Here's a column about how to prevent confrontation with an aggressive dog, but the advice goes against what I've heard in other places. Opinions?
"Standing still and put your hands in pockets because they like to get hold of something," says Madeleine Forsyth, a veterinary surgeon and non-practising barrister based in York. "A waving arm is an obvious target."Avoid eye contact because it is confrontational and it is always unwise to turn your back, says Miss Forsyth, so standing sideways and looking slightly away is advisable.
I've seen aggressive dogs back down when confronted with yelling and waving arms, and I've also seen them calm down when you ignore them. So what's the right answer?
If a dog does bite, do not pull away because that will tear the flesh, she says, but shout for help."Hope there is someone with a breaking stick to introduce between the jaws.
"Anything will do that can be slid between the teeth at the side, but given the strength of the jaw and the leverage, it would have to be a very powerful bit of stick or it will just break."
Rather than just hoping for a stick, wouldn't it be good to gouge the dog in the eye or punch it in the nose? I've also heard that scraping the top of the inside of the dog's mouth with your fingernails will bring good results. A knife to the neck or gut would probably also be helpful.
I love dogs (and generally dislike cats).. but an aggressive dog that's aggressive toward me is going to be met with an even more aggressive me.
I wonder if biting the dog's ear would work--that's a dominance move.
No, I wouldn't pull a Mike Tyson.. that's just dumb. In human vs. dog, human teeth are far from the most effective.
But really Michael, why dance around the subject? How fast can you draw and empty the chamber?
I've learned that you have to assess the situation. If the approaching dog is nervous-aggressive, waving an arm around will probably make him stand down. If he is confident aggressive, then you should stand in a non-threatening manner and not make eye contact.
If the dog manages to bite you, panic causes the situation to escalate. Grabbing the dog by the jowls and wrenching it can cause the dog enough discomfort to release, but you have to ensure that you do it in a way that the dog will not have room to then bite the hand grabbing him.
I've been around all types of dogs my entire life...people who get bitten are USUALLY doing something to instigate the behavior.
I've been charged at by many dogs in my lifetime (usually loose running around the neighborhood) but if you handle the situation appropriately, you won't be harmed.
DeoDuce: I, personally, haven't had any dogs with a serious biting threat be aggressive toward me.
You are right, though, that dogs who bite aren't usually the ones who started it.
I don't start things with dogs.. because I love dogs, but if there's ever one who is unnecessarily aggressive toward me or starts getting aggressive for some stupid reason.. he/she's gonna get it.
As little patience as I have for aggressive dogs.. I have even less for pissy cats.. and I've been around plenty of them. Most cats love me, though.. even though I don't really love them.
*Every* medium or large dog I've personally met had its tail wagging when it approached me.
A wagging tail doesn't mean friendship in all cases. It just communicates excitement, which can also translate into aggression.
When jogging one evening in Redondo Beach, I had a massive Rottweiler come out into the street from behind a home and face me down. It was trying to get a hold of my feet first, then lunged at my arm as I was pointing and loudly telling it to leave. I heard the jaws clamp shut on empty air as I moved away from the lunge. If he had gotten a hold of me, I would have had a hard time doing anything as it was half as big as me. I stared it down and backed up slowly which eventually got me out of there. I called the police immediately since there was other joggers in the area. I will never run again without something to defend with.
DD: It has never done that for me.
Mark--regardless of whether it's the right answer for the situation, I can guarantee you that biting a dog's ear will get his attention. It may be the case that other things override it, like him trying to bite your arm, but biting a dog's ear causes a hardwired reaction. Like I said, it's a dominance thing.
RC: You can't just dismiss whether or not it's the right answer for the situation.. because that's the whole point. Why would you ever put your face/head in greater danger by approaching the dog's ears with your teeth/mouth?
If I were going to physically overpower a dog, I would think wrestling rather than striking. Four-legged skeletons present a wall of bone to the outside. Humans on two feet have exposed abdomens and relatively unstable heads. It would require some study of canine anatomy to know how to strike a dog with any effectiveness.
The weakness of the four-legged skeleton is that it has to stay on its four feet. Get a dog down on its side or back, and it has a very hard time getting back up against resistance.
Predators are good at attack, but not defense. If a dog bit me, I would collapse my weight on top of it to try to get it off its feet while trying to get my hands around the neck or shoulders. Then put one knees on the abdomen, preferably low on the ribcage, and lean in hard.
And while you're playing the physical angle, don't forget the psychological. Scream at the dog like you're insane. Tell yourself that you're fully prepared to break that dog's legs and ribs, even while it's gnawing on your hand, and then communicate that readiness through your body language. Get your adrenaline flowing.
If the dog still wants to challenge you, then chase it. Lunge at it like you're going to kill it. Don't forget to scream at it. Your neighbors may think you're insane, but you're far less likely to spend the evening worrying about rabies.
There could be something to what Ben said--I used to have a medium-sized dog that was attacked by a much larger Rottweiler--my dog flipped the other one on its back and held it in place by biting the leg.
no that advice is correct. Confronting a dog head on is an aggressive move and more likely to provoke an attack. Stay as still and small as possible- like a tree, back away slowly if you must (ie if the dog doesn't get fed up and go away first), don't make eye contact, never approach a dog head on, sideways only. If attacked or if an attack if imminent lie flat on the floor, face down, cover the back of your neck with your clasped hands to protect this vulnerable area.
Yay, I'm glad some people posted some ideas for actually fighting and defeating a dog rather than just debating the optimal way to surrender.