As dogs are highly territorial, and intelligent, it makes a big difference if you enter "their" soi or their owners plot, and at what time of day. A pack of dogs who are quite docile in the day (knowing they will get hurt by sticks and stones by Thais), can be very ferocious during evening or nighttime. I made this experience tha first time I visited "my" village in Isaan: as soon as the sun went down, dogs became an aggressive and dangerous mob. Don't be shy to carry an actual stick with you, because any Isaan dog knows what that means. Bamboo is good, as it is lightweight and bendy at the same time, hit the nose. Helps little against a determined pack where they will circle you and attack from behind while you are distracted from the front. The other tactic, if you have more time: approach the dogs in the daytime, when they are basking lazy in the sun, befriend them (don't give them food though, they will forever swamp you whenever they see you). But after they know your "foreigner" smell, they might accept you as part of the usual lanscape.
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