Dame Aussie Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 I've been rushed before and stomped while yelling, the dog retreated very quickly thankfully. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christina Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 The first thing to try is to say SIT in a very firm voice, despite feeling your voice won't even come out as a squeak. Most dogs know sit & may automatically do it without thinking. Then you back off slowly walking backwards saying good, stay. Worked for me when I went to see someone I hadn't seen for years, waltzed in their big property & shut the gate behind me not knowing they had replaced little friendly dog with 2 huge monster guards who both weighed more than I do. Worth a go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yonjuro Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 Great thread this! My trainer told me one after my puppy was attacked and bitten at an off-leash dog park recently. She suggested that I throw a handful of training treats in the path of the oncoming dog. Obviously this may not work on all occasions, but certainly might. Of course this would depend on you carrying a fully loaded treat bag with you, which I do as walking is always training. I haven't tested this as I avoid these type parks now. She concedes that this will probably make the owner annoyed but if it saves an attack it is worth trying. Anyway it seems that one needs different strategies for different scenarios and there is some great ideas in this thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancinbcs Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 (edited) The stand still and avoid eye contact works with dogs that are hyped up and ready to take you on. I was rushed by an entire male Pitbull a couple of years ago that came hurtling down the street towards me. I was hoping he would run past but no luck and he decided to launch himself at me, not in a particularly aggressive manner but not friendly either. If I had been smaller or older he would have knocked me flying and if I had screamed and flailed around I am sure he would have attacked as he was really hyped up. I decided to try what I had been teaching kids in schools and stood stock still with my hands by my side but he tried to grab my hands so I ended up folding my arms. He kept jumping and nipping at me for a while then settled, lost interest and trotted off when he got no reaction from me. I was about to ask some people in the house I was near if they had anything I could tie him up with so we could call the ranger but at that moment he spotted an elderly woman walking a old desexed bitch and bolted towards her in full attack mode. Her bitch ran around in circles trying to escape and pulled the lead out of her hand, heading for the main road. As the bitch came towards me I grabbed her and calmed her down. As she ran though the Pitbull changed his attention to her owner and knocked her over injuring her shoulder, then went for her head. Luckily two young men passing jumped on the dog and had the presence of mind to grab the woman's walking stick and wedge it in the dog's mouth as he kept trying to get at her head but the stick stopped him closing his mouth. This could potentially have been a very serious attack if it had not been defused so quickly. One young man stayed on top of the dog while the other got the lady up and brought her over to me with her dog and another woman. We called the Police and Ambulance who came and treated the woman. Unfortunately just before the police arrived a car pulled up and a guy jumped out, grabbed the dog off the guy holding him and took off through the park with his dog. He was told that the dog had injured the woman who was still in the ambulance but he didn't care or stick around to find out if she was ok. Edited April 20, 2014 by dancinbcs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdierikx Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 Not many dogs on their own will come at you from behind (unless they are going for another dog trailing behind you on a lead). I've found that if alone and approached by a larger not so friendly dog, the thing that has worked for me was to turn my back on it. It can't see your eyes, and only has your butt, legs, and back to try to latch on to if it still decides to have a go. NEVER back away from a dog - you will be off balance, and that is when they are more likely to jump at you. If you MUST engage with the dog at all, a really hard kick towards the chest area can be effective - and possibly kill the dog if landed right... errr! I was attacked by a nasty medium sized mutt when I was about 11. I was walking to a friend's place, and this horrid bloody thing scaled it's fence and just launched at me. I managed to get hold of both it's front legs and reefed them apart... and I actually killed the dog in doing so. The owners were quite upset until I showed them the bites it had inflicted on me before I managed to fight back... and being native Papuans, they were then way more concerned about me asking them for "compensation" for the incident that the fact that I'd killed their dog. When I finally got to my friend's house, the mother treated my wounds and all was good for playing all afternoon as kids do... I would have no problem fighting back hard enough to kill a dog that was attacking me - adrenaline can be an effective tool in those situations. Not the first course of action if you can avoid it, but when it comes down to me or the dog... well... T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nic.B Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 If a dog rushes you, Stand still Be quiet Avoid eye contact Wait for dog to leave before moving slowly to safety Yes, Souff did that once. Waited for 2 hours in the summer sun for owner to arrive home. Take water with you if you suspect this might happen ;) :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nic.B Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 I have only ever been through this once I hope I never have to deal with it again. We were VERY lucky as I only had my large breed with me, if I had taken the other two (elderly medium and small breed) I hate to think what would have happened. IMO it would have resulted in