How should you react if a dog without an owner nearby starts barking at you or chasing you?

Question

Liz Randall · Answer

Hi, my name is Liz and I am a professional dog behavior specialist and sport dog trainer. The question is how should you react if a dog without an owner nearby starts barking at you or chasing you? This is a really good question because this is a safety question and we want to make sure that nobody gets hurt. So if they're barking at you it's likely that the dog is not thrilled with your presence. You can read the dog as best you can but generally we should assume if the dog is barking at us that it's not in a friendly manner. So the best thing you can do is be very still, avert your gaze, don't stare at them, turn your body slightly sideways. If you need to move behind another object like a car, slowly behind a car or a tree. But just try to do what you can to de-escalate the situation. And usually most dogs will stop if you don't really react. So soften your body language, be still and be safe.

Swimming

Strength

Triathlon

Photography

Track & Field

Nutrition

Physical Therapy

Running

Pets

Cycling

Podcasting

HealthCare

Musculoskeletal

Hockey

First Responders

Integrative Medicine

Chiropractic

Cross Country Skiing

Adaptive Sports

Mental Health

Climbing

Surfing

Tennis

Military

Mind Body

Scholars

Criminal Justice

Liquor

Golf

CrossFit

Soccer

Pickleball

Hunting

Public Speaking

Venture Capital

"How should you react if a dog without an owner nearby starts barking at you or chasing you?"