Dog Attacks

Discussion in 'Self Defence' started by Kurtka Jerker, Aug 16, 2014.

  1. Kurtka Jerker

    Kurtka Jerker Valued Member

    So while I was running today, I was approached by a rather large, unsecured Labrador from an unkempt yard full of car parts. It came down the 50 or so meter front yard at a run, barking and growling, tail and head down, back hair up.
    It approached on my left rear, so I turned to face it and backed away slowly (in my previous direction of travel) but it continued to approach, albeit a little more slowly. Here's the part I'm interested in. (and I'll leave what happened out for now) What would you have done at this point? With or without a weapon?


    Edit: okay so I posted the thread and realized it's probably more appropriate in the Self Defense section. Sorry, mods.
     
  2. ned

    ned Valued Member

    First off,I'd use my voice to try and establish dominance,at the same time
    wrap my jacket/shirt round my nearest arm as some sort of protection .
    Then I'd look for the nearest place to climb out of reach-you ain't going to outrun a junkyard dog ! So best to walk calmly first as running could provoke a reaction-he may just be checking you out and seeing you off the premises.

    All easier said than done, dogs can sense fear and your body language can tip the balance either way.
     
  3. Pretty In Pink

    Pretty In Pink Moved on MAP 2017 Gold Award

    Just relax, get down, be inviting. If it's still being aggressive after that you have a few options. Just stand still and wait for the owner to show up. Or go into the feral position and let it pee on you. Seriously.

    If you run it will chase you.
     
  4. Ero-Sennin

    Ero-Sennin Well-Known Member Supporter

    I would have thought about the best way to roundhouse kick the dog in the head while looking for something to pick up to hit the dog with. I would have continued to back away and head in the other direction while watching the dog, but as soon as it was in striking range I probably would have went in to try and kill it as quickly as possible.

    I would probably take the same action towards a human that was coming to attack me too for all you PETA level dog lovers. :p
     
  5. Van Zandt

    Van Zandt Mr. High Kick

    You're in Tennessee. I'd conceal carry and shoot it.
     
  6. Mushroom

    Mushroom De-powered to come back better than before.

    But...its a labrador? Thought they were naturally "oh so nice"

    I would've kicked it as a last resort. I would leave but not run....don't want to give it an excuse to start chasing.
     
  7. bassai

    bassai onwards and upwards ! Moderator Supporter

    I had a persistently aggressive dog on my paper round as a kid , I eventually resolved the situation with a kick to the dogs head , not my proudest moment , but I was out of options.
     
  8. Simon

    Simon Administrator Admin Supporter MAP 2017 Koyo Award

    I think this would have been my approach too.

    The difference between a canine attack and a human attack is the sheer ferocity of the dog.

    No fear of injury, prison, police and so on. Just teeth and anger.

    I was walking across a field once and a dog came across looking as if it was going to eat me.

    I sat back on my rear leg and set myself for a side kick. The dog stopped in front of me and came across all friendly.

    So difficult to say, but I would have looked for somewhere to jump to, then looked for an equaliser, but probably would have stayed put and readied myself for a kick.

    I would argue that it would have to look more like a penalty kick than a martial arts kick.
     
  9. Bozza Bostik

    Bozza Bostik Antichrist on Button Moon

    The chance of you catching a charging dog in the head with something like a roundhouse (as Crisco man said) are pretty slim in my opinion. "Soccer" kick for the win.
     
  10. Ero-Sennin

    Ero-Sennin Well-Known Member Supporter

    I use the term round house loosely. It would probably be more of a "swing my leg as hard as I could in a horizontal manner towards the dog as he lunges at me." So he would have to be within 4-5 feet for me to even kick, and I would be trying to land my entire shin upon him. :p

    My math teacher growing up used to tell us a story about a dog that chased him on his paper route as a kid. He filled a spray bottle up with cleaning fluid (bleach I think?) and sprayed the dog in the face one day. He said it never bothered him again.
     
  11. Mushroom

    Mushroom De-powered to come back better than before.

    It would be a "Oh Holy Expletive" kick!
     
