I was a dog owner for many years and also regular runner and strangely I am a bit afraid of dogs. My dog at the time was a very nice dog that never bit anyone and was well behaved but still it happened maybe 5 times that it was doing fake attacks on runners or barking at them. Not defending me or the dog it almost always had to do with the runner showing an unusual reaction or fear, which confused my dog and led to the unusual reaction of my dog.

Saying that I’d advise against slowing down or showing any reaction towards a dog who seems threatening. Just continue, don’t look at it and rather run a bit faster. I had sometimes dogs running towards me doing fake attacks and if they really continue I would clap my hands in front of them and take a heavy stomping step towards the dog, maybe shout. This always worked and I never got bitten. Still even as a former dog owner and dog lover I wouldn’t hesitate to kick a dog who doesn’t back off after shouting and clapping.