What to do in a dog attack?

[paulnj]

OK. though I only own a pug right now, I had many many mastiff breeds over the years. I defy anyone to grab the lower jaw of a dog that can apply 2200 lbs of pressure in it's bite (mind you a police dog only has 1700 or so at best).

Also, regular pepper spray that a mailman uses only pisses them off(my old mailman found out not to mace a gentle giant on a 20 foot lead) . You need the bear spray I suggested previously,

Felicia gave the most sound advice here.. read it and remember it.

When dogs fight it usually is only for DOMINANCE and you definately don't want to be in the middle. You can lose fingers that way(my friend did with his own dogs)

 

[Chewbecca]

I haven't had to use my Halt spray.
The spay I had on me when we were approached by the off leash lab was direct stop and it did NOTHING to deter the lab.:main_laugh:

The lab was not aggressive, just rude, so when my dog got on her hind legs and growled and slobbered all over that labs face, that spoke way more VOLUMES than the Direct Stop did.

That lab backed off, shook its head, and calmly went off to sniff some bushes, and it didn't come anywhere NEAR us after that.

My dog is not kind to other dogs, as I've stated, but she's controllable on leash.
I've never been in a situation where the off leash dog was actually aggressive towards me.

I guess I get so worried that my dog is going to be the aggressor towards the other dog, that it never occurred to me that another dog might be aggressive towards people.
In that situation, you would need a strong spray and a cell phone to call AC or cops to remove the dog as soon as possible.
Carry a stick too to act as a way to protect yourself if worse comes to worst.

MOST dogs are not simply human aggressive, though.

 

[LizMarie]

Thanks Guys... I'll be looking for the bear spray

 

[paulnj]

you were so close with that link before you edited

http://www.mace.com/index.php/product/index/id/9

big can and it will soak that dog :main_evilgrin: Skin , eyes, nose..... nearly the same stuff cops use on criminals and the same amount of coverage and distance

 

[mariex4]

take a weapon i watch that ceser show and he had an umbrella and when the dog came he opend it up and were the dog went he went and after a bit it went , pit bull will jaw lock and there dam hard to open when they shut , totties can do quite abit of damage ,but what gets me is why people get these big dogs that frighten people and why not have a dog on a lead with such aggression and can hurt a small dog ggggrrrrrrr anyways im glad you got back home ok and the little one

 

[Chewbecca]

take a weapon i watch that ceser show and he had an umbrella and when the dog came he opend it up and were the dog went he went and after a bit it went , pit bull will jaw lock and there dam hard to open when they shut , totties can do quite abit of damage ,but what gets me is why people get these big dogs that frighten people and why not have a dog on a lead with such aggression and can hurt a small dog ggggrrrrrrr anyways im glad you got back home ok and the little one

Pit bulls do not have locking jaws. There is NO special mechanism that makes a pit bull's jaw lock. That is a COMPLETE myth.

Pit bulls were originally bred for bull baiting where they would have to bite down on the bull's snout.
They are tenacious, but not monsters.
Of course a rottie can do damage, it's a considerably bigger dog than a small dog!

But is there any more likeliness that a rottie WILL do damage than any other dog?
No.

Same with pit bulls.

 

[mariex4]

so where im from i was on the fieled with my dog and there was all this shouting and when i walked over to see there was a pit bull with lots of blood i stopped and this guy was gripping the pit bull and trying to prize its mouth open the police had to come and they sprayed some sort of can and bless the little dog it had was a mess the pit bull had to be put down thank God , i have a german shep and that could of been my dog even tho shes big and she can be agressive but sod that

 

[Wolfyhound]

Threatening to hit a dog with a stick often stops them. I've often just raised the stick up in preperation to hit them and they'll usually stop.

Pepper sprays can be effective when you use them, but raising the can up doesn't deter the dog like a stick does. Looking like you're big enough for the dog to not be able to take down is the most effective way to prevent an attack.

Looking harmless is a bad idea if it's coming at you. You are not threatening the dog, it's threatening YOU. Unless you have invaded it's home, it is being agressive towards you, and you need to make certain that you tell it that you are a bigger dog than it is. Stand tall, raise your arms, swing a stick, and tell it "No! Get back! Go Home!" in a strong assertive voice. Do not scream, run, or grab at it.

