Instructions
Watch the dog’s stance. An agitated dog will be up on all fours, legs straight and head uplifted and erect. Another attack stance is one crouched down as if the dog is about to lunge at your throat. Dogs will also often raise the hackles on their backs when moving into attack mode.
Check out his tail. If a dog is agitated or he’s in hunt mode, his tail will be straight out, either up in the air or out behind him a bit. A fearful dog will have his tail tucked between his legs, or at least hiding his hindquarters. Either indicates a dog to watch out for.
Monitor his mouth. Dogs will bear their teeth when they are about to attack. Look at his upper lip to see if he is curling it upward, however slightly, to give you an indication of his discomfort.
Glance subtly at his eyes. Take a sneak peek at his eyes from a sideways angle, just to see where he’s looking. If he’s centered on you, you may be in for it. Never give prolonged eye contact of more than a second, because that could be the last sign he needs to jump at you full force. Don’t look a strange dog in the eye head on. If his eyes are not looking at you but at something else, he still may be ready to attack, but it will most likely be whatever he's looking at.
Listen. Growling noises, low guttural angry stirrings and other graveling sounds coming from the dog’s throat are an extreme giveaway he may be about to pounce.
How to Tell if a Dog is Going to Attack
That "nice" dog down the block may not be so nice if you walk up to him and don’t heed his warning that he’s about to attack. Dogs will attack if they are agitated, fearful or just plain don’t like you for whatever reason is in their doggy brains. You can tell if a dog is going to attack by looking for certain signs.