Fighting Off Dogs.

[Tez3]

Recently in the UK we've has several incidents with dogs attacking people, children in particular (with a couple being killed) and in one case several police officers were injured, a couple quite badly, by an attacking dog. Obviously shooting an attacking dog isn't always an option especially if they are mauling a child so how do people recommend dealing with a dog attack?

 

[GrandmasterP]

Carry a sturdy stick.
Failing that Shell Car Fresh mini aerosol air freshener. Buy it from Garage forecourts, doesn't have to be branded Shell it's all the same product under different labels. Tesco did do it but not sure if they still do.
Better than Mace that stuff is and legal to carry.

 

[oftheherd1]

That is something that depends much on circumstances I think. If a dog is leaping at your throat, you may not be able to evade. You then probably need to sacrifice an arm to the dog's mouth so at least one hand/arm is free to strike eyes, or the solar plexus. If you are trying to rescue someone else, then you may have more opportunity to use both hands/feet to damage the attacking dog. One must expect the dog to turn on them, and be prepared to react to that.

If there is more than one dog attacking, the odds go up against you, but you may be able to attack them one at a time successfully. It's doubtful though, that you aren't going to have more than one dog attack you.

I hadn't heard of Shell Car Fresh aerosol, but if it works, I like that idea a lot. I'm going to have to check that out. GrandmasterP - what is the ingrediant in that to make it so useful?

 

[GrandmasterP]

There ya go... The flower 'scented'one is a right bastard

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Scent-Magic...1_fkmr0_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1354711587&sr=8-2-fkmr0

No idea what's in it. I found out the hard way spraying above my head sitting in drivers seat parked up, looked up, got some in my eyes, just a bit and not direct spray either.
Good job I Was parked outside my house I was useless for two hours bloody agony.

 

[GrandmasterP]

Chucking a couple of Bonios at the dog might work too and be a bit kinder.
Most dogs seem to like a Bonio, ours do for sure.

 

[Cyriacus]

Use one arm to shield your neck, and start hitting it with your other hand. If you throw it off, itll come back. If you retreat, itll chase you. If you dont do anything, it could kill you.

I dont mean to sound harsh. But even if youre carrying aerosol or what have you, you need to get it out first. And thats a thought process which has to occur during a presumably unexpected attack.

 

[GrandmasterP]

Yep fair comment. Would depend on time of year and circumstance too.
I'm wrapped up like a pass the parcel when outside in this weather so Mr Dog could have a mouthful of thick coat sleeve and welcome.
In summer with just a T Shirt on though.....
Do remember a MP dog handler once saying that if you could grab an attacking dog by the scruff of the neck it was fecked.
Also remember watching them train their dogs, the guy the dog was attacking was wrapped up better than a modern arnis player in thick padded armour..

 

[Bill Mattocks]

I respectfully disagree with almost all of the above responses.

A dog has two primary weapons. Mass and teeth. Secondary weapons are claws, which some can use with some effectiveness in defensive situations (when it is attacked or the prey fights back). It knocks smaller animals (and some larger animals) over and it savages them with its teeth. Wolves are dogs, and the way they hunt is instructive. They go for trailing limbs, attempt to tear open arteries, weaken the prey, and bowl it over, where they kill it.

A small child has no chance to fight off a large dog. The only possible defense is to quickly assume the fetal position, and to protect their neck and the inside of their thighs, where the major arteries are, and to start screaming for help.

