I have heard that you should throw your keys at the dog when he gets close enough. He’ll snatch for them automatically, and then you can kick him in the head or something.
this is so terrible. I hope I never have to fuck a dog’s shit up. kinda getting sick to my stomach reading the thread.
jb
Sorry jb, it is pretty grim, but it’s one of those things that I figure would be nice to know just in case.
Lots of good ideas folks, thanks. Though some of them seem pretty tricky though, I may have to practice on something smaller first.
zen, even if the top of the skull is a vulnerable point, I don’t know that I’d recommend such a defense to most people.
I do quite a bit of sparring and consider myself pretty good with my hands and feet, but I have little faith in my ability to land a perfectly placed hammer fist on the top of a charging dog’s skull.
My views are largely influenced by work I’ve done against wrestlers trying to shoot on me, which is probably the experience I’ve had which most closely parallels an onrushing dog. IMO the best option against a shooting wrestler is to sprawl, probably not your preference against a dog. Tho I love kicking, especially with my lead leg, and my long legs give me considerable range, I find the head of a shooting wrestler to be an incredibly tough target. Plus, if the kick doesn’t incapacitate them, you get caught on one foot. Also, trying to kick a dog’s head leaves the possibility that the dog will grab ahold of the leg. I’ve seen too many people cut up their fists on guys’ teeth. Not eager to find out what would happen to my foot/leg against a dog’s canines.
If I’m going to punch, my preference is uppercuts, while at the same time angling your lead leg away from the attacker. I assume, like a wrestler, the dog will likely go for your lead leg - whatever is closest to him. Of course, for a wrestler, uppercuts make his shoot more difficult. With a dog, it might bring his mouth up to areas you’d less like him to attack.
All in all, I see dropping yourself to deliver the type of blow you describe as a relatively low percentage shot, which somewhat restricts your follow-up options (i.e., you have to get down close to the level of the dog’s teeth to deliver the shot). An alternative, which I also train against wrestlers, is to redirect the shooter’s head with a hand pushing down and away, while angling off to the side, and kicking.
Finally, I’m reluctant to choose as my initial option a course of action that has such a high probability of injuring myself (broken hand).
In suggesting kicks to the chest, I tried to figure what most average people not trained in fighting could pull off. Me, as I stated, I love to kick and work at it a lot. Moreover, I have had big dogs for the past 20 years, and am very comfortable with them. And tho I love dogs SO MUCH, and am very confident in my ability to intimidate even large aggressive dogs when necessary, I would have no compunction against kicking a dog to death or swinging it repeatedly into an obstruction if it attacked me or my loved ones. Cheery topic, hey?
I guess no one has stated the obvious, yet, that dogs can’t climb trees or fences.
Now what do we do if someone comes after you with a pointed stick?
I would agree with most that running wouldn’t a wise choice, since most dogs are faster than humans. Dog’s cant climb very well so I would recommend climbing something, a tree, a pole, adrenaline does wonders.
I heard once a dog has a weak spot somewhere near the chest\front leg area. I dont recall exactally where. So if there was nothing to climb, no one to help, and no gun in hand 
I would start kicking like a man possessed. Another thing if your wearing a thick jacket, you could try throwing it over its head and hauling ass. just a thought.
Thats what Guinea Pigs are born for m’man. You got to hold out a treat and when the run at the treat… pretend they’re attacking. CRACK!!! SQUEEEEEK
I thought they taught this in the military. When I was a kid, there was a notorious neighborhood german shepherd who used to hurdle his fence and attack passersby. One day he made the mistake of going after a jogging Army colonel, and the dog coincidentally wound up with a broken hind leg. He never got over that fence again.
It was my (youngster’s) understanding that dog defense was part of the colonel’s training. I could easily be wrong.
An old friend of mine claimed that she was attacked by a dog when she was 12. She said she clasped her hands together and brought them down hard just in front of the base of the tail, breaking the dog’s spine. I don’t know if I beliee her. After all, she was only 12 and could be remembering a traumatic experience incorrectly.
I like to take 2-mile walks at 5 in the ayem around the neighbourhood. There’s a construction yard that has three large dogs in it. There is no physical fence. I assume there is an electronic fence of some sort, but I’ve seen the dogs out in the street a couple of times. I have a 5-foot hiking staff, but I doubt I’d be able to take on three dogs with it at once.