death. Three dogs approached us very aggressively, one large breed two medium breeds. The large breed was leading, one backed her up just to the side and a bit further back to her right, the other (more timid) came in behind us. It was a nightmare. I have never kicked anything so hard in my life before once they attacked, I actually had one pinned down by the throat with my boot at one stage. I kept it down even though it was whimpering. Luckily I had steal capped boots on. I now know what people mean when they say frenzied attack. The mistake I made was to put Fern into a drop as they approached, I thought her size would intimidate them (she was larger in size than all of them) Afterwards I wondered if I had done the wrong thing, since then I realise I did. More than one attacking dog is hideous, if you had more than one dog of your own I hate to think Hazy Wal went through this recently. Stupid thing is I had never walked the dogs off the property! There are some really good suggestions when dealing with one aggressive dog, when more than one is involved it is much harder. This is a great thread. I have thought of a spray though wondered about those personal alarms women use? Would something like that make a difference? They are really loud though also high pitched. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdierikx Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 I can vouch for the fact that capsicum/pepper spray doesn't work if the dog is already in the rage stage... and you will suffer from the stuff as well! T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirislin Posted April 20, 2014 Author Share Posted April 20, 2014 All these responses came too late for what I needed but it was OK in the end....kind of. I visited the house where the dog of concern was. He arrived home after I'd been there a while. He's a big young pup who actually seemed quite mellow to me, but I was told he reacted well to me. Then we decided to take my dogs for a walk because they'd been locked in the car while I was visiting. I was very cautious about letting him meet them but his owner held him across the other side of the street and let him walk up to sniff them. He seemed friendly, a bit keen for Feather and Neko, he was in their face a bit but they kept fairly aloof and out of his way. His owner was going out but the father said he'd walk the dog with us as we went to the local park. We'd only taken a few steps when, too quick for the walker, he rushed at Feather and in an instant opened his mouth as if he was about to eat her. No sound from him, and I'm still not sure if it was in play, it would have been very rough and innappropriate play for a dog her size. I instinctively stepped in front of him and roared for him to get back. It was enough to break his purpose and gave the person on the end of his leash a chance to haul him back. And that was the end of the social walk to the park. He was put in the house and we had a lovely peaceful walk to the park. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mixeduppup Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 (edited) You're best off to use your instinct. I've been told to stand still and avoid eye contact and remain calm but when it happened to me I saw the dog coming and thought shit so yelled and stamped my feet like a psycho and it hightailed it back home. Glad to hear you used yours as well. Each situation is unique. Glad to hear it ended peacefully. Edited April 20, 2014 by mixeduppup Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirislin Posted April 20, 2014 Author Share Posted April 20, 2014 You're best off to use your instinct. I've been told to stand still and avoid eye contact and remain calm but when it happened to me I saw the dog coming and thought shit so yelled and stamped my feet like a psycho and it hightailed it back home. Glad to hear you used yours as well. Each situation is unique. Glad to hear it ended peacefully. I think some peoples instinct is correct in certain situations and some would be all wrong. After all I've read and been told, I suspect I would still just react instinctively as I did yesterday, even if it was the wrong thing to do, I actually had no control over my reaction to this big pup. Almost 40 years ago I found a GSD bitch lost in a park with 3 fat unweaned puppies. I could tell she was very stressed, I didn't know much about dogs but luckily for me, I must have done everything right. I instinctively squatted down and called her and she was barking very nervously and aggressively. I kept my head down and didn't turn as she ran around the back of me, I just kept the same postition. She came right up barking, I could feel her hot breath on the back of my neck and her voice was so deep and loud it rattled my brain. I kept very still and when she moved away a bit I just stood up, didn't look at her but told her to come. She was making a growly grumbly noise and I said in a firm voice for her to heel. To my surprise and relief, she did! Then her 3 little puppies all tumbled and waddled after her and we had to walk about a kilometre to my mothers home. Across the busy Princes Hwy with puppies all strung out in a row crying. :laugh: It all ended well and they got back to their owner. No one had told me what to do back then but I just knew not to look at her and not to move when she came up to me barking. Lucky for me what I did then worked. I cannot say I'd do the right thing in all situations though, and I dont want to be tested to find out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdierikx Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 Lost and frightened mums with pups can be VERY dangerous... you did good! T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirislin Posted April 20, 2014 Author Share Posted April 20, 2014 Lost and frightened mums with pups can be VERY dangerous... you did good! T. Yes, and she was a big girl too, I'll find the newspaper article about it and post it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdierikx Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 I got more experience with scared mums than I care to mention when I was volunteering with rescue... they can be pretty scary, no matter what size they are... I would have filled my pants with a defensive GSD