An adult can do the same thing, or if they choose to fight, they must immobilize the primary weapon, the teeth. That means getting control of the dog's head and clamping the mouth shut. A dog has tremendous biting power, but not so much muscle to OPEN the jaw, so if it is held shut, it will not be able to administer a bite. It also burns tremendous energy reserves when fighting and must breathe through its mouth; it cannot breathe through its nostrils and still exert huge amounts of energy. Most adults are larger than most dogs, so it is important to get on top of the dog physically, quickly. The adult must use their body mass to force the dog to the ground, immobilizing it to the extent possible. Dogs cannot grasp and cannot wrestle. Though they are limber, there are many directions that creatures that never swung from trees cannot bend. Adult human punches to the dog's exposed bones, such as ribs, when the dog is pinned, will break them. Dogs will instinctively retreat when they are injured and they know it; their self-defense instinct is more powerful than their fight instinct. Although I am no fan of injuring dogs, the human must inflict actual serious damage to the attacking dog to ensure it will immediately disengage the attack and run away if it can still move.

Of course, if one can carry things around with them, pepper spray *may* work (and it may not, dogs are not the same as humans), plus it is illegal in many jurisdictions and it requires precision application AND you're going to get a does of it also. A stick is good, a can, something of that nature. If you're adept and it's possible, tree-climbing will work, since dogs cannot climb trees and have short attention spans. A gun or a knife can also be quite useful, with the usual caveats about legality of carry where you live and so on.

Dogs can be quite dangerous. I believe they are more dangerous to children than adults, and children have the least chance of fighting them off. I believe a child should focus on protecting their vital areas, rather than self-defense against an attacking dog. That is not a guarantee, of course. A pack of dogs is another matter, and a child may well simply have no chance of survival against one.

 

[mook jong man]

One strategy that's worked for me a few times against vicious dogs that tried to go me , is to pretend to pick up a rock off the ground and throw it at them.

Now they aren't stupid and will quickly work out after a few times that your not really throwing anything at them.
Maybe they have an innate primitive fear of getting rocks thrown at them , I don't know.

But there was this one particular pair that turned and retreated a few meters every time I did it which gave me the opportunity to get away and over a fence.

 

[jks9199]

Irritant sprays like pepper spray are iffy at best. A dog's nose is designed differently from ours, and filters or blocks stuff out much more effectively. Their skin is protected by fur. While their eyes are vulnerable, they are much more likely to be able to drive through discomfort than a person.

 

[Gnarlie]

Recently in the UK we've has several incidents with dogs attacking people, children in particular (with a couple being killed) and in one case several police officers were injured, a couple quite badly, by an attacking dog. Obviously shooting an attacking dog isn't always an option especially if they are mauling a child so how do people recommend dealing with a dog attack?

Have the owner put to sleep.

Gnarlie

 

[rframe]

Pepper spray has always been the recommended form of protection from aggressive bears for years and has been proven effective many times in real attacks. I would think it has similar effects on dogs?

 

[jks9199]

Pepper spray has always been the recommended form of protection from aggressive bears for years and has been proven effective many times in real attacks. I would think it has similar effects on dogs?

Nope. And I wouldn't recommend it for bears, either. Seems like most folks in Alaska feel that the proper bear protection is a big-*** gun.

 

[rframe]

Nope. And I wouldn't recommend it for bears, either. Seems like most folks in Alaska feel that the proper bear protection is a big-*** gun.

Yeah, I carry a gun too, but I've seen many guys try close range rapid fire drills with large frame revolvers and you know what they do after several sessions... go buy pepper spray, because they dont hit anything with the gun.

We actually have a mailman who's terribly afraid of dogs. Our spaniel was out in the front yard one day and barked at him and he hit it with pepper spray and that dog spun around and took off and hid faster than you knew what happened.

 

[Xue Sheng]

Nope. And I wouldn't recommend it for bears, either. Seems like most folks in Alaska feel that the proper bear protection is a big-*** gun.

Colodrado too. My Cousin use to live on a mountain there and I believe he was caring around a Marlin 444 for Griz

 

[Tez3]

Have the owner put to sleep.

