Yeah it can get ridiculous from the get go, mainly because the area you start in is actually one of the more dangerous ones in terms of enemies. I assume you were still near the Cryo Centre?

The feral dogs may not be tough, but they seem to track you and attack in ever-larger groups. And if you survive that and keep hanging around you might run into another Dogman or two.

I usually make it a priority to head out of that region straight away - I don't use the Cryo Centre as a base for any long stretch of time.

It's also worth picking up everything lying on the ground in a hex you're in - even if you only move it to one of the "campsites" on the hex. Apparently the game's AI is such that most enemies can spot objects on the ground from some hexes away, and will head towards them. The doggies also follow your tracks I think, and they're starving so anything that smells of meat is going to get their attention.