What about doing something to otherwise engage their
mouths? I’ve always thought about (but hope I never
have the chance to try) taking off a jacket or
a shoe and thrusting it towards the biting mouth.
Then, once they’ve chomped down, you can swing the dog
around in the air and fling him at something hard.
One problem with this is that if it doesn’t work,
now you’ve got a shoe off…
Caveat: I do love dogs too, and the only time I
swung a dog around is when my own dog, as a pup,
would grab onto my sock while I was wearing it.
This wouldn’t work for a dog that is in the process of attacking you, but I remember hearing that if you are out jogging or something, and approach a questionable dog, you should ask, in your best doggy-voice, “Wanna go for a walk? Huh? Good boy! Wanna go for a walk? Come on? Good boy!”
It supposedly throws off their concentration, and they are words all dogs know.
I have never tried it, though.
and I’don’t particularly want to again, but a Shephard came after me once, and I grabbed his lower jaw like a handle with my thumb inside his mouth, pushing down on his tounge. The gag reflex set in before he could chomp down and all he wanted to do was get away from me then. Probably just lucky he didn’t bite my thumb off.
later, Tom.
JoeyBlades method is the one I’d approve of.
Attempting to kick a large animal is very dangerous as the kick has to be fast and accurate.
Most dogs are quite quick enough to avoid tihs and you may then be caught unbalanced.Once you are down you could be in big trouble.
Dogs will often try to get around the back of you, instinctively they know that you have fewer defences so it is a good idea to have your back to something.
As the animal comes in use something to distract it such as a coat around your arm, if you just let it swing around the dog will probably not go for it.
Just as it is about to chomp at the distraction you can bust the jaw or if you are quick and confident enough then step round it so you are behind its head and drop onto its back real hard, grabbing the throat under the forearm will allow you to strangle it (lock your legs around its body)or you could lift the head from under the chin, the dog will twist its head to one side so that its neck is not broken, this allows you to grab the muzzle and continue the rotation and the front legs will buckle throwing it onto its back.Plenty of seriously hard kicks in the underbelly will disable or kill it.
If a dog locks onto you then grabbing the nose forces it to breathe through the mouth and you can get yout fingers onto the tongue which you push backwards.It then has to let go to breathe.
Two dogs is far more serious as they may not stop their attack, they may well maintain it as pack instincts take over.Best bet is to clobber them with something, but you will probably get chewed up somewhat so your priority has to be to take one out very quickly indeed and do your best to minimise the damage the other one does until you can deal with it.
Then take a shotgun and find the owner!
yes I have had to deal with a few in my time, I guess I must resemble a frail wildebeest or something.
What about in “True Lies” where the two dogs jump at Ahhnold and he smashes their heads together? Would that work?
In theory, you would handle an attacking dog just as you would an attacking man. If flight is not an option, aim for vulnerable points: eyes, throat, belly, nads. I would think this would require admirable concentration.
In one of John D. MacDonald’s Travis McGee adventures, he had McGee disable an on-rushing Doberman by waiting until the dog had made its final lunge, then grasping the extended paw and using his momentum as he fell away to sling the dog behind him. Claimed he learned that technique in the army.
Worked for McGee anyway.
Learned this from a nature show… Works on humans and dogs pretty well.
Stick your weak arm in the air at a 45 degree angle and open and close your fist. The dog will be distacted by that, and then with your good arm (or leg) crank him on the side of the head.
Thats why you should always carry your E-tool.
Dinsdale
You are right it is a risky venture to use a hammer blow against an attack dog. But not as risky as you might think. Your comparison to an oncoming wrestler going for a high-crotch is a good one for a height comparison on average dogs trained for attack (dobermans and german shepherds) but the typical wrestler is going to circle and “shoot” in a surprising manner. Giving you little opportunity to judge your downstroke.
With an attack dog, once he is “on” you he is charging straight in. The dog will lock the target from the distance trained or on command and be at a full run drom that time. This gives you some ability to judge your swing.