  12. Kurtka Jerker

    Kurtka Jerker Valued Member

    Okay, those are about the responses I expected. It didn't end up being violent. I do carry a handgun but squaring up to meet the threat and backing away sufficed today. It followed at a walk for about 40-60 meters before going back home.
     
  13. robertmap

    robertmap Valued Member

    Just want to say thanks to all - a lovely trip down memory lane - I remember 'Dog Attack' threads from way back in Compuserve forum days :)
     
  14. bassai

    bassai onwards and upwards ! Moderator Supporter

    This is how it went down for me , to be honest it was before i'd had any kind of training anyway.
     
  15. Smitfire

    Smitfire Cactus Schlong

    Territorial aggressive dogs (like in the op) are pretty easy to deal with. Leave the area they are guarding and they'll usually leave you alone.
    Many don't back up the growling and barking with an attack. Because they get so used to people turning up (postman, joggers, etc), turning on the aggression and then having the person leave. They get positive reinforcement that the aggression works almost daily. In their doggy minds they saw the person off with the aggression. But really their desire to be aggressive diminishes the further you get from their territory. And many can be forced to back down if you are confident and face them off.
    Like dogs that chase cats they often don't know what do if they actually get close to what they are after.
    So when someone turns round and doesn't leave they get a bit confused and less confident.
    Not easy to tell which can be confronted and will back off and which will see it as more of a challenge though!
    You can do a lot with a pointed finger, square stance, strong stare and forceful 'psssht' as you move forward.
    I used to do that all the time when dogs wanted to fight mine. Get between and be the dominant one.
    You can create an invisible fence with such body language.
    Failing that a size 10 upside the fizzog can work wonders.
     
    Last edited: Aug 16, 2014
  16. David Harrison

    David Harrison MAPper without portfolio

    Crescent kicks for the win!

    You get the whole leg as leverage and it turns their entire body around, and if they close quickly you still have the knee. I always use them for breaking up dog fights, or even just preventing an enthusiastic face lick. Not often useful on humans, but great on dogs.

    Of course, if they're trained attack dogs that won't work. Dogs' ribcages are far weaker than their skulls, which are pretty tough.

    Me and a friend faced-off a pack of feral dobermans in Greece years ago. Walking slowly and calmly toward them with arms outstretched made them run off. I'd only walk away if there was some kind of barrier to jump over close by, otherwise I think you can run into trouble if you act in a submissive way (in doggy terms).

    My favourite advice was from a vet, who said that if you look just over a dog's head, they wonder what you're looking at, then wonder why you're not looking at them, which leads them into some kind of existential crisis. I'm not sure that it really does make them doubt their existence, but it does have a definite effect :)
     
  17. TKDDragon

    TKDDragon Valued Member

    Let your german Shepard look at him. Worked for me one day as the lab charged up and stopped not knowing what to do up close. Seriously. Square up, raise your voice confidently and yell "go home". Disclaimer if its a pit bull like breed find a short thick stick about 2.5 ft long and keep backing away.
     
  18. Saved_in_Blood

    Saved_in_Blood Valued Member

    you cannot establish dominance over the dog. It doesn't know you and that will only make a dog more aggressive (my Wife is a dog trainer). Dominance attempts will only escalate a situation like that.

    The best thing to do is not to make eye contact or do anything else that might make you appear as an adversary. Showing a non dominant posture along with backing away slowly is the better way to go about it.
     
  19. Saved_in_Blood

    Saved_in_Blood Valued Member

    The lab is the most common dog bite around where I live. I have 2 pits, a Doberman, a mixed and a chi wawa, my pits are not people aggressive. One of them is more aggressive with males and cost 2 of my previous dogs some staples and stitches and almost bit down to the bone. Dogs that show aggressiveness to people need to be reported or shot. They will only produce more dogs with the same nature... or worse.
     
  20. Saved_in_Blood

    Saved_in_Blood Valued Member

    If you hit most pits, it will only make them attack harder. If a pit has attacked you, it has full intentions to hurt or kill because the nature of the pit was NEVER to bite humans. The dogs that used to be bred for pit fighting that turned on handlers or bit people were shot on site and none of that line was bred. Over years and years of this it produced a very family oriented dog that was known in England as the Staffordshire bull terrier (Staffy), also known as "the nanny dog".
     

Share This Page