How to ward off a dog attack? *Mod warning post #43*

david4791

Any advice out there from pitbull (or similar) owners or persons attacked by same, how to fend one self if attacked?

I ask the question as our neighbour has purchased one.

star-pants

Have you been attacked by your neighbours dog?

Melion

You want to know how to stop an attack just because they've bought one? Wow is all I can say

Discodog

Why don't you do a bit of research here & elsewhere on dogs, different breeds, temperament etc ? You are no more at risk from a Pit Bull than any other breed. You could be at risk from the owner if they fail to keep the dog properly.

Any advice as to how to ward off an attack is just as likely to provoke one - after all how is the dog supposed to know that you arn't going to attack it ? All my neighbours dogs adore me. They jump into my garden to say hello & have a cuddle. If you are nice to your new canine neighbour he will be nice to you.

david4791

Never been attacked by one, just like to know how to stop one in the event it happened,

Mr. Presentable

Pepper spray

mikemac1

What a worrier

You're imagining something that is extremely unlikely to happen
The dog is not going to maul you the first morning you go for a walk

Talk to the neighbour and have a chat. Will the dog be secured or roaming around the area
Be friendly about it or they'll send you on your way

seamus

It's exceptionally unlikely that any dog will attack you. You are more likely to trip and hit your head while trying to avoid the dog than the dog turning on you.

General rules are similar for most animals. Don't run - you can't win. Stand your ground and make yourself big and scary while backing away slowly. Do not put your hand anywhere near the animal's mouth, it's the best way to lose a few fingers. Don't waste your time trying to punch the animal in the head or choke it, you'll only make it angry.

By far the best way to fend off an attack from your neighbour's pitbull is to call into them and ask to see the dog. It will leap on you and lick the skin off your face. Then you'll know in future not be scared of it and the dog will wag its tail when it sees you.

theteal

david4791 wrote: »

Never been attacked by one, just like to know how to stop one in the event it happened,

i'm sorry man but what makes you think you're more likely to be attacked by one now as opposed to last week?

how do you ward off tripping over a crack in the ground?

david4791

FAO mikemac,

I have two kids under 4

star-pants

david4791 wrote: »

Never been attacked by one, just like to know how to stop one in the event it happened,

It seems silly as others have pointed out to assume that the dog is going to attack you then.

Seamus has given good general advice, as have others to perhaps meet the dog to see that it's not any more dangerous than another breed.

seamus

david4791 wrote: »

FAO mikemac,

I have two kids under 4

Pitbulls are generally great with kids, they love them. As with all dogs, ensure that it's not possible for your children and the dog to occupy the same space unsupervised - i.e. make sure gardens are secure.

This would be a good opportunity to arrange "playdates" between the dog and your kids. Everyone wins - you get to socialise with your neighbour, your kids get to socialise with the dog, and the dog benefits massively from socialising with your kids.

theteal

david4791 wrote: »

FAO mikemac,

I have two kids under 4

don't let the kids poke him in the eye or hit him with sticks etc. as others have said, if you're really that concerned the best thing to do is bring them in and introduce them to your new neighbour. the dog gets to meet his friendly neighbours and the kids can get over any irrational fear that could be picked up

DamagedTrax

it can happen people. bull terriers are predisposed to aggression. just look at what happened my friend when she innocently blew a whistle around one of these dangerous killers :eek:

:pac::pac::pac::p

to OP. bull breeds are human lovers to the max. if your neighbour brings the dog up in a loving environment then the only attacks you'll have to worry about is kissing attacks

also i'll point out that dolly isnt allowed jump on just anyone like that, my friend is very dog experienced.

andreac

david4791 wrote: »

FAO mikemac,

I have two kids under 4

So?

Do you think the pitbull is going to want to eat your two kids?? Really?

The ignorance in that is unreal, it really is. No wonder these lovely dogs have a bad reputation when people make statements and generalisations like that :mad:

You should really change your topic to "Dog" attack, as any dog can attack, so dont know why you have mentioned Pitbulls in particular as they are no more likely to attack than any other breed of dog.

Bullseye1

david4791 wrote: »

Any advice out there from pitbull (or similar) owners or persons attacked by same, how to fend one self if attacked?

I ask the question as our neighbour has purchased one.

