Glad to hear it. And to return what may have been the intent of the op, the what to do if approached and threatened by two generic vicious and scary looking dogs …
Again I think the without question first take is to hope that appearances aside they are actually trained animals and to give a firm confident command (with hand signal) of “Sit!” or “Down!” followed by praise and a “Stay!” command when complied. (Which again by personal experience decades past, worked). At this point with my puppy I always have treats in my coat pocket so I’d squat to their level and offer some yummies after that with lots more praise too. Certainly no sudden large moves.
If actually being attacked you are pretty much screwed. If you choose to fight then trying to pick one up by the hindquarters* and to use that snarling mass as a shield against the other might be the best tactic but defensive posturing might be more likely to get you out alive and with the least severe damage - curled into a ball knees up elbows tight together in front with forearms protecting your face, hands fisted against your temples facing down, face as far into your groin as you can go. And while there, if you can reach, kiss your ass goodbye.
*And I’ve been told that such is the best way to separate two dogs going at it, say at a dog park, the two owners pulling them apart by picking up their hind legs and pulling them apart. Do not get between them!
The collar has always worked for me. Usually the dog sobers up pretty quick. Picking up a dog by its hind legs sounds like a good way to hurt the dog - it wouldn’t be on my short list.
The person doing the telling was the trainer of our current dog’s puppy class whose own dog is a Rott. Not presented as part of the curriculum but by way of conversation. FWIW but I get the friendly fire caution of putting your hand and arm near the rapidly moving heads of two dogs trying to bite each other. I cannot personally vouch for it. None of my dogs have ever been in such a circumstance and I’ve personally rarely even witnessed dogs going at it in more than play for more than a quick snap and done type conflict.
Regarding the OP, I would try to make friends first. Crouch down to get on their level (I wouldn’t sit because it’s harder to get out of a sitting position if making friends doesn’t work.) Sweet talk them. This will usually work. If not, stand back up and say “BAD DOG!” Order them to sit. Don’t panic, don’t act scared. Act bossy. There are crazy dogs out there that this won’t work with, but they’re rare.
I faced an interesting situation a couple of years back. It was a Sunday morning and I was out for a walk, when my neighbor’s (usually caged) Rottweiler came loping around the house, literally foaming at the mouth and with his attention focused on me. It turns out that he’d just had an encounter with another neighbor, who’d gotten him very riled up - but I didn’t know that at the time.
Anyway, I learned, on the spot, that academic discussions of fear don’t really convey the real thing. I thought I wasn’t afraid of much, and I’m not - but in the face of imminent harm, instinct takes over and thinking takes a holiday.
Fortunately I walk with an old 7-iron, just in case I encounter one of the dangerous critters that abound in these parts. So that club got raised up over my head as I barked out something that wasn’t English…and the dog stopped cold. It was breathing heavily and clearly stirred up, but at least it wasn’t charging anymore. I backed slowly away, keeping the club raised, until I got back to my own place.
Then I got in my car, drove across to the neighbor’s house, and pressed the horn button until he appeared. Then the dog came bounding up and was ushered inside. The neighbor was all apologies, of course - he’s a good guy - the dog had simply found a way out of his cage.
I learned a thing or two about myself. It took HOURS for my heart rate to calm down, and the bitter taste didn’t leave my mouth for about that long.
I can say that the idea of making friends was out of the question. Confronted with the same situation I defy anyone to try it. All I can say is that my instincts served me well.
I’ve confronted rattlesnakes, bears, and even angry dogs, and this was a different thing altogether. But I wonder, had the dog not stopped, how good of a 7-iron shot would I have made?
Drop into a crouch, and use your lock-picking tools to open the drivers side door of the nearby Ferrari. Keep telling yourself, “Don’t look at the dogs; work the lock. Work the lock, don’t look at the dogs!”
Many good ideas on here. Giving them commands is probably the best and first thing to do. Dogs listen to humans, not just their masters, and most dogs know “sit”. If they sit, then you don’t really need to worry about them. I would suggest at that point, taking a picture and posting on a local facebook lost pets page.
If they don’t sit, then stand your ground as they approach. Widen your shoulders, draw yourself up. Watch them, but don’t stare at them in the eyes. They will likely walk up and sniff you, maybe even lick you. If they are bit a unruly, they may even try to jump up on you. If this happens, don’t hit them or try to wrestle with them, just lift one leg so that your knee pushes on their chest, and pushes them off.
One piece of info you haven’t shared, you say you are in a field. Who owns this field? If the owner of the field is the owner of the dogs, then that is a situation where you may be more likely to be attacked. If that happens, remember, dogs are not killing machines, they are animals that happen to have some teeth and claws. You are smarter than they are, have better reach, the ability to wield weapons, and most likely, you weigh twice or more what they do. If you are wearing sturdy shoes or boots, kicks to the sternum can get them to back off. If you can find a stick or something even sturdier, poking is better than swinging. They will probably avoid most swings.
