# What animals would be a threat to a knight in plate armor? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 17, 2009, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animals-would-be-a-threat-to-a-knight-in-plate-armor/489776 "2009-03-17T18:19:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animals-would-be-a-threat-to-a-knight-in-plate-armor/489776/21 "2009-03-18T15:58:20Z")
> [@Woeg](#): > > It’d have a hell of a time eating him though! WARNING: Remove foil packaging before consuming product. ---
**Author:** ![Woeg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/df705f/32.png) [@Woeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Woeg)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animals-would-be-a-threat-to-a-knight-in-plate-armor/489776/22 "2009-03-18T16:05:20Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > Somewhat off topic, but I recently read a book on dogs that had drawing of dogs suited out for battle. Whill googling, I ran across [this](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_dog): > _The British used dogs when they attacked the Irish and the Irish in turn used Irish Wolfhounds to attack invading Norman knights on horseback. Two wolfhounds, or even a single one were often capable of taking a mounted man in armour off his horse, where the lightly armed handler would finish him off if necessary._ > > [Further off topic](http://www.romanarmytalk.com/rat/viewtopic.php?p=220798) but IMO funny as hell. . . This is very true - a combo of dogs and handler against a knight on horseback would definitely be effective - after all, the dogs are really there to take down the horse, and naturally, the knight goes down with it. I do think, though, that dogs alone, against a knight on foot and prepared to face them, wouldn’t do the trick. ---
**Author:** ![rainy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c2a13f/32.png) [@rainy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rainy)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animals-would-be-a-threat-to-a-knight-in-plate-armor/489776/23 "2009-03-18T18:26:47Z")
> [@Woeg](#): > > This is very true - a combo of dogs and handler against a knight on horseback would definitely be effective - after all, the dogs are really there to take down the horse, and naturally, the knight goes down with it. I do think, though, that dogs alone, against a knight on foot and prepared to face them, wouldn’t do the trick. Do you think they were trained to bring down the horse, or to leap up and grab a mouthful of knight and unhorse him that way? ---
**Author:** ![Woeg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/df705f/32.png) [@Woeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Woeg)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animals-would-be-a-threat-to-a-knight-in-plate-armor/489776/24 "2009-03-18T20:13:57Z")
> [@rainy](#): > > Do you think they were trained to bring down the horse, or to leap up and grab a mouthful of knight and unhorse him that way? I’d almost be willing to bet that they were trained to take down the horse - after all, Irish Wolfhounds (and the other large dogs, like the closely related Scottish Deerhound) were bred for the taking down of other animals, usually four legged by means of tripping/slowing them and then going for a kill. Their techniques in attacking can be seen in the way they play - [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9uZdYyEZ5A&feature=related](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9uZdYyEZ5A&feature=related) Notice that their tactics involve outrunning and getting in front of the “prey” animal, where their bulk can be used for tripping attacks. When they do go in “for an attack”, they tend to go low and aim for the legs before sweeping up for the throat - there is very little pouncing that isn’t a reaction to the other dog going low. This is part of how they are bred to hunt and attack. Also, I very much doubt that the dogs distinguish a knight from his horse - they likely don’t see the pair and think “there’s a man on a completely separate animal” - rather, they most likely view it as one big critter altogether. I don’t have the depth of experience with dog training, however, to know if this is true or if such recognition is something they can be taught. A final caveat - I could be wrong entirely about the whole shebang - my experience with Wolfhounds has obviously been with the modern breed, and they are such gentle, giant, lovable bundles of fur that it’s hard to imagine them as the lean, mean, hunting machines that they were in centuries past. It is very possible that the attack tactics that the “kinder, gentler” bred dogs have now is entirely unrelated to how they attacked then. ---
**Author:** ![rainy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c2a13f/32.png) [@rainy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rainy)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2009, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animals-would-be-a-threat-to-a-knight-in-plate-armor/489776/25 "2009-03-19T14:02:36Z")
> [@Woeg](#): > > I’d almost be willing to bet that they were trained to take down the horse - after all, Irish Wolfhounds (and the other large dogs, like the closely related Scottish Deerhound) were bred for the taking down of other animals, usually four legged by means of tripping/slowing them and then going for a kill. Their techniques in attacking can be seen in the way they play - [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9uZdYyEZ5A&feature=related](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9uZdYyEZ5A&feature=related) > > Notice that their tactics involve outrunning and getting in front of the “prey” animal, where their bulk can be used for tripping attacks. When they do go in “for an attack”, they tend to go low and aim for the legs before sweeping up for the throat - there is very little pouncing that isn’t a reaction to the other dog going low. This is part of how they are bred to hunt and attack. > > Also, I very much doubt that the dogs distinguish a knight from his horse - they likely don’t see the pair and think “there’s a man on a completely separate animal” - rather, they most likely view it as one big critter altogether. I don’t have the depth of experience with dog training, however, to know if this is true or if such recognition is something they can be taught. > > A final caveat - I could be wrong entirely about the whole shebang - my experience with Wolfhounds has obviously been with the modern breed, and they are such gentle, giant, lovable bundles of fur that it’s hard to imagine them as the lean, mean, hunting machines that they were in centuries past. It is very possible that the attack tactics that the “kinder, gentler” bred dogs have now is entirely unrelated to how they attacked then. Hmmm…that seems to be the exact kind of play my poodles and terrier engage in. I’m guessing it is totally unrelated to instincts they may have honed to use in warfare. Unless these are war-poodles!!! 😮 ---
**Author:** ![Woeg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/df705f/32.png) [@Woeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Woeg)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2009, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animals-would-be-a-threat-to-a-knight-in-plate-armor/489776/26 "2009-03-19T15:16:27Z")
> [@rainy](#): > > Hmmm…that seems to be the exact kind of play my poodles and terrier engage in. I’m guessing it is totally unrelated to instincts they may have honed to use in warfare. Unless these are war-poodles!!! 😮 _chuckles_ [Not as crazy a suggestion as you might think…](http://www.poodlehistory.org/PARMY.HTM) ---
**Author:** ![rainy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c2a13f/32.png) [@rainy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rainy)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2009, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animals-would-be-a-threat-to-a-knight-in-plate-armor/489776/27 "2009-03-19T18:51:01Z")
Great link, Woeg. Thanks. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animals-would-be-a-threat-to-a-knight-in-plate-armor/489776.md?page=1)