What do I do if a dog chases me?
Stop running. Stand still and calm, with the side of your body facing the dog, and avoid direct eye contact. Slowly raise your hands to your neck with your elbows in. Wait for it to pass, or back away slowly.
Guidance from US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Conditions
| Conditions | Risk | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Leashed dog, owner present | Go | Give it space and pass wide. Slowing slightly costs a few seconds. |
| Loose dog, relaxed, not approaching | Caution | Keep moving steadily, do not sprint, do not stare at it. |
| Dog running at you, barking | High risk | Stop running. Stand still, be calm, side of your body facing the dog, no direct eye contact. Say “no” or “go home” in a firm, deep voice. Slowly raise your hands to your neck, elbows in. |
| Dog growling, stiff, showing teeth | High risk | Stay still and avoid direct eye contact. Do not panic or make loud noises. Wait for it to pass, or back away slowly. |
| You have been bitten | Do not run | Stop the run. Wash the wound with soap and running water immediately, and seek medical advice. |
What to do
- Never run from a dog.
- Stay still and be calm.
- Avoid direct eye contact with the dog.
- Say “no” or “go home” in a firm, deep voice.
- Stand with the side of your body facing the dog.
- Slowly raise your hands to your neck, with your elbows in.
- Wait for the dog to pass, or slowly back away.
- Do not panic or make loud noises.
- If a dog knocks you over, curl into a ball, tuck your head, and place your hands over your ears and neck.
Practical habits from us rather than instructions from US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Useful, but not the same kind of claim as the bands above.
- Learn where the loose dogs are on your regular routes, and change the route rather than repeating the encounter.
- Slow down and give a wide berth when passing a dog on a lead. A runner arriving from behind startles both the dog and the person holding it.
- The skin is broken — stop the run and wash the wound immediately.
- The dog is unknown, unvaccinated, or stray. Seek medical advice about rabies and tetanus without delay.
- Redness, swelling, warmth, pus or fever afterwards — dog bites become infected easily and need treatment.
- A deep puncture, a bite to the hand, face or a joint, or bleeding that does not stop with pressure. Go to urgent care.
Why
Dog encounters are one of the most common things runners actively worry about, and one of the least likely to end badly if the first reaction is right. The problem is that the correct first reaction is the opposite of the instinctive one.
The instruction, as the CDC gives it
Never run from a dog. Stay still and be calm. Avoid direct eye contact. Say "no" or "go home" in a firm, deep voice. Stand with the side of your body facing the dog, and slowly raise your hands to your neck with your elbows in. Wait for the dog to pass, or back away slowly. Do not panic or make loud noises.
That is the whole sequence, and it is worth reading twice, because two of its steps are counter-intuitive: you speak firmly rather than softly, and you raise your hands rather than keeping them down.
These are the CDC’s steps, in the CDC’s order. Follow them as given rather than as the version of them you half-remember, because the half-remembered version is usually the intuitive one.
If you are bitten, treat it seriously
Wash it with soap and running water immediately, then get medical advice. Dog bites — particularly punctures, and particularly to hands — become infected at a high rate, and the rabies and tetanus questions are not ones to settle by feel. This is the point at which the run is over and the day has a different plan.
Route memory beats every device
If the same house produces the same loose dog every Tuesday, no technique is as effective as running a different street. That is not a defeat; it is the cheapest solution available.
Related questions
Should I run away from a dog?
No. "Never run from a dog" is CDC’s instruction, stated without qualification, and no runner outpaces a dog that wants to follow anyway. What CDC asks for instead is stillness, calm, no direct eye contact, and a slow retreat once the dog has passed.
What if the dog actually bites?
Stop the run. Wash the wound with soap and running water straight away — this is the single most effective immediate step — and then get medical advice. Dog bites carry a high infection risk, and rabies and tetanus questions need answering by a clinician rather than by a website.
Do dog deterrent sprays work?
Public health guidance on avoiding bites does not mention them, and they do not address the far more common case of a friendly loose dog that is simply following you. They are also legal in some places and not others. Changing the route solves more encounters than any device.
What about dogs on leads in parks?
Give them a wide berth and slow slightly as you pass. A runner appearing suddenly from behind is startling for both the dog and the person holding it, and the few seconds cost nothing.
Sources
- Dogs — Healthy Pets, Healthy People (the bite-prevention steps quoted on this page) — US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Rabies Prevention and Control — US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Animal and human bites — UK National Health Service