The heavy mace, or pepper sprays can deter an attacking dog, as can kicking it, or hitting it with a stick, or tasering it, or shooting it. Best thing is to not let the attack get to that point however. By the time you've gotten to the point of kicking it off you, you're probably already bitten. Dogs are MUCH faster than the typical human, and in attack mode they will bite you five times before you can raise your hand.

If you are not legal to carry a gun, DON'T CARRY A GUN. If you have a BB gun, good darned luck to you, because first.. you have to hit the dog, and second, it has to care about that little sting from the pellet. Plus, carrying a BB gun in places is illegil because they resemble real guns. So you're risking fines, and trouble with the law, for no real benefit.

If you carry a real gun, make sure you know exactly what you're doing, as your ability to hit a moving smallish target near to you is probably next to none, unless you're some sort of trained combat specialist. Target shooting means diddley-squat in that circumstance, and you're more likely to shoot yourself in the leg, or shoot a bystander than to hit the attacking dog. Even if you are an avid hunter, you're still not very likely to be able to hit a close-by fast-moving target effectively. Unless you carry a shotgun with you walking around the neighborhood, carry something really effective, like the pepper sprays or bear sprays especially(it is a very wide stream of spray, so easier to hit the dog).

Hope none of you reading ever have to be in this circumstance to begin with!

 

[Chewbecca]

so where im from i was on the fieled with my dog and there was all this shouting and when i walked over to see there was a pit bull with lots of blood i stopped and this guy was gripping the pit bull and trying to prize its mouth open the police had to come and they sprayed some sort of can and bless the little dog it had was a mess the pit bull had to be put down thank God , i have a german shep and that could of been my dog even tho shes big and she can be agressive but sod that

Pit bulls do not have locking jaws, again.

Was the pit bull on a leash?
Was the dog it attacked on a leash?

You want to talk about irresponsible owners of dogs, fine.
THAT is what this thread is basically about.
Please do not breed bash in this thread.

 

[paulnj]

Agreed.

I rescued 9 fighting pitbulls(scars and all) and rehabbed them into family pets. No such thing as a bad dog, only bad owners.

 

[Misstasha]

sorry if im repeating something but the best way (its gross tho, so be prepared) to stop a dog fight is stick you finger up there bum! I know it soun ds crazy but they will sometimes do that at the vet if two dogs start fighting and wont stop!!!

 

[Angel]

Our neighbor let these people move in last month in a motorhome and they have a verrrrry aggressive lab/rotti cross. the 1st night they were here i took loki my pitbull out for a walk we got to the end of the driveway and this dog came flying across the street aggressive growling ready to attack, luckly my dog got between us and pushed me back i yelled at the dog it did nothing thankfully the dogs owner came out and grabbed her said she is like this cause she just had puppies watev. The second time we just came home and were unloading our 3 young kids from the car and she came running over i slammed the car door to protect the kids and saw her run over to my boyfriends side and he had enough time he lined her up and kicked her in the head hard she ran away yipping tail between her legs. Not that its great to hurt a dog but if its between hurting a dog or getting bit id hurt the dog. Needless to say he went over and had some nasty words with the owner they assured she would be chained form now on. otherwise we would be callin the spca and having them press charges.
I wouldnt count on pepper spray working well if there is any breeze it could very well backfire and get yourself leaving you blind and attacked.

 

[paulnj]

I stopped a male GRIZZLY BEAR with bear spray in Alaska 8 years ago Good thing, because the other hand had a S&W 41 mag in it

I was a nature photog and was taking images of a female and cubs. The male wanted to breed and was trying to kill the cubs and anything in it's way to get her in the mood .

I assure you bear spray does indeed deter angry dogs and I have used it a few times without fail. it is under alot of pressure and can indeed fight through a 10 mph wind.

 

[got spots?]

I have pepper spray and I fear injuring the dog and myself.. I will be the idiot to spray it and inhale it myself. I'll see if they have anything at the pet store..

Pepper spray is amazing. They even have something called bear mace which is said to repel a bear lol..

