Tense encounters between hikers and protection dogs in the Alps

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Baptiste Ellmenreich, a professional trail runner, spends his days on mountain trails. Last year, the Savoyard saw one of his training sessions turn into a nightmare. "I was going out for training last September, on a somewhat rainy, foggy day. After two hours, while passing through an alpine pasture, I started hearing dogs barking," he recounts. After several minutes of standing still, the dogs calm down, but a sudden movement—a slip on the slope—triggers a series of attacks. "It lasts one or two minutes. It went quite fast, but I felt like time dragged on," recalls Baptiste, who points out his scars: "So there are quite a few bite marks, a bit on the front, and on the knee as well." In the Alps, incidents between hikers and livestock guardian dogs are multiplying, rising from a few cases in 2020 to nearly a hundred recorded attacks last year.

Théo Cerdan raises 70 animals. With the return of the wolf, Patous have become essential for protecting the flocks. "Her presence allows me to say: 'I can leave the sheep in there.' The dog may replace the surveillance and guarding that I would otherwise have to do," explains the farmer. In total, there are 7,000 livestock guardian dogs deployed in the Alpine arc alone, which is twice as many as in 2020. And with increasing tourist traffic, coexistence is becoming difficult.

Keeping your cool is the key to a peaceful encounter

An association, with the help of 150 volunteers, is trying to ease tensions. "We can clearly see that there are people who have been attacked and are confined to the hospital," acknowledges a runner interviewed on the issue. In contact with hikers, Maël Guyon, head of the "Between Dog and Wolf" program at WWF, shares the best practices to adopt. "You need to talk to them as if you were talking to a small dog. It works very well. There are two benefits: reassuring the dog with a calm voice, and reassuring yourself," he advises. It is also recommended not to look the dog in the eyes, to put down your walking poles, to let the dog sniff you, or to go around the alpine pasture when possible. Additionally: "You can try yawning. Yawning is a calming signal for dogs, and it can work," Maël adds.

For hikers, there is theory and practice. "I imagine a dog charging at me and try to apply what has been said. I think a certain level of self-control is required," notes one of them.

Keeping your cool is often the key to peaceful encounters. The vast majority of accidents occur after a sudden or violent movement directed at the dog.