Dealing with Shepherd Dogs

After humans, the most potentially threatening animal in mountain regions of Georgia is the shepherd dog. Shepherding with dogs is far more common in the mountainous regions N and NE of Tbilisi (Kazbegi, Khevsureti, and Tusheti) than in Svaneti. There is little reason to be afraid of dogs if you understand their behavior and act wisely. Hopefully the points below will help you understand the logic of shepherd dogs' behavior.

1. Shepherd dogs are territorial; they become aggressive when they see you as intruding upon their territory (or the territory they are protecting). Their territory is the herd they are guarding and the area immediately surrounding it, or the homestead where they live. They are well-fed and are least of all interested in eating you for lunch.
2. The more dogs present guarding a herd, the more aggressive their response generally will be, and the larger the zone around the herd that they will interpret as their territory.
3. If the dogs are used to people walking along a certain path or road, they will be somewhat less aggressive, and you may be able to get closer to a herd of sheep before they respond aggressively.
4. Herds of sheep sometimes have a shepherd nearby and sometimes do not. Usually there is a dog or dogs with the herd, but not always. If there is a shepherd nearby, he will help call off the dogs. However, this may be hard if you are already in the midst of the herd of sheep, so avoid getting too close in any case and never enter a herd of sheep unless you know there are no dogs nearby or if there is a shepherd nearby holding back the dog/s.
5. Dogs understand that you also have your territory that you will physically defend. Imagine that a dog runs 100 m to bare its teeth at you menacing. If the dog gets closer than 4-5 meters, it is clearly intruding upon your territory and should feel some insecurity. You now need to display some aggression in return. Dogs will first run up to you, then assess the situation. They will not attack at a run.
6. Shepherd dogs are often lazy and rarely feel like running a long way up or downhill to confront a possible intruder. Use this to your advantage when circumventing herds of sheep.
7. Like all animals, shepherd dogs fear getting hurt. They know what it's like to be beaten with a stick or pelted with stones. If you are confronted with an aggressive dog on your territory, you need to convey to it that it will be hurt if it attacks you. Dogs are afraid of sticks (poles) and stones. Just by holding a stick or sticks (trekking poles) out in front of you towards the dog, you can almost always keep it at a good distance.
8. [FOR EMERGENCIES ONLY; YOU SHOULD NEVER HAVE TO DO THIS!!!] If a dog attacks and some object (stick, etc.) is put in front of it, it will instinctively bite it. Then you can continue to jerk the stick around to keep the dog biting it, and even try to jab it in the mouth or kick the dog to cause it pain. If you are attacked while totally helpless, you must stick out your forearm and let the dog bite it. If possible, wrap something around your arm first to protect it. Then you beat the dog, try to break its neck with the other arm or with your legs, poke out its eyes, etc. [THIS VANISHINGLY RARE LIFE-OR-DEATH SCENARIO IS FROM A MANUAL ON NEUTRALIZING ATTACK DOGS!]
9. Not all barking and approaching is aggressive. Learn to interpret dog behavior. Barking alone is a kind of alert or alarm. Barking and running towards you means alarm and/or interest. If it's wagging its tail, it's not feeling aggressive or protective. If the dog (or bull or any other animal) is facing you directly with its head and body, that is more aggressive than looking towards you with its body facing in a different direction or simply barking near you without looking at you directly. There is no reason to respond aggressively to this behavior, but watch the dog's behavior closely to make sure you do not make it switch to aggressive mode. Signs of aggressive intentions are: facing you directly with head and body, baring the fangs, hissing and growling, flattening the ears, a pouncing position.
10. According to locals, sitting down and not moving will calm dogs down, since they see that you are not a threat to the herd. But make sure you have a stick with you just in case if you decide to do this.

So, let's imagine a typical scenario.

You are walking down a road or path in Tusheti and see a herd of sheep slowly crossing the path and moving uphill. There is a dog with it, and no shepherd. You get a stick ready just in case and walk slowly towards the herd to see what happens. It's always better to attract the dog's attention while you are further off rather than when you are already next to the herd. The dog sees you and starts barking when you are 200 m from the herd, then starts walking, then running towards you as you continue to approach. Then you stop and wait. The dog runs to about 50 m from you and continues to bark. After a minute of waiting and watching, you sit down. The dog sits down, too, and continues to bark once in a while, occasionally looking back to check the position of the herd. After a while, it gets up and begins slowly moving towards the herd, which has almost completely crossed the path. Now you can also begin slowly moving towards the herd while maintaining a safe distance. Eventually the herd has fully crossed the path, and you go forward and cross the area where the herd was. The dog continues to bark at you from the back of the herd, but does not attack as long as you are at least 20 m away. If you choose, you can walk below the trail to increase the distance.

By observing dogs' behavior and keeping a safe distance, you shouldn't have any problems with shepherd dogs in Georgia.