Try to keep your feet. If you go down, try to curl up and protect the parts of you that you find valuable.
If you can grapple with one, try to get around its neck, not its hindquarters. If you control the head, you control the dog. I don’t know how much good this does against 2 dogs, but if you can get one choked out, then the other is much easier to deal with.
I’ve never known any dog owner to be capable of realistically assessing their dog’s temperament, in general or in the moment. Every dog that every bit or mauled or killed somebody was a good dog.
There are many dogs that have bit or mauled or killed that their owner was perfectly aware that that was what would happen, as that is what the owner trained them to do.
I will agree that there are many people out there that should not have dogs. Whether it is because the have malicious intentions towards the dog and its training and treatment, or because they are ignorant and neglect their dog’s needs.
That does not mean that there are not responsible dog owners out there that are able to train their dogs to be sociable and non-aggressive.
Know what else is usually near your dog’s collar in a fight? An angry dog’s mouth. Putting your hand in there is asking for a bite. If you get that close to the fight, you’re IN the fight, and bad things can happen. Get your hands just above the hips and pull them up, while twisting sideways slowly and pulling away. The goal is to turn fast enough that the dog has to sidestep to avoid falling flat on his face, but not so fast that you’re swinging him around. If he has to sidestep, he can’t turn on the person grabbing him around his hips and moving him. By getting the back paws of the ground, you’ve removed most of his ability to move forward at all. By getting him facing away from the other dog, you’ve removed half of the stimulus that’s making him angry. Once the dogs are separated and facing away from each other, THEN get the collar. Attach whatever leash or rope you have, and remove at least one dog from the area.
Did you say the same about Rotts 15 years ago, Dobermans before that, and German Shepherd Dogs before those? There’s literally always been a breed of “violent, scary, unsafe” dog out there, with the accompanying ignorant unease. Pibbles just happened to get stuck at the intersection of FOTM “mean dog” and widespread social media.
Personally, APBT are not big dogs, by any means - Vaya is the same weight as a moderate-sized pitty, though a bit taller at the withers and leaner, and no one would say she’s a big dog. However, they can still cause serious injury and death when that line is reached. I’ve mentioned it in the Pit thread, but most Americans think of the American Bully when you say Pit Bull. While they definitely have APBT bloodlines, there’s a mix of other breeds in there as well, including some mastiff and Cane Corso for the big monsters, the XLs. Aside from their scary looks when docked and cropped, they’re babies, specifically bred to be gentle and unaggressive, because of their size.
The vast majority of dog problems are the result of training, or lack of it. Not just of dogs, but of those around dogs as well. It’s ridiculously simple stuff, and so easy a child can do it.
[ul]
[li]Don’t hug a strange dog[/li][li]Don’t violate a dog’s personal space (get right in their face, play with their paws, etc.)[/li][li]Don’t hit a strange dog or pull on their tail or ears[/li][li]Don’t taunt a strange dog[/li][li]Learn the signs of fear and discomfort, and immediately leave a dog alone that is exhibiting those signs[/li][/ul]
I’ve worked with dozens, if not hundreds, if pibbles, ranging from puppies that the owners don’t have time for, to dogs that aren’t as cute as they were as puppies (this one pisses me off), to dogs that were confiscated from abusive environments. We’re at the level of ANECdata, but I’ve never had a bad experience with any of them, outside of a vicious gumming of my shoes by a pack of month-old “totes adorbs” pitties. They’re smart, strong, and a bit stubborn, but they are wonderful pets unless their owner is a complete bastard.
Chisquirrle has worked with dozens, if not hundreds, of pit bulls. They range from puppies that the owners don’t have time for to dogs that have grown out of their “puppiness” and are no longer that cute (to their owners). The latter makes Chisquirrel angry. Also, Chisquirrel has worked with dogs from abusive environments. While Chisquirrel would not confuse anecdotes with scientific data, Chisquirrel has not had a bad experience with pit bulls, outside them chewing on their shoes by a pack of totally adorable, month-old puppies. Pit bulls are smart, strong, and a bit stubborn, but wonderful pets unless their owner is a complete bastard.
I knew the moment I saw the words “pit bull” in your OP that it was hopeless. By using that example you stepped into a steaming pile of, well . . .
My advice is to ask a mod to lock this thread. Then start a new one using the word “dogs” in place of “Pit Bulls.” That way you can actually have the discussion you were trying for.
when I was a postie I was often harassed by dogs - if they came at me aggressively I would walk straight at it and roar at the top of my voice. they always ran away, mostly from surprise I imagine