What is your neighbour like. Normally a dog will reflect its owner in how it acts. If your neighbour is a good person who has experience with dogs you should have nothing to worry about.

Its the person who owns the dog you need to worry about not the dog.

thomasm

http://www.wikihow.com/Handle-a-Dog-Attack
Before anyone starts they dont blame the dogs, they blame the owners if a problem\attack occurs.

To my mind if in the unlikely event a dog is attacking you or yours, a kick in the throat would seem the best option..

Discodog

Mr. Presentable wrote: »

Pepper spray

Just in case anyone is thinking of doing this. Owning/using a pepper spray is not only illegal but it is regarded as the same as a firearm so the penalties are severe.

When my neighbours moved in their kids were scared of my three dogs. I made a point of taking the dogs with me when ever I popped around & now they are fine with them. Their daughter loves learning dog language.

Just a thought but if you are genuinely afraid of the breed or dogs maybe a poster living nearby would let you meet theirs & ally your fears. If you are confident around dogs you are less likely to ever get bitten.

Discodog

thomasm wrote: »

To my mind if in the unlikely event a dog is attacking you or yours, a kick in the throat would seem the best option..

Avoiding the situation is the best option. If you are about to kick a dog the dog will sense this & you might only make the situation worse. If you learn a little dog language then you will see that if a dog attacks it usually follows a pattern. It will bark, snarl or bear it's teeth as a "come no closer" warning. A dog may also make a false charge where it stops before it gets to you.

Like all animals dogs have a natural instinct to avoid fights because in the wild, if they came off worse or picked up an infection, it could be fatal.

kylith

Your children are much, much more likely to be bitten by a collie, spaniel, or generic 'terrier' than by any pit bull, or other bull breed as they have an inbred love of people.

The best thing to do is, as others have said, get your kids in to meet, treat, and play with the dog ASAP, and do the same yourself. Teach them to treat the dog gently and nicely. The dog will then include you in its extended pack.

If you're worried about any breed attacking the best thing to do is to avoid eye contact and move away slowly and calmly. Running will trigger the chase instinct in any dog, and staring at it will make it feel threatened.

Discodog

kylith wrote: »

Teach them to treat the dog gently and nicely. The dog will then include you in its extended pack.

Why isn't this taught in schools :rolleyes: ?

wetdogsmell

most aggressive pitbulls are normally only interested in other dogs or cats, people then get bitten when the try to save their pet, if a pitbull attacked me my plan would be to ****e myself and then bleed all over the place

Enigma IE

I'd give the OP a break, he's a normal parent who is worried about his kids.

OP, I don't really know how you would fend off an attack from a pit-bull or any dog, but in the case of a pitbull and that category of dog, he should be muzzled at all times when in public. That is law. I understand you are probably extra concerned as this dog fits in the dangerous breed category, which would suggest to people that they are in fact dangerous. He or any other dog in this category are no more dangerous than another dog, but these dogs are certainly more powerful than many others.

As other people have said, the personality and behaivour of this dog will be strongly influenced by the owner. If they train him well, you should have absolutely no worries.

We ourselves have a Rottweiler, he's nearly 60kilos. He's extremely powerful and protective of his owners. We obviously muzzle him when going for walks. People often cross to the other side of the road when they see him coming, due to his size and intimidating look, however I am 100% comfortable with him at home, his behaivour with kids and strangers after they are introduced.

Therefore it's a good idea to introduce your kids to this dog, in a controlled environment.

chris139ryan

I can see where your coming from with your worry the pitbull will attack since the bull breeds are destroyed by public image. I would advise calling around to your neighbour and introducing yourself to the dog so you can see pitbulls are complete sweethearts. I would say they are one of the friendliest dogs you can ever own.
Yes if you have small children you have to be wary as pitbulls as playful and with their power so they could easily push over your small children and hurt them so supervision is required.
Just give the pitbull a chance, dont go in thinking this is a very aggressive dog and you will be fine

luckyfrank

kylith wrote: »

Your children are much, much more likely to be bitten by a collie, spaniel, or generic 'terrier' than by any pit bull, or other bull breed as they have an inbred love of people.

The best thing to do is, as others have said, get your kids in to meet, treat, and play with the dog ASAP, and do the same yourself. Teach them to treat the dog gently and nicely. The dog will then include you in its extended pack.

