How to Fend Off Dangerous Dogs

While just about anybody can unsuspectingly encounter a dangerous dog, postal workers belong to a category that greatly exposes them to territorial dogs that will do what it takes to send these brave men and women out of their property. Indeed, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AMVA), the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) small children, the elderly, and Postal Service carriers are the most vulnerable categories of people prone to dog bites.

While responsible ownership, fences, leashes and loads of training can help a lot in keeping dangerous dogs under control, at times because of an unfortunate twist of fate, people may still be exposed to some dangerous beasts. Quick thinking is really all that is left in these crucial seconds, therefore learning how to fend off dangerous dogs is of primary importance.

The most primal instinct that surrounds humans in these crucial moments is the instinct to flee. Seeing a large dog charging while barking and baring teeth is quite scary and the first impulse may be to run away and scream. Yet, doing so is the worse option.First of all, nobody can outrun a dog. Second, dogs are strongly predatory beings, running away simply mimics what a prey would do and will stimulate the dog to chase. No dog will give up chasing as this puts the animal or human in a vulnerable position of inferiority.

Fleeing also puts fearful aggressive dogs to an advantage. Fearful aggressive dogs look pretty bold, but in reality they are cowards. Indeed, they are most likely to bite when a human being is turning the back to the dog. This because a frontal attack is too confrontational for them, therefore all they do is wait for a human to turn its back to give a quick bite. This bite is of a ''bite and go'' type, in other words much faster than a bite from a dominant dog that is unlikely to let go and most likely to cause substantial damage.

So if you are not fleeing what should you do? The best option is to become for a dog terribly boring. Just stay motion less, hands to your sides and look away. Lack of eye contact is fundamental since staring at a dog may trigger an attack as dominant dogs see this as a challenge. Very likely the dog will calm down and come near to sniff. Try to stay as calm as possible as dogs can sense your fear.

After inspecting you, the dog will lose interest and very likely will eventually wander away. This is a good time to slowly walk away, but remember to never turn your back. Walk backwards, avoiding direct eye contact.

But what to do if no matter what the dog is still willing to attack? If you are carrying a purse, back pack, bags of food it is best to toss them between yourself and the dog. You may be lucky and the dog may be more interested in the items you have dropped than you.

If the dog still attacks and you are knocked down, curl up in a ball and protect your most vulnerable area,ears face and neck. Do not scream, fight back, roll around: just remain motionless as a dog in total submission. The dog may perceive you are surrendering and don't mean harm.

Cesar Millan recently featured a dog whisperer episode where he gave advice to postal workers on how to avoid dog attacks. One postal worker in particular asked Cesar Millan what can be done when a not so friendly dog comes forward.

His advice is that in some circumstances, yelling may discourage a nervous, insecure or shy dog, but if dealing with a dominant, very secure dog, it is unlikely to back away from sound. When dealing with such fellows, therefore it may help to look bigger by holding a chair and standing tall and winning the mental battle which consists of staring. If you look away you have lost, you therefore want the dog to give up first, look away and finally leave.

Yet, challenging a dominant dog in a staring contest is a very dangerous situation that should be used only as a last resort, when all other approaches have been exhausted. Not everybody is capable of holding their ground in such circumstance and most importantly not everybody can tell a fearful aggressive dog from a dominant aggressive dog.

Of course, it is always advisable to never pet an unknown dog and ask the owner first. Stay away from dogs sleeping, eating, or a mother that just had puppies. Never approach dogs that are barking, growling and snarling.