# Vicious Dog Attack Question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 24, 2008, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vicious-dog-attack-question/464940 "2008-09-24T04:06:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vicious-dog-attack-question/464940/21 "2008-09-25T20:38:42Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > A weapon can be useful – a stout stick, held straight toward the dog’s center of mass to fend off the dog, while you retreat toward safety or assistance may be better than a bat or club used to strike and possibly further enrage the animal… More memories from my misspent (sorta) youth - if you know how to fight and have good footwork, it is funny to have someone try to swing a baseball bat at you. Way easy to get inside that. But if they use it to jab at you, you just find yourself piling up the bruises without ever being able to touch them. Same with a broomstick. The key is that such weapons provide you a range advantage … ---
**Author:** ![Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Springtime_for_Spacers)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vicious-dog-attack-question/464940/22 "2008-09-25T23:18:16Z")
If the dog is attacking someone or something else the one I’ve seen that works is shoving a finger up the dog’s bum. It certainly made a friend’s Alsation let go of a Jack Russell’s throat. (Friend had a broken arm in plaster. He was slow getting over a ladder style and both dogs, who hated each other, had taken advantage of this to get into a very nasty fight on the other side). ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vicious-dog-attack-question/464940/23 "2008-09-25T23:37:51Z")
> [@usedtobe](#): > > a trained attack dog will leap far out (to prevent belly kicks) and arrive at you nearly parrallel to the ground. Grab a fore leg, and drop/roll backwards while holding the leg at arm’s length. The idea is to slam it face-first into the ground. If it is still moving, stomp its head until it no longer moves. Dropping or rolling sounds like terrible advice for someone who hasn’t been specifically trained how to fight a dog, or in all likelihood learned any martial arts at all. Stay on your feet- the dog has the advantage in ground work. > [@FRDE](#): > > Sounds like a bark. Okay, that’s just a WAG, but IME, short guttural tones come out deeper and more bark sounding, and German (even pseudoGerman) is full of them. Of course, there’s also a phenomenal training school in Germany, and your better German Shepherds may have been trained there and “speak” German, and some asshole dog fighters think German sounds badass, and may learn a few commands in German or pseudoGerman, so it’s possible that the dog may respond to German commands because of training. Interestingly, circus lion-tamers traditionally train their cats in German. There are two reasons for this: first, many commands in German are one syllable and very authoritative-sounding, saving you a smidge of time if the situation gets critical. Second, this way you can trade a cat from circus to circus and always know in what language it has been trained. This is probably irrelevant to the thread, but I thought I’d mention it. ---
**Author:** ![Br\_er\_Lapin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@Br\_er\_Lapin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Br_er_Lapin)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vicious-dog-attack-question/464940/24 "2008-09-25T23:57:16Z")
WHen a friend’s dog was being attacked by a stray, she got the stray off her dog by sticking her finger all the way up his butt. She says he immediately stopped fighting and just seemed extremely confused. I don’t know how often this is likely to work, or how you’d go about accessing a dog’s anus while it’s attacking you, but I figured I’d throw it out there. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2008, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vicious-dog-attack-question/464940/25 "2008-09-26T00:30:38Z")
I’ve always been told, and I don’t know how reliable this is, that if you’re behind the dog you can stop it doing whatever it’s doing (attacking a person or another dog) by picking it up by its hind legs so only the front ones are on the ground - it won’t be able to reach you and it won’t be able to move foward. How do you even go about sticking your finger up a dog’s ass in a hurry? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2008, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vicious-dog-attack-question/464940/26 "2008-09-26T00:48:53Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > How do you even go about sticking your finger up a dog’s ass in a hurry? Fingertip first, of course. I read a news story years ago about a police dog that was killed by a suspect using the “grab forelegs and yank apart” strategy. It certainly sounds plausible, but I don’t see any possible way you could do this unless the dog had already knocked you to the ground, and of course you’re going to get bitten at least a few times trying to get a hold of both limbs. ---