 

[dasia24]

Here are some tips :
1) Avoid eye contact with the dog and talk softly.
2) If you suddenly turn around and try to escape the dog, chances are that your dog chase and attack so do not run.
3) If you live in an area where dogs are free doubtful, you can choose to use a stick or other tool that can be used in emergency situations

 

[Yoh4n]

I know this may be late but could you please not say the dog is a pitbull unless you are 100% sure it is, because its making them look bad and there are a lot of dogs that look like pitbulls and Im pretty sure you did not mean it that way.

 

[Dog Shrink]

All I can say is WOW... I have never heard so much misinformation as to WHY dogs attack in my life. Dogs to not attack because they are trying to be "dominant" that is a myth, the whole dominance theory has been debunked time and time again. Dogs attack for several reasons. Lack of socialization, lack of control, lack of confidence, fear, sexual drive, resource guarding and barrier frustration are the main ones. But anywho... that doesn't address the op's question of what to do IN an attack...

First off you DO NOT want to put any part of yourself near a dog fight. Stamping your foot or getting your leg near 2 dogs fighting is just asking for a bite. Look up displacement biting...if you were to stamp your foot or put a leg near 2 dogs fighting they are in such a blind fury that they are more likely to grab your leg or foot than to be distracted or intimidated by the stamping foot. Hitting a dog that is acting aggressively towards you or your dog is usually the push into full on attack mode because now you are the aggressor and have put the dog on the defensive and in his mind there is no choice but generally to fight or flight. Most will usually fight depending on the type of dog. Very rarely will a dog flight if you don't really give it a good whack and if it is already fighting your dog it will only heighten the fight not lessen it.

Most dogs that charge at you snarling and barking are trying to intimidate you, those are generally dogs that are under socialized and underconfident. They are trying to get you to go away not dominate you. FEAR and anxiety is generally what motivates them believe it or not. Dogs like this you can clap your hands really loud, yell NO (since most dogs know what NO means) while stomping in it's direction claiming it's space showing that you are not afraid and generally they will back off and decide you aren't worth the fight. If you have a purse or back pack get it in between you and the dog. The umbrella idea is a great one (altho I don't generally recommend many of the techniques that Caesar uses), as the sudden popping open of the umbrella is startling to them as now you're really big, and it provides you a shield between you and the dog and breaks his gaze. A dog won't attack what it can't focus on.

Something else you can do is carry food with you. I know this sounds kind of counter productive as you may thing the dog will go after you for the food, but what you can do is throw it to the dog, thereby changing it's mode of thinking. Eating releases endorphins and often will take most dogs out of attack mode if the incident is more of an intimidation issue rather than a true I hate you and want to eat you thing.

Something else you can do is use calming signals. This is something that dogs do amongst themselves to show they are not trying to pick a fight. yawning (try this at your local shelter with a dog that is going ballistic and watch them stop and see what the heck just happened), licking your llips, look at the dog then to the ground, these are all calming signals that not only serve to help calm the dog showing the signals but also calm the dog you are showing them to.

If the dog facing you is already engaged in attacking YOU, The air horn is a good idea as is the bear spray. Citronella has little to no effect on most dogs that are truly in attack mode and it usually just ends up pissing them off more. Gouge his eyes, grab his private parts and yank, bend his paw in the direction is isn't suppose to go in, pull the heck outta his ears, and yes pulling his mouth open will dislocate their jaw. Bite pressure can only be applied after the bite has commenced and the dog has a hold of you or your pet. Be prepared tho if your physical attack isn't enough to get him to back off it will likely increase the intensity of his attack.

If you are facing a dog that is attacking your dog, DO NOT try to pull them apart as the feeling of you pulling something out of hs mouth will only make him bite harder not release. Wheelbarrow the dog forward OVER your dog by grabbing his back legs and lifting them in the air (just like pushing a wheelbarrow) the surprise of suddenly being off balance and off the ground (well half of him anyway) is usually the break in the fight you need to let your dog escape. If all else fails the finger in the bum is a great way of getting the dog to break his attack as is grabbing it by the tail (you always want to go for the non-toothy end) and lofting the dog into the air as far as you can. Usually the surprise of getting grabbed from behind is the few seconds you need to redirect his attention off your animal and into self preservation mode.