mumma barking that close to my head... errr! Then again, I suppose if I'm game enough to get up close and personal with a Pittie mumma defending her babies (no-one else could get within cooee of her), I probably would have done the same as you did with the GSD... *grin* T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aidan3 Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 Most aggression is ritualised aggression, so don't give them a reason to take it further and they will eventually back down. Others have learned to bite, and sometimes your only option is to try and drive them away or minimise the damage. Thankfully these dogs are relatively rare so it's usually best to just "be a tree". The dynamic changes if you have a dog with you, particularly a reactive dog. Thankfully, again, most aggression is ritualised and most probably won't escalate (statistically speaking), so try and read the situation and try to minimise the chances of a fight. As a behaviour consultant I've had a string of confirmed biters recently, thanks to some new referral sources. The situations under which these dogs bite are inevitably the sort of situations a dog-savvy person might expect a sharp dog to bite, at least the first few times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mita Posted April 21, 2014 Share Posted April 21, 2014 so try and read the situation and try to minimise the chances of a fight. I was thinking that might apply, given different dogs are behaving differently for different reasons. Maybe tips from behaviourists on how to read the situation could be helpful. Once when a huge German Shepherd came thundering across the park at me & our 2 shelties (on leads), I honestly thought our time had come. No way I'd leave the 2 shelties, so I put my arms around them. When the GSD got a few metres away, I just shouted 'Stop!'. Really had no idea what else to do....given it looked like we'd be thundered into. Amazingly, the GSD skidded to a stop. His owner, way across the park, heard my yell & whistled him to come. He went. But it was all more a matter of luck, than knowing what to do. With a different dog, it might have ended differently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirislin Posted April 21, 2014 Author Share Posted April 21, 2014 (edited) Lost and frightened mums with pups can be VERY dangerous... you did good! T. Here's the article about it. I wonder if Noel Potter is still breeding GSDs and if any of her progeny are still alive. I remember she was imported from Germany, she must have been one of the first since the ban was lifted on them. Edited April 21, 2014 by Kirislin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simply Grand Posted April 21, 2014 Share Posted April 21, 2014 The stand still and avoid eye contact works with dogs that are hyped up and ready to take you on. I was rushed by an entire male Pitbull a couple of years ago that came hurtling down the street towards me. I was hoping he would run past but no luck and he decided to launch himself at me, not in a particularly aggressive manner but not friendly either. If I had been smaller or older he would have knocked me flying and if I had screamed and flailed around I am sure he would have attacked as he was really hyped up. I decided to try what I had been teaching kids in schools and stood stock still with my hands by my side but he tried to grab my hands so I ended up folding my arms. He kept jumping and nipping at me for a while then settled, lost interest and trotted off when he got no reaction from me. I was about to ask some people in the house I was near if they had anything I could tie him up with so we could call the ranger but at that moment he spotted an elderly woman walking a old desexed bitch and bolted towards her in full attack mode. Her bitch ran around in circles trying to escape and pulled the lead out of her hand, heading for the main road. As the bitch came towards me I grabbed her and calmed her down. As she ran though the Pitbull changed his attention to her owner and knocked her over injuring her shoulder, then went for her head. Luckily two young men passing jumped on the dog and had the presence of mind to grab the woman's walking stick and wedge it in the dog's mouth as he kept trying to get at her head but the stick stopped him closing his mouth. This could potentially have been a very serious attack if it had not been defused so quickly. One young man stayed on top of the dog while the other got the lady up and brought her over to me with her dog and another woman. We called the Police and Ambulance who came and treated the woman. Unfortunately just before the police arrived a car pulled up and a guy jumped out, grabbed the dog off the guy holding him and took off through the park with his dog. He was told that the dog had injured the woman who was still in the ambulance but he didn't care or stick around to find out if she was ok. That's an awful story! So glad you were ok and thank god the two guys were there to help the other woman. What an a&$hole the owner was to just run off with his dog, I wonder if there had been previous incidents and he knew the dog could be in big trouble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simply Grand Posted April 21, 2014 Share Posted April 21, 2014 (edited) Not many dogs on their own will come at you from behind (unless they are going for another dog trailing behind you on a lead). I've found that if alone and approached by a larger not so friendly dog, the thing that has worked for me was to turn my back on it. It can't see your eyes, and only has your butt, legs, and back to try to latch on to if it still decides to have a go. NEVER back away from a dog - you will be off balance, and that is when they are more likely to jump at you. T. A fear aggressive dog that is actually willing to attack is quite likely to warn, warn, warn while you're facing it then lunge when you turn your back. I wouldn't risk turning my back personally. Edited April 21, 2014 by Simply Grand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Akayla Posted April 21, 2014 Share Posted April 21, 2014 I have been bitten from behind before. I wouldn't turn my back either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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