It’s Me or the Dog: How to have the Perfect Pet. Victoria Stilwell

      There are three principal ways in which a dog will respond to a threat: He’ll run away, which is generally the most sensible option; he’ll fight, if he feels up to it; or he’ll freeze and hope that the threat goes away. If you touch a nervous dog and he freezes or his body tenses up, take your cue from that and back off. If you keep on stroking him, the next stage will be a warning growl, then a snarl, then a nip. Some dogs don’t even bother to give a warning, but go straight to a bite.