One thing you never want to do when faced with an off leash dog that is threatening you and your on lead dog is to pick up your dog because this will change the focus of the attacking dog. You really want to leave your dog on the ground to fend for itself, cruel as thies may sound, but your dog pseaks dog a lot better than you do and will likely do a lot better job of trying to diffuse the fight than you ever can thru appropriate body language, trying to egress, and showing the appropriate calming signals. By picking your dog up you leave yourself vuneralbe to becoming the object of the attack as the other dog tries to get to your dog plus now you have less mobility because your hands are full of your dog. Worst case scenario is to simply let your dog go, let them escape and hide under something the larger dog can't get into (and believe me he will find something to hide under). Under a car, under a hedge, anything. This gives you the opportunity to use some of the other tactics such as the tail pull and loft, or the spray with out worry of accidentally getting yourself or your dog. Your little dog can likely run as fast as the bigger dog and certainly is more agile so escape is not impossible for your pet.

In the 17 years I have been doing animal behavior work I have only ever been bitten 3 times (and I specialize in aggression disorders). Once was an incident of displacement biting from an american bulldog that I was trying to introduce into a foster home (mine) and he really for some reason didn't like my great dane. My dane was free to move around teh dog run and Ihad the lead of the bulldog. Well every time he lunged at my dane I pulled him back, well I guess I pulled him one too many times and he wa so heightened he turned and bit me on the calf. The second time I got bit was by a cartigan welsh corgi that I wasn't even training (I was training his housemate) and the owner asked me to put meds in this dogs eye asit was getting over a corneal abrasion (veryu painful) and the dog ended up actually biting me 3 times WITH a muzzle on (guess that's what happens when you put a size 3 muzzle on a size 2 dog) he was just able to get me with his little front teeth but it still hurt like heck. The third time was a golden retriever that I was consulting on for being aggressive with guests to the house. The owner just stood there as her dog was barking and bounding at me, I could see the dog getting more and more excited, then he jumped and bit me on the forearm. Needless to say they didn't sign up for classes but should have.

The best thing you can do to prevent an attack is to understand the dynamics of why attacks happen. If you own a dog then read up on it, and if you own a dog that you KNOW is dog aggressive for Pete's sake NEVER walk it outside with out a muzzle or you're just asking for trouble.

Wow sorry for this turning into a small novel. For LizMarie... I have a Luna too

 

[Yoh4n]

Really love you Dog Shrink!!

 

[Dog Shrink]

Aw thank you Yoh4n... not sure why but thanks all the same This was just (finally) an area that I do hold vast knowledge in so I figured as long as I had the opportunity to share... I would

 

[roger]

All I can say is WOW... I have never heard so much misinformation as to WHY dogs attack in my life. Dogs to not attack because they are trying to be "dominant" that is a myth, the whole dominance theory has been debunked time and time again. Dogs attack for several reasons. Lack of socialization, lack of control, lack of confidence, fear, sexual drive, resource guarding and barrier frustration are the main ones. But anywho... that doesn't address the op's question of what to do IN an attack...

First off you DO NOT want to put any part of yourself near a dog fight. Stamping your foot or getting your leg near 2 dogs fighting is just asking for a bite. Look up displacement biting...if you were to stamp your foot or put a leg near 2 dogs fighting they are in such a blind fury that they are more likely to grab your leg or foot than to be distracted or intimidated by the stamping foot. Hitting a dog that is acting aggressively towards you or your dog is usually the push into full on attack mode because now you are the aggressor and have put the dog on the defensive and in his mind there is no choice but generally to fight or flight. Most will usually fight depending on the type of dog. Very rarely will a dog flight if you don't really give it a good whack and if it is already fighting your dog it will only heighten the fight not lessen it.

Most dogs that charge at you snarling and barking are trying to intimidate you, those are generally dogs that are under socialized and underconfident. They are trying to get you to go away not dominate you. FEAR and anxiety is generally what motivates them believe it or not. Dogs like this you can clap your hands really loud, yell NO (since most dogs know what NO means) while stomping in it's direction claiming it's space showing that you are not afraid and generally they will back off and decide you aren't worth the fight. If you have a purse or back pack get it in between you and the dog. The umbrella idea is a great one (altho I don't generally recommend many of the techniques that Caesar uses), as the sudden popping open of the umbrella is startling to them as now you're really big, and it provides you a shield between you and the dog and breaks his gaze. A dog won't attack what it can't focus on.

