• iconNews
  • videos
  • entertainment
  • Home
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • Australia
    • Ireland
    • World News
    • Weird News
    • Viral News
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Science
    • True Crime
    • Travel
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV & Film
    • Netflix
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • TikTok
  • LAD Originals
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • Lad Files
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Extinct
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube

LAD Entertainment

YouTube

LAD Stories

Submit Your Content
How to survive if you’re ever being attacked by dog

Home> News> Animals

Updated 11:41 18 Sep 2023 GMT+1Published 15:33 17 Sep 2023 GMT+1

How to survive if you’re ever being attacked by dog

Here's how to stop a dog attack becoming a fatal incident.

Harley Young

Harley Young

As you've probably heard, the government plans to ban the XL Bully breed.

This comes after the news that a man was killed by two dogs in Staffordshire, and three people were attacked by an XL bully in Birmingham, causing politicians like Suella Braverman and PM Rishi Sunak to speak out against the breed.

Some people are concerned for theirs and their families safety and are wondering just what to do if they ever unfortunately become the victim of a dog attack.

Luckily, there are some things to do to improve your chances of survival if faced with the jaws of a vicious dog.

Advert

Bear Grylls, British adventurer and survival expert, shared his tips with GQ.

People are growing concerned about the XL Bully breed following a number of recent attacks.
Getty Stock Image

Firstly, Bear says it's important to remember that any dog can be dangerous, not just ones that are bred to look big and scary. If a dog is regularly chained up and confined, it's more likely to become aggressive and want to protect its space. Likewise, a dog that is feeling unwell, or one that is overly protective of its food, is likely to snap.

He says that you should also never tease or torment a dog, especially one you aren't familiar with.

"You can learn a lot about a dog by its body language." he says, explaining: "If it's growling or baring its teeth, that's a sign of aggression. But also pay attention to the head: if it's above the body or lower than the body, the dog is more likely to be relaxed. If the head is in line with the body, it's a sign that the dog is preparing to attack."

Advert

Bear says never to look a dog showing signs of aggression in the eye - the dog will consider this as a challenge. Smiling is also a big no as that could be interpreted as baring your teeth.

Instead, you should stand sideways on to present less of a threat and slowly back away out of the dog's line of sight.

Dog bites hurt, but there's a way to stop them from being fatal.
Getty Stock Image

If this fails and you end up in conflict with the dog, you'll need to act quickly.

"If a number of aggressive dogs are attacking you, your chances of winning that fight are small. In this case, your best chance of getting out alive is to run and get up high as dogs can't climb." says Bear.

Advert

If that's not an option, Bear recommends raising your arms to look taller and yelling loudly to intimidate the dog, or throwing stones at them to make them 'think twice about attacking'.

If the dog keeps coming for you, it will probably try to bite. Bear says to get something between you and that bite such as a stick, jacket or rucksack.

"If it's unavoidable, you need to think about which part of your body you would prefer the dog to attack. It's a Hobson's choice - the bite will hurt - but you want to protect your most vulnerable parts: your neck, your face, your chest and your groin. This might mean offering it a less vulnerable part of your body such as the thick flesh on your outer thigh.

"If possible, though, you should wrap whatever clothing you can around your forearm and offer that to the dog. Your arm has a higher proportion of bone than your leg and will bleed less. This manoeuvre will leave you with three limbs with which to fight back.

"Remember, when dogs bite, they dig their teeth in firmly and don't let go.

Advert

"If you try to rip your arm from that bite, you'll only worsen the tear and end up with a vicious, debilitating open wound." he says.

It's not just big dogs that can attack.
Roger Johansen/Pexels

This next part might sound violent, but in a life or death scenario these tips are vital.

Bear says avoid tussling on the ground as this can leave you exposed. To 'quickly neutralise the dog' he suggests you fall onto the dog and crush it as their ribs break easily.

"With your free arm, go for the dog's eyes, or strike at the back of its head, just at the base of its skull. If you're in the wild and you have a survival knife with you, the dog's most vulnerable parts are under its front leg or just above its shoulder."

Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Image

Topics: Dogs, Health, Bear Grylls

Harley Young
Harley Young

Freelance Journalist for LADbible Group

X

@Harley__Young

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

13 mins ago
an hour ago
  • 13 mins ago

    Tourist fighting for life after being dragged from tent and attacked by bear in night on tour

    Natalya was asleep in her tent when the bear attacked

    News
  • an hour ago

    People ‘passing out’ while watching man break terrifying free diving world record

    Russian free diver Alexey Molchanov has broken over 30 world records, and is widely considered to be the best at what he does

    News
  • an hour ago

    Man, 61, dies after being sucked into MRI machine while wearing long metal necklace

    The 61-year-old succumbed to his injuries the following day, police said

    News
  • an hour ago

    Man was left in complete shock after taking £5 million car collection into WeBuyAnyCar

    Mark McCann took his luxury cars to be valued, but he was left pretty shocked with the figure he was given

    News
  • Heroic lad jumps in to save woman and newborn baby being attacked by three dogs
  • Woman reveals horrific injuries after beloved dog of 11 years bites her nose off in ‘unprovoked attack’
  • Dog owner given ultimatum after being attacked by her own Rottweiler
  • Doctor gives surprising answer after being asked how much sex is normal for couple to have