**Author:** ![greatshakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/58956e/32.png) [@greatshakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/greatshakes)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vicious-dog-attack-question/464940/27 "2008-11-24T08:19:53Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > I’ve always been told, and I don’t know how reliable this is, that if you’re behind the dog you can stop it doing whatever it’s doing (attacking a person or another dog) by picking it up by its hind legs so only the front ones are on the ground - it won’t be able to reach you and it won’t be able to move foward. How do you even go about sticking your finger up a dog’s ass in a hurry? I know it would certainly stop me from attacking! This is the funniest thing I have read in ten years! I’m here at home trying to keep from waking up the womenfolk, and it’s no easy task. Literally, tears in my eyes. Keep up the good work. ---
**Author:** ![greatshakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/58956e/32.png) [@greatshakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/greatshakes)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vicious-dog-attack-question/464940/28 "2008-11-24T08:21:39Z")
> [@Br\_er\_Lapin](#): > > WHen a friend’s dog was being attacked by a stray, she got the stray off her dog by sticking her finger all the way up his butt. She says he immediately stopped fighting and just seemed extremely confused. No, I lied in the last post. THIS is the funniest thing I have read in the last 20 years! ---
**Author:** ![Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vicious-dog-attack-question/464940/29 "2008-11-24T08:55:22Z")
My favorite was the “homo with a hammer” comment! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![timbicile59](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/aeb1de/32.png) [@timbicile59](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/timbicile59)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vicious-dog-attack-question/464940/30 "2008-11-24T23:00:18Z")
> [@Hank\_Beecher](#): > > If a dog moves as if it is going to attack you take a quick half of a step towards it and raise your dominant arm high as if you had a large heavy club poised to strike. I think they have some deeply ingrained instinct thing from the wolf-dog transition that makes them flee a Homo with a hammer. I used to know a guy who had trained attack dogs and one of the things I remember is that they are trained to attack if you raised your arm. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc348/32.png) [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vicious-dog-attack-question/464940/31 "2008-11-24T23:48:14Z")
> [@dolphinboy](#): > > Any dog handlers out there? I have been reading a lot about dog attacks in the news lately and I was wondering what exactly I should do if a pit bull decides to attack me and I have no weapon and there is no safe place to run to. > > I don’t think sticking my leg out to try and kick the dog would be a very good idea or to try and strike it with my arm or hand. So what should I do? Try to stare it down? Roll up into a ball on the ground? Hope to find a rock or stick nearby to throw at it? :dubious: > > If this is more IMHO territory Mods feel free to move it! You’ll likely not get the chance to stare down a pit bull. What ever you do, stay on your feet as long as possible. Consider your life is in the ballance. Every situation is different, and if you keep your wits about you, the best strategy will become apparent to you. I once was attacked by a pack of stray dogs, totally unprepared yet I managed a strategy to overcome the crisis without a scratch. ---
**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2008, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vicious-dog-attack-question/464940/32 "2008-11-25T00:26:22Z")
> [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](#): > > I once was attacked by a pack of stray dogs, totally unprepared yet I managed a strategy to overcome the crisis without a scratch. Aw c’mon, don’t make us beg. Tell us. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc348/32.png) [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2008, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vicious-dog-attack-question/464940/33 "2008-11-25T00:46:11Z")
> [@Sapo](#): > > Aw c’mon, don’t make us beg. Tell us. Posts 122 and 145 in this [thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=278605&highlight=pack+dogs&page=3) ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2008, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vicious-dog-attack-question/464940/34 "2008-11-25T05:39:28Z")
> [@BMax](#): > > I can usually stand down an aggressive dog by reminding him that I am bigger than he is, and that I know it. I can do this by standing in a dominant posture, with my back straight, shoulders square and chest out. It doesn’t hurt to clap my hands, raise my arms above my head and yell at him in an authoritative voice. I did this once with a dog that was acting aggressively toward me. It jumped up and bit me in the face. Some dogs are all show - they will back down if you stand up to them. Others will attack, as I found out. It’s not easy to tell the difference. Based on my experience, I would recommend using this type of body language against an aggressive dog only if you have no other choice. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2009, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vicious-dog-attack-question/464940/35 "2009-09-03T14:10:12Z")
I have always been taught that if a dog attacks you kick the dog in the throat. While the front paw stuff is interesting, I see no way to do it without getting your face bitten off. I once had to break up a fight between a Husky and a Malamute. They had made their way into an enclosure next to a female in heat, so it wasn’t pretty, and they were working on pure instinct. They were also both large and extremely muscled adults, even for their breeds. Even in that case though, my taller presence and deep-throated yelling worked. Whoever said channel your inner Drill Sergeant has it right - that’s exactly what I did. As soon as I got them into seperate enclosures they were back to their old sweet submissive selves, and seemed quite confused by what had happened. ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2009, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vicious-dog-attack-question/464940/36 "2009-09-03T14:50:05Z")