With dobermans this is a lot more risky as they are jumpers (a dobey can clear a 9’ vertical jump from a motionless stance and their fwd jumping is on par with an olympian class longjumper) But both doberman and german shepherd will launch usually fairly close to you as they have been trained to do (this assumes you only have one dog on you. attack dogs that work in groups will circle you to pen you in and, if well, trained the ones on the sides will go for arms while a third goes for your head or torso). What you want to do is cut off the leap (you can tell when the dog is getting ready to jump because they lower themselves two or three steps before leaping on to you). Jump toward the dog and bring your hammer fist down on to the space mentioned before. This has two other beneficial effects, one if you are lucky you will take the animal out, and secondly you halt the dogs leap. This will buy you time.
Another reason not to rely on kicks or any upward angled attacks unless you are knocked down is that you lose balance against an opponent who is lower to the ground than you are. You sound like you have some training in unarmed combat so you are probably familliar with the advantage of a crouched leg-sweep. The dog has the advantage in compact form and a low center of gravity and it is very hard to injure or kill a dog from below. The fur is going to absorb a lot of impact to soft tissue and the neck is extremely mobile (unlike a human) and therefore dangerous to approach.
Someone mentioned a friend who claimed to break a dogs spine by hitting it above the tail. The poster speculated that this was unlikely but the premise is solid. If you can get behind the dog (say by dodging it’s initial run on you) and do an axe kick to the base of it’s tail you can either crack it’s pelvis or break the spine if you have enough force behind the blow. This is because dogs rear quarter does not compress as well as the front quarter so there is less shock dampening.
The hammer blow is likely to cause injury but if properly executed it leaves you alive and able to get the hell out of dodge. You can still use a broken hand if you have to as well. So long as your thumb and one finger works it well still work as a hand should. Just hurts like a mother.
If you have had body hardening training you can use a palm strike rather than a hammer fist but unless you are quite strong and coodinated you are risking just irritating the animal. I would suggest a palm strike for someone who was either a long time student of TKD, JKD, or Kempo.
While In the military I was not trained on how to kill dogs or defend myself against them. There isn’t much reason for that kind of training in a modern ARMY, even if the SF units. Not too likely to encounter a dog in combat.
No No No you are going about this all wrong.
If you let an aggressive dog get close enough to hit with your bare hand you have let him get too close.
When you decide that the dog is going to try to attack, reach down and pick up a rock and act like you are going to throw it, if there are no rocks go thru the motions anyway.
The dog will break off the attack long before he gets close enough to bite
Dogs have had millions of years to learn that the hairless monkeys throw hard and have good aim.
Peace
LIONsob
Having a bit of MA background, I can tell you that theory jbird espouses won’t work. Things just happen too fast and distracting the dog’s focus is a dubious tactic.
I have two experences. In the first staring, yelling and charging worked. But I don’t think this dog was as intent as the second who was charging fast with obvious intent. I simply stood still until the last moment and kicked the shit out of the bottom of his throat. He started coughing trying to catch his breath (I suppose), got into his own head and walked away. I disagree with posters who say this is hard to do. Aiming and all. It was actually quite easy. Nor did it unbalance me.
Jeeze, you’re all so aggressive that you forget this one,
that defuses the entire situation.
A dog is attacking you?
Call out, come’ere baby!
Come here! Come on…
Come on, baby, I know you’re really a sweetheart aren’t you?
(and I admit to calling all of them by the generic name of ‘killer’, com’ere killer! come’on baby!)
That confuses most of them enough with love that they back off, maybe with a little suspicion, but they back off.
Why?
Because they get fed and loved by some human somewhere, and if you talk to them in that language…
It buys you enough time to back away, slowly, untill you are off the turf that they are protecting.
Or they then charge fully up to you, recognize you as friend, and then accept you as a family member.
Well, if you’re the nervous type, I recommend backing away, and making your escape.
If you can handle the other thing, becoming family, or litter mate, first be friendly, show no harm, they recognize that,
Then don’t hesitate to command.
You dog, I, Man.
Stop! Stay! Sit! Heel!
They understand that too.
It’s an ‘iron fist in a velvet glove’ kinda’ thing.
It’s not kept me from being attacked, but it’s kept me from being bitten, for more than 28 years.
(oh yeah, the ps., I also carry an eighteen inch piece of re-bar for the recalcitrant, just in case, but I’ve never had to use it)