How to Protect Yourself from a Dog Attack

From an abcnews.com article of the same title:

What Not to Do

• Take flight. Don't run away from the dog, because it triggers the dog's prey drive. Once that happens, the dog will want to turn and chase you.
• If the dog catches you and starts attacking, don't hit it. The more you fight back, the more the struggle feeds into the dog's defensive drives and the more he wants to kill that prey and take it home.

What to Do

• If you are approached by a vicious dog, relax and be as still as possible.
• Drop your head so you don't make eye contact, but maintain an upright position.
• Cover you ears and press your elbows to your sides. This way, if the dog bites you, your ears, eyes, rib cage and vital organs are protected.
• If the dog grabs your arm or your leg, try to remain motionless. If the dog thinks you're dead, it should let go of you.

How to Rescue a Child

• Grab an object and start hitting the dog so you can redirect it. You can also grab the dog's "scruff" - the area on the sides of the dog's neck. This should control the dog's head and keep it from swinging around to bite you.
• You can go one step further and grab the dog's Adam's apple and choke him.
• Do not pull the dog off the child. That can rip the skin right off the child.

When bark comes to bite, I really wonder how many folks who know these guidelines would put them into practice. They make sense in response to a dog's instincts, but people have instincts too…and they're contrary to these guidelines.