If you're worried about any breed attacking the best thing to do is to avoid eye contact and move away slowly and calmly. Running will trigger the chase instinct in any dog, and staring at it will make it feel threatened.

maybe true but being attacked by one of those dogs and a pitbul is totally different

id worry also if my neighbour bought a pitbull

seamus

luckyfrank wrote: »

maybe true but being attacked by one of those dogs and a pitbul is totally different

Not really. There's a measureable strength difference in the jaws, but all dogs are carnivores. Their teeth are designed to slice flesh and crush bone and are equally capable of causing serious injury. Getting attacked by any dog doesn't tickle.

The size of the dog is likely more important than the strength of their jaws as you will find it more difficult to subdue an angry labrador than an angry Pom.

andreac

Enigma IE wrote: »

I'd give the OP a break, he's a normal parent who is worried about his kids.

OP, I don't really know how you would fend off an attack from a pit-bull or any dog, but in the case of a pitbull and that category of dog, he should be muzzled at all times when in public. That is law. I understand you are probably extra concerned as this dog fits in the dangerous breed category, which would suggest to people that they are in fact dangerous. He or any other dog in this category are no more dangerous than another dog, but these dogs are certainly more powerful than many others.


Therefore it's a good idea to introduce your kids to this dog, in a controlled environment.

Sorry but where do you get this from? There are no dangerous breeds and certainly no dangerous category of dogs in Ireland so please refrain from posting incorrect statements like that.

Enigma IE

andreac wrote: »

Sorry but where do you get this from? There are no dangerous breeds and certainly no dangerous category of dogs in Ireland so please refrain from posting incorrect statements like that.

Source
Rules relating to certain breeds of dog

The Control of Dogs Regulations 1998 place controls on 10 breeds of dogs namely the American Pit Bull Terrier; English Bull Terrier; Staffordshire Bull Terrier; Bull Mastiff; Doberman Pinscher; German Shepherd (Alsatian); Rhodesian Ridgeback; Rottweiler; Japanese Akita; Japanese Tosa and to every dog of the type commonly known as a Ban Dog (or Bandog).
The controls, which must be observed when the dog is in a public place, require that these dogs, or strains and crosses thereof, must be kept on a strong short lead [only up to 2 metres long] by a person over 16 years of age who is capable of controlling them. The dog/s must be securely muzzled too. Furthermore, the Control of Dogs Act 1986 gives specific powers to the courts to order that a dog, which the court considers dangerous, must be kept under proper control or be destroyed.

mattser

andreac wrote: »

Sorry but where do you get this from? There are no dangerous breeds and certainly no dangerous category of dogs in Ireland so please refrain from posting incorrect statements like that.

I think you should look at the Control of Dogs Regulations 1998 before you add any more comments. Best of luck O.P. You'll be OK if the owner has sense.

andreac

Sorry but what you have posted is the Restricted Breeds list, not a Dangerous Dogs list as you previously mentioned.

The two are very, very different so please dont confuse the two.

Just to add, the last bit of that statement, this:
Furthermore, the Control of Dogs Act 1986 gives specific powers to the courts to order that a dog, which the court considers dangerous, must be kept under proper control or be destroyed
refers to any dog, not those dogs on the Restricted Breeds. So calling those dogs Dangerous is incorrect.

Trust me, i know the full ins and outs of these rules and regualtions, i own two Rottweilers myself.

DamagedTrax

mattser wrote: »

I think you should look at the Control of Dogs Regulations 1998 before you add any more comments. Best of luck O.P. You'll be OK if the owner has sense.

actually, i think you should my friend.

andreac is spot on. we have no 'dangerous' breeds, we have 'restricted' breeds but no where in written law are they referred to as 'dangerous'.


EDIT: just saw your post on previous page andrea!

hardybuck

seamus wrote: »

Not really. There's a measureable strength difference in the jaws, but all dogs are carnivores. Their teeth are designed to slice flesh and crush bone and are equally capable of causing serious injury. Getting attacked by any dog doesn't tickle.

The size of the dog is likely more important than the strength of their jaws as you will find it more difficult to subdue an angry labrador than an angry Pom.

The Spaniel is bred to have a soft mouth, the opposite of what you have listed above. A terrier is simply not capable of producting anything like the bite that a pitbull is.

