Staying calm is key to dealing with an aggressive dog

When facing an aggressive dog ready to lunge, don't run and don't strike.

But you might try yawning.

"We can use body language to communicate with dogs because they're nonverbal animals," said Maggi McClure, a dog-behavior consultant based on Vashon Island. "We can use our bodies to express calm."

Though the intuitive reaction to a dangerous dog might be to run or fight, experts say trying to beat a dog with speed or strength is futile, and might even make the dog more aggressive.

To calm an agitated dog, appear as calm as possible, stand still and avoid eye contact.

Jeff Tinsley, head trainer at Sound Animals Services, a Seattle business that works with owners of aggressive dogs, recommends wrapping your arms around your torso "like you're giving yourself a big hug." Flailing arms and legs can make a dog feel threatened.

If the dog attacks, it most likely will stop after one bite, Tinsley said, unless it feels threatened. "The more pain you inflict, the more the dog's gonna keep coming at you," Tinsley said. "If you don't panic, the dog will usually just leave you alone."

In the rare instance that a dog does not relent after the first bite, experts recommend avoiding being pinned down and trying to hoist the dog's paws off the ground, to limit its leverage and slow its attack until help comes.

There are preventive steps you can also try. Keep track of and avoid aggressive dogs in the neighborhood, especially those behind shoddy gates or fences.

Tinsley suggests offering potentially aggressive dogs food treats — from a safe distance.

"They start to recognize me as someone they're not really gonna go after," he said.

Robert Faturechi: 206-464-2393 or rfaturechi@seattletimes.com

Information in this article, originally published September 11, 2008, was corrected September 22, 2008. A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the name of Jeff Tinsley's service.