I’m also a 5’6" tall female who had encountered a pack of hunting dogs while walking across a footbridge in a semi-rural area when I was in my late teens. The dogs who were allowed to roam the valley in packs, were quite intimidating and I once found myself in the middle of the footbridge with several dogs on either side of the bridge blocking my path in both directions. The only thing I could think of doing was not showing any fear but instead turning the intimidation around on them. So, I started stomping towards the dogs while waving my arms and snarling and barking at them. It worked and the dogs backed off without attacking. When it comes to aggressive dogs, the important thing is to establish your dominance over them. You are bigger and smarter. Use it to your advantage. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2009, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vicious-dog-attack-question/464940/37 "2009-09-03T18:10:14Z")
> [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > … > Some dogs are all show - they will back down if you stand up to them. Others will attack, as I found out. It’s not easy to tell the difference. Based on my experience, I would recommend using this type of body language against an aggressive dog only if you have no other choice. The main thing is to find out what it wants, what is it’s motivation? ---
**Author:** ![cordylus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@cordylus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cordylus)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2009, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vicious-dog-attack-question/464940/38 "2009-09-03T23:51:04Z")
> [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > I did this once with a dog that was acting aggressively toward me. It jumped up and bit me in the face. > > Some dogs are all show - they will back down if you stand up to them. Others will attack, as I found out. It’s not easy to tell the difference. Based on my experience, I would recommend using this type of body language against an aggressive dog only if you have no other choice. This is excellent advice. Usually dog aggression takes one of two forms either Fearful-aggressive or dominant-aggressive. Trying to dominate a dog that is truly in a panic could result in an attack that otherwise wouldn’t have happened. Best to back away as calmly as possible. Never turn and run, always face the dog. If the dog continues to approach you then go ahead and try some loud, deep commands. If the dog charges you continue to vocalize in an assertive way but try to stay as calm as the situation will permit. Flailing around with your arms can actually trigger the prey drive in the same way that running can so try to avoid it. Make some eye contact but don’t have a staring contest. Being willing to meet the dogs eyes shows you are not submissive, staring tells the dog that you are going to attack. Your primary advantage when confronted with an aggressive dog is your brain. Animal control officers and those trained to deal with dogs almost always use a catch pole and pepper spray. Any long object (the longer the better) that you can get between you and the dog will work. Most of the time the dog will attack the pole, stick, whatever instead of you. So poke the pooch with a stick if you can. Make the dog focus on the object you are using instead of your body. Given some time many dogs will give up an attack if all they get is a mouthful of stick. Pepper spray, or some other irritant is 100 times more painful to a dog than beating them over the head. If pepper spray wont deter the dog then pain in general will probably not deter the dog. If you end up fighting a dog hand to hand good luck. Let it chew on one arm while you try to disable it somehow. The idea is to do anything you can to avoid an actual melee with a dog. Even a little 30 lb. beagle can do some serious damage to a person. If you are attacked by a dog trained to attack people employ the same technique you would to fight off a ninja. If you cannot fight off a ninja (a Sho Kosugi 80’s style magic ninja) then you wont have much luck with a trained attack dog. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2009, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vicious-dog-attack-question/464940/39 "2009-09-04T01:06:56Z")
As has been said (some good posts here, GusNSpot, BMax, and others). You are a Primate, they are a Carnivore. **Don’t fucking panic.** You are 4 times bigger, at least twice as strong, and ten times smarter. **Don’t fucking panic.** :eek: \*\*Don’t fucking panic. \*\* Let them get their bite in, hopefully like on a forearm, then pound the holy crap out of them. **Don’t fucking panic.** That’s if you don;t follow the other good advice about stopping them from attacking in the 1st place. Finally- **Don’t fucking panic.** 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2009, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vicious-dog-attack-question/464940/40 "2009-09-04T02:47:09Z")
I’m closing this zombie. Anyone interested may feel free to start a new thread and link to this one. **Gfactor** General Questions Moderator [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vicious-dog-attack-question/464940.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vicious-dog-attack-question/464940.md?page=3)