While the pitbull may be as likely to bite as the rest, once it does it tends to be lethal. The would-be hard men who are buying them as status symbols these days is doing the breed a lot of damage.

DamagedTrax

hardybuck wrote: »

While the pitbull may be as likely to bite as the rest, once it does it tends to be lethal. .

:eek: what? pitbull bites tend to be lethal? so if you count up the amount of deaths caused by PBTs, by your reasoning that equates to the amount of times PBTs have bitten people?

seriously, either my grasp of english is on the way down or thats a bizarre statement :eek:

Enigma IE

andreac wrote: »

Sorry but what you have posted is the Restricted Breeds list, not a Dangerous Dogs list as you previously mentioned.

The two are very, very different so please dont confuse the two.

Well I was referring to the restricted breed list. My point was that the OP's neighbours dog should be muzzled when in public. The public perception of these dogs is that they are dangerous (or certainly more dangerous than other breeds not listed).

The reasoning being they are restricted and muzzled. I was not meant to imply they were dangerous.

DamagedTrax

Enigma IE wrote: »

Well I was referring to the restricted breed list. My point was that the OP's neighbours dog should be muzzled when in public. The public perception of these dogs is that they are dangerous (or certainly more dangerous than other breeds not listed).

The reasoning being they are restricted and muzzled.

but we shouldnt refer to them as dangerous when they're not. that just reinforces public perception. they are restricted because of their capability, just like a 1000cc bike is restricted to younger drivers.

capability and actuality are very different things.

andreac

Enigma IE wrote: »

Well I was referring to the restricted breed list. My point was that the OP's neighbours dog should be muzzled when in public. The public perception of these dogs is that they are dangerous (or certainly more dangerous than other breeds not listed).

The reasoning being they are restricted and muzzled. I was not meant to imply they were dangerous.

They should never be referred to as Dangerous as they have a bad enough rep as it is without people calling them that.
They are not on the list as they are perceived more dangerous than others, you really should do more reseach before posting such information :rolleyes:

Yes, breeds on the list are meant to be muzzled in public but the OP hasnt even had an issue with these dogs yet and hes wondering about fending off an attack!!

hardybuck

DamagedTrax wrote: »

:eek: what? pitbull bites tend to be lethal? so if you count up the amount of deaths caused by PBTs, by your reasoning that equates to the amount of times PBTs have bitten people?

seriously, either my grasp of english is on the way down or thats a bizarre statement :eek:

What are you on about? My point is that if the pitbull bites you, you're in serious trouble. If a terrier bit you it mightn't only just about break the skin. Don't complicate it any more than it needs to.

DamagedTrax

hardybuck wrote: »

What are you on about? My point is that if the pitbull bites you, you're in serious trouble. If a terrier bit you it mightn't only just about break the skin. Don't complicate it any more than it needs to.

you said "pitbull bites tend to be lethal"

if you're over dramatising the word lethal then fair enough... but in a heated discussion with breed owners who take enough BS from the public you might want to make sure you pick your words carefully or people will get their back up.

Enigma IE

andreac wrote: »

They should never be referred to as Dangerous as they have a bad enough rep as it is without people calling them that.
They are not on the list as they are perceived more dangerous than others, you really should do more reseach before posting such information :rolleyes:

Yes, breeds on the list are meant to be muzzled in public but the OP hasnt even had an issue with these dogs yet and hes wondering about fending off an attack!!

I meant restricted, not dangerous. Yes, they are different and point taken.

Just one things however, why are they on the restricted breeds list?

andreac

Enigma IE wrote: »

I meant restricted, not dangerous. Yes, they are different and point taken.

Just one things however, why are they on the restricted breeds list?[/QUOTE]

See Damagedtrax post above in reference to that.

They are also there because of ignorant, narrow minded, clueless people.

DamagedTrax

Enigma IE wrote: »

Just one things however, why are they on the restricted breeds list?

capability to do damage. and idiot owners who use them as weapons instead of pets.

this is 99% of the breed. happy loveable dogs


unfortunatly in the wrong hands they turn into the typical red top characiture. everytime a pit bull attack happens they seem to pull this picture out. i must have seen it on at least 4 different stories at this stage.. including the one that turned out to be a lab attack

hardybuck

DamagedTrax wrote: »

you said "pitbull bites tend to be lethal"

if you're over dramatising the word lethal then fair enough...

