A healthy adult of normal size could probably defend him/herself from any dog unless the attack was a surprise or the person panicked. A dog has dangerous teeth and bite but we have two hands, feet, teeth and the best weapon of all - a brain.
Could a healthy adult fend off a determined mountain lion attack by keeping his/her head and having a plan of action? Lions have a powerful bite but also have claws.
Not without a weapon.
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From here :
I found quite a few sites with similar information, and was surprised to learn that dogs are an attractant. I guess I would expect a small dog to be, but we’ve always kept Danes and I didn’t realize it could still pose a danger bringing one with us.
This is a fun question, for an answer let’s assume that this is a dysfunctional cougar with a taste for man flesh (they don’t normally consider humans a prey species). Assuming I must resort to fisticuffs? Without a weapon I’d say the human is pretty much dinner. Also assuming both opponents are aware of each other and able to at least assume a combat pose:
Without appreciable means of defeating the cat other than by strangulation or other severe neck injury the human’s only viable attack will be staged from the beast’s back and executed with something amounting to a sleeper hold–and he’s gonna get exactly one chance to pull it off. This will be a difficult position to assume because the cat has enough of an arm-span to prevent the human from dodging a lunge and then scurrying onto the back of the cat. The move could be executed by leaping head on at the cougar in such a way as to pass over the back of the cat’s head, lock hands on the way & catch the head in the hug. The weight & momentum of the human could thus snap the beast’s neck, but the plan would be best made if a follow up maneuver involved completing the move to result in the human being astride the back of the cat–commence sleeper hold. Legolas could do this. Maybe a gymnast.
A reasonably together person could dodge cougar leaps all day like a bull fighter, but pretty soon the cat will simply walk up and slap the human to his butt (like a kitty swatting a bird out of the sky) at which point a 3 fronted assault on the human’s fleshy bits will be launched: Teeth to the face and neck, fore claws to the head and back, and nasty raking hind feet do their work on the belly.
But if the human had a club or a spear, well, that fight has been won beofre.
A buddy and I once had an encounter with a mountain lion back in the 70s. Actually I’m not sure it was a mountain lion it was late at night and I was a little sleepy but it was definitely a large fierce beastie. I wanted to run but my buddy stood his ground and looked that mountain lion right in the eye and the mountain lion decided to go away.
What cichlidiot said.
Mountain lions are very stealthy creatures. In that area (I’ve hiked there several times), you could practially walk right past one if it was crouched in some tall grass or undergrowth.
One time in Utah, on an out-and-back hike, a cougar sprinted up out of some bushes and over a ridge(away from me) from a spot I had passed not 10 minutes before. I don’t think it was stalking me–there were quite a few deer in the area–but I would’ve been a sitting duck.
I guess that my scenarios really aren’t realistic in the wild. Wild dogs and wolves hunt in packs when going for large prey. One or mire distracts the prey in the front and the rest attack from the rear. A single unarmed person wouldn’t have much of a chance.
A wild mountain lion would probably not attack unless it had the drop on you. If it attacked by surprise, probably from behind I don’t think your chances would be good.
My assumption about being able to beat a dog comes to me when jogging alone. If my neighbor’s paro loco attacked me, he would approach barking and I should be able to handle him.
Dogs have bitten me twice. Once in 2nd grade I stuck my head in a doghouse containing a bitch and new pups. She got me by the lip. The other time I was walking to work and a dog that usually barked didn’t but sneaked up behind me and got me by the calf from the back.
I don’t know if you guys know it but there were at least two Mt. Lion attacks in Orange County CA this past week. It seems the guy who was killed was changing his bike tire. Crouched down/squatting or bending. The OC Register has a whole bunch of stories about it today.
Here is the linkOC Register
Yeah, or a penknife. (Heh.)
Here’s a link describing a successful defence from an attacking cougar, (mountian lion), that had the drop on a 61 year old retired gentleman. All the man had was a 3 inch folding pocket knife which he used to slash the cougar’s throat.
OOOOps
That is one BAD old man!
That would be so creepy. One of my favorite hikes is not too far of a drive from my home, and it has a small waterfall near the beginning of the trail. As you approach the waterfall, it has a sign posted. When I first read it, I thought it would be information about the fall itself. Instead, it asks you to look up and see the cougar staring you in the eyes. heh I’ve never seen one, but it sure gave be the googlies when I first read it.
Dogs are damn dangerous. I’ve been attacked in Tibet. Take out your achellies tendon and bring you down. If not, enough bleeding to kill you. The expression dog pile is based on reality. a pack will attack and all of em will go after your calves.
For this to be true, we first need to assume that the cougar will be polite enough to call the person’s attention to the possibility of an attack. Since cougars hunt by stealth, this seems unlikely.
We must further assume that the person has skill comparable to a bullfighter’s, and perhaps something analogous to the bullfighter’s cape (the proper use of which requires much practice).
So if a cooperative cougar and a trained cougarfighter happen to meet, you may well be correct.
Even a single REAL dog could take most people. Ok, a wolf. Heavily domesticated dogs wouldn’t pose a huge problem. Anything closer to its origins will own you.
ANY big cat can take anyone except in unusual circumstances. Even the smaller cats can take you. In fact I’d say unless you’re prepared and know what you’re up to you’re most likely going to be on the ground and from there on its gonna go down hill fast.
Its also good to note that different breeds of dog will have different instincts and methods. Afghans will likely rip your throat out given the chance to pounce from the front. Then again they normally run down their prey so.
My point being animals with better hunting instincts will dominate any human, since generally speaking we have nil in the way of hunting skills.
I thought this article would be insightful, being written by someone with lots of experience. Seems the people in the know adovocate using your brain rather than your brawn to deal with dogs, even if those dogs are only half your size or less. So a healthy person could defend themselves from most dogs, but not with their hands or teeth. I’d say the brain would be absolutley critical 99% of the time - and you’d have to train it first; not much of what was suggested in that article would come by instinct to most people.
Unarmed, I’d imagine this to be your best bet too, since our brain has replaced whatever formidable physical weaponry we may have relied upon in the distant past. A person is just as strong and robust as a dog (overall), and larger than most…but without the nasty jaws, claws, hoofs, horns, etc… we are still at a disadvantage. Once the attack starts however it may be too late to use the Jedi mind trick on poochy. Defending from a cougar would be another level of difficulty, but possible given the right circumstances I suppose. But in all probablitity you’ll be cat chow at least 95% of the time if:
I don’t like 'dem odds… carry a weapon and/or learn what to do before going cougar/wolf/Tibetan dog-spotting.
I’ve fended off a dog and won. Now I do have several years of martial arts training and I consider myself to be in good shape. That said, I was also extremely lucky. I was out and was attacked by a rottie-mix of some sort. I let the dog jump up and when it did I grabbed it by the legs and swung it headfirst into a tree. I came away with several sets of deep scratches but nothing serious. I would NOT reccomend this tactic for joe avarage in less than ideal condition. Your best bet with dogs is to try to intimidate them before they jump you. NEVER run from a dog, they’ll chase you down. If you have to figth them, find something to swing. I would NEVER want to fight a mountain lion.