays only about six shots are administered in the shoulder or thigh according to statistics dogs are responsible for 99% of the rabies infections in people the first symptoms of the disease appear thirty to fifty days after being infected however you absolutely must get a rabies vaccine as soon as possible especially.
If the animal hasn’t been captured and tested for rabies if you don’t get treated the consequences will be fatal unfortunately there’s no cure for rabies only preventive measures the rabies virus can be transmitted not only through a bite sometimes just a few drops of saliva from a sick animal on your skin or mucous membrane can affect you that’s why you should never let an unfamiliar dog lick your hands or face take care of your safety and try to stay away from stray or wild animals but if worst comes to worst and an encounter with a stray dog can’t be avoided you now know what to do so have you ever had to deal with an aggressive dog let us know down in the comments how you managed to get out of this trouble.