Grow up.

Just the one lethal case springs to mind recently though now that I think of it. A woman was walking along on a busy street with a toddler and a small dog on the lead. Not sure what breed.

Anyway a loose pitbull came along, picked up the dog like a toy and savaged it in front of everyone on the street. You can imagine the trauma. Taxi drivers and passers by managed to kick it off eventually.

I haven't heard too many stories of poodles doing this recently.

star-pants

Guys we are not getting into a debate about the restricted breeds list. Only posts from here on are to be about how to defend oneself against ANY dog and I'm changing the title too.

Any posts that are not about how to defend oneself will incur an infraction or ban.

runawaybishop

nevermind

ceegee

I think some of the bull owners on the thread are a bit oversensitive about the way these dogs are viewed. The op has small children and imo he's right to want to know the best way to deal with an attack should it occur. Hes not saying the dog will attack but fending off a pitbull IS a different task to fending off a poodle, and as a responsible parent he should know how to protect his kids if the worst should happen. Likewise I would expect responsible owners of pitbulls to be more prepared for this scenario than owners of some tiny lapdog, they may be less likely to attack than other breeds but the risk of damage is far greater

DamagedTrax

and the OP has been given very good info on how to ward off an attack. talk to the owner, introduce the dog, socialise it with the children.

prevention is better than cure.

to stop an actual attack that is taking place is a completly different scenario. there are no hard fast rules, different dogs will react differently. loud shouting might get rid of one dog but another may need a break stick twisted into its jaws.

its not an easy question to answer unfortunatly but unless the owner is a f'in eejit there's little chance of it happening anyway.

Discodog

But if you set off with the mindset that you want to avoid a very unlikely attack then you will also be scared of the possibility of an attack. This then makes you more likely to be bitten by any dog that senses your fear & reads it as aggression. The dog sees it that if you are afraid, to their eyes, it may be because you are planning to fight or defend yourself.

There is an excellent leaflet entitled "Staying Safe with Dogs" - if you google that exact wording you will see it downloadable as a PDF feel free to PM me if you can't see it. It is written by experts who deal with dogs & families all day long.

axle108

You have two choices here.

You can spend the years that this dog lives beside you worrying whether this dog will attack your kids.

Or you can bring the kids in to see the pup when it arrives. This will introduce them to each other. What harm can a pup be at this stage, even one you fear could attack when older. Then as the dog is growing and going out on walks and your kids are out, they will continually reintroduce and grow up together. Your kids can give treats when the owner is going out with the pup. The dog will love to see the kids. By socialising the dog to your kids, especially when young you have a far better chance of preventing any problems in the future and this goes for whatever breed the neighbour chooses.

callmekenneth

water. water squirted from a bottle down their nose might make them let go if they have a grip on you.

i dont understand people who think viciousness cant be bred into a dog. look at sheepdog, you can get a pup that has never been in a field, near a sheep or ever trained in the slightest but there's something in them their DNA that makes them try to herd. why can aggressive/vicious behaviour not similarly be passed down?

it is fair to be wary of pitbulls, no other dog has been designed and bred like they have to fight to the death, the "flight" seems to be non existent in some of them. i'd say their neck muscles are so thick choking them out would be very difficult. i saw a video where a pitbull was attacking a woman's on the lead dog in brazil, polic arrived and kicked it very hard until it let go, it ended up dying from it's injuries and it's tail never stopped wagging, both woman and her pet were injured.

poisonated

<BANNED>

DamagedTrax

callmekenneth wrote: »

i dont understand people who think viciousness cant be bred into a dog. look at sheepdog

i dont wanna stray too off topic but i guess it's related. if not feel free to delete MOD

pit bulls were bred for dog fighting. we all know that. but that dark part of their history is also their saving grace as they were bred to be completely human friendly. the 'handler' had to be in the ring with the dog and any dogs that showed human aggression were culled.

its not a nice subject but it is a very big part of the breed and how they are with humans.

a well bred pit shouldnt show human aggression.

the problem dogs come from whacker wanting to breed his crazy bitch to gitser's nutter dog (no offence intended to anyone called whacker or gitser!). or the money hungry breeders who will breed a blue dog because they know it will fetch top dollar but give no consideration to temperment.