Gnarlie

In the case of the policemen injured by the dog it had been set on them by someone they were trying to arrest. The poor dog suffered in the end of course by being put down and the reputation of the pitbull type plunged again. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-17475293
The trouble with this type of dog is they are built and trained for fighting, poor sods, they don't have a 'scruff' to speak of and their jaws are tremendously strong, locking on. I'm not bad with dogs usually but the thought of one of these attacking is a scary thought, tbh it is the owner who should be shot though I agree.
Dog attacks are escalating here it seems with the fashion among certain types of young men to have a 'hard' dog. However they have little idea of how to train a dog properly so the dogs beome a menace.
http://digitaljournal.com/article/330511

We have dog handlers in our job, some are P.A.T. dogs ..Patrol Arm True... basically attack dogs, the handlers have Rules of Engagement they have to abide by as they are considered as being armed. However the dogs are well trained and no danger until given the right command.

 

[Big Don]

When I was a kid, checking orchards with my dad a dog charged us. Dad reached out and caught the bottom of the mutt's jaw in his right hand with his middle finger and thumb sticking inside. When you hold a dog's mouth like that, they cannot close their mouth. I saw Dad do that many times, but, have never felt like I've had the speed to pull it off myself.

Had mandatory training at work once, where we were instructed, if menaced by a dog to either, Stand like a tree, or huddle like a rock. The idea being the dog would sniff you, and at worst, pee on you before leaving. I'm pretty sure that woman had never seen an angry dog in her life.

 

[jks9199]

As I said before, you have to know a little dog anatomy. Their noses are built differently than ours, and have what amounts to some additional blocks or filters in it. So pepper spray is unlikely to irritate the nasal passages of an attacking dog. Their fur is going to protect much of their skin. You may get their eyes... It's not a reliable deterrent for an aggressively attacking dog; it may be enough for one that is simply doing a thread display to protect its territory. Pepper spray on dogs works best on the dog's owner... I had a funny call once where a teen came home, hugged his two German Shepherds and got a nice dose of pepper spray because a utility meter reader had sprayed the dogs earlier in the day. The dogs didn't care...

Here's the thing about a trained (or even simply abused until aggressive) attacking dog... There's a freakin' reason that we use them in roles like police K9s. They're damn hard to beat, short of shooting. They're built to attack and rip and tear... And if you're dealing with a pack? Good luck. Get a good barrier between you and them.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Yeah, I carry a gun too, but I've seen many guys try close range rapid fire drills with large frame revolvers and you know what they do after several sessions... go buy pepper spray, because they dont hit anything with the gun.

We actually have a mailman who's terribly afraid of dogs. Our spaniel was out in the front yard one day and barked at him and he hit it with pepper spray and that dog spun around and took off and hid faster than you knew what happened.

You might be interested in this link:

http://policelink.monster.com/training/articles/1759-effects-of-pepper-spray-on-the-police-k9

I won't deny that pepper spray can work on a dog; but it might not. And a trained attack dog or one in full attack mode might just react the opposite way.

Also, and one thing that is commonly not understood, is that spraying pepper spray often gets it on you as well. It is just not that unusual. And again, it's not even legal to carry on one's person in many places, so it's not really an option for those folks.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

When I was a kid, checking orchards with my dad a dog charged us. Dad reached out and caught the bottom of the mutt's jaw in his right hand with his middle finger and thumb sticking inside. When you hold a dog's mouth like that, they cannot close their mouth. I saw Dad do that many times, but, have never felt like I've had the speed to pull it off myself.

Had mandatory training at work once, where we were instructed, if menaced by a dog to either, Stand like a tree, or huddle like a rock. The idea being the dog would sniff you, and at worst, pee on you before leaving. I'm pretty sure that woman had never seen an angry dog in her life.

My dad used to do the same thing with my friends pitbull, when they 'played' together. It was the only way to keep him from biting him accidentally when he got too excited. And he had some serious snapping power too, one time he accidentally bit his 'mom', meaning to bite their other dog, a pitbull/husky mix, and let go the second he realized, but she still had to go the the hospital because there was a hole in her arm.