Something else you can do is carry food with you. I know this sounds kind of counter productive as you may thing the dog will go after you for the food, but what you can do is throw it to the dog, thereby changing it's mode of thinking. Eating releases endorphins and often will take most dogs out of attack mode if the incident is more of an intimidation issue rather than a true I hate you and want to eat you thing.

Something else you can do is use calming signals. This is something that dogs do amongst themselves to show they are not trying to pick a fight. yawning (try this at your local shelter with a dog that is going ballistic and watch them stop and see what the heck just happened), licking your llips, look at the dog then to the ground, these are all calming signals that not only serve to help calm the dog showing the signals but also calm the dog you are showing them to.

If the dog facing you is already engaged in attacking YOU, The air horn is a good idea as is the bear spray. Citronella has little to no effect on most dogs that are truly in attack mode and it usually just ends up pissing them off more. Gouge his eyes, grab his private parts and yank, bend his paw in the direction is isn't suppose to go in, pull the heck outta his ears, and yes pulling his mouth open will dislocate their jaw. Bite pressure can only be applied after the bite has commenced and the dog has a hold of you or your pet. Be prepared tho if your physical attack isn't enough to get him to back off it will likely increase the intensity of his attack.

If you are facing a dog that is attacking your dog, DO NOT try to pull them apart as the feeling of you pulling something out of hs mouth will only make him bite harder not release. Wheelbarrow the dog forward OVER your dog by grabbing his back legs and lifting them in the air (just like pushing a wheelbarrow) the surprise of suddenly being off balance and off the ground (well half of him anyway) is usually the break in the fight you need to let your dog escape. If all else fails the finger in the bum is a great way of getting the dog to break his attack as is grabbing it by the tail (you always want to go for the non-toothy end) and lofting the dog into the air as far as you can. Usually the surprise of getting grabbed from behind is the few seconds you need to redirect his attention off your animal and into self preservation mode.

One thing you never want to do when faced with an off leash dog that is threatening you and your on lead dog is to pick up your dog because this will change the focus of the attacking dog. You really want to leave your dog on the ground to fend for itself, cruel as thies may sound, but your dog pseaks dog a lot better than you do and will likely do a lot better job of trying to diffuse the fight than you ever can thru appropriate body language, trying to egress, and showing the appropriate calming signals. By picking your dog up you leave yourself vuneralbe to becoming the object of the attack as the other dog tries to get to your dog plus now you have less mobility because your hands are full of your dog. Worst case scenario is to simply let your dog go, let them escape and hide under something the larger dog can't get into (and believe me he will find something to hide under). Under a car, under a hedge, anything. This gives you the opportunity to use some of the other tactics such as the tail pull and loft, or the spray with out worry of accidentally getting yourself or your dog. Your little dog can likely run as fast as the bigger dog and certainly is more agile so escape is not impossible for your pet.

In the 17 years I have been doing animal behavior work I have only ever been bitten 3 times (and I specialize in aggression disorders). Once was an incident of displacement biting from an american bulldog that I was trying to introduce into a foster home (mine) and he really for some reason didn't like my great dane. My dane was free to move around teh dog run and Ihad the lead of the bulldog. Well every time he lunged at my dane I pulled him back, well I guess I pulled him one too many times and he wa so heightened he turned and bit me on the calf. The second time I got bit was by a cartigan welsh corgi that I wasn't even training (I was training his housemate) and the owner asked me to put meds in this dogs eye asit was getting over a corneal abrasion (veryu painful) and the dog ended up actually biting me 3 times WITH a muzzle on (guess that's what happens when you put a size 3 muzzle on a size 2 dog) he was just able to get me with his little front teeth but it still hurt like heck. The third time was a golden retriever that I was consulting on for being aggressive with guests to the house. The owner just stood there as her dog was barking and bounding at me, I could see the dog getting more and more excited, then he jumped and bit me on the forearm. Needless to say they didn't sign up for classes but should have.

The best thing you can do to prevent an attack is to understand the dynamics of why attacks happen. If you own a dog then read up on it, and if you own a dog that you KNOW is dog aggressive for Pete's sake NEVER walk it outside with out a muzzle or you're just asking for trouble.

Wow sorry for this turning into a small novel. For LizMarie... I have a Luna too

Geez I got tired reading it.I can imagine how u feel LOL:main_laugh: