Defending against wild dogs

Happy Camper

Happy Camper

Joined
Jan 8, 2000
Messages
311
What would you most want in your hand when confronted by a pack of wild dogs?

Common sense tells me pepper spray, but my dark side tells me the sharp edge of my Cold Steel Spec-Ops shovel would be as good for rude snouts as it is for chopping wood and de-branching small trees. I also like the reach it gives me over even a large knife.
 
A pack of wild dogs?
Are we talking about the newly introduced puppys in the USA?
If so I would like to be armed with a camera.:)
Seriously, if a pack of vicious dogs were after me I would be drawing one of my trusty glocks form my side of the 9mm breed.
And cleaning them with a sebenza or a battle mistress, depending on just how vicious they were. I don't fear dogs I enjoy them.
:D
 
I'd love to think I could defend myself and my family with my CS Trailmaster, but I'd want to have a Remington 870 with a 26 inch barrel loaded full of #2 shot. Probably an improved cylinder tube, but maybe a modified to concentrate the shot pattern.

I hope it never comes to this. This is the stuff nightmares are made of! "Something wicked this way cometh..."
 
Feral dogs are very dangerous. If you are jumped by a dog pack, you want a 12 ga., or at the very least a heavy handgun. If you can pick the alpha male, take him out first. Take the beta male next. In most cases this will break up the attack. Try never to let them get behind you, and above all, don't let them knock you down. If they can get you down, and you are alone, there is a very good chance that the dogs have won. I love dogs, and generally like my dogs better than I like most people. But, I have seen feral dog packs in action twice. They will kill you if they get the chance.
Steve L
 
My opposable thumbs!

I know I can handle two dobermans and a collie-like-thing with just a jacket, a pair of sturdy hiking boots and the above-mentioned thumbs. ;) Confronted with more and/or bigger dogs I might have to change tactics.

Most people are more afraid of dogs than they need to be. Even wild ones. The average, able-bodied adult male is bigger, stronger, heavier, has more reach, has (inch-for-inch) more powerful jaws, has bigger and (when shod) harder feet, and has the supreme ability to grasp and manipulate objects. These objects may be throats, mandibular joints and legs for twisting or hard, heavy and sharp things for swinging. Bottom line: You are physically more than a match for any dog that doesn't outweigh you.

But that only matters when the numbers are fairly even. If set upon by a pack of a half dozen or more, your inherent physical advantages diminish greatly. Now is when your mental advantages must save you.

PROTECT YOUR THROAT! That is how dogs kill after the pack has pulled down the quarry.

IF YOU HAVE ANY WEAPON, USE IT. A knife of any size, a flashlight, walking stick, canteen or even your belt. Your shoes are clubs on your feet. Pick up a stick or rock or even the smallest dog and start swinging.

FOCUS ON ONE DOG AT A TIME. As long as you protect your face and throat, let the others chew to their hearts content on your calves and elbows and butt. You'll deal with them presently. Pick the BIGGEST dog first and KILL it. Odds are this is the Alpha. You won't have time to observe group dynamics in the pack to know for sure, so play the odds. Move on to the next biggest, and the next until the attack is over.

IGNORE YOUR WOUNDS. Tending your wounds or trying to protect anything except an artery during the attack will only make it terminal. You are fighting for your life. Fortunately, you are fully equipped to win that fight.

I guess my point is; Anything you may have in hand would be helpful, but what you have in your head is what will make the difference.
 
I want a heavy caliber handgun! I've seen too many instances where pepper spray and batons did nothing (on a singular determined animal)and we had to resort to double taps from .45 Glocks or a burst from the HK MP5's.

I was attacked by a group of seven dogs many years ago. I shot what I could from the tree I climbed to escape and the shots didn't deter them until I took out the largest dog with a lucky shot from a .30/30. I think that alpha / beta advise may be right on target.

I will not mess with dogs at all any more. If they show aggression, they're subject to termination without hesitation if a safe shot presents itself.

Mike
 
I'd like to add that you need to be totally RUTHLESS when dealing with these types of dogs. Upon first contact they have no fear what so ever. This is one of the main reasons I carry at least two knifes being that I have been in situations (more then once) when I needed to fight off more then one dog.

IMHO MacHete past has provided invaluable suggestions for violent encounters with wild dogs.
 
My neighbour was attacked by a German shepherd once , as it leapt at him he got hold of its front legs and thrust them outwards - hard. He then jumped on its chest until it was dead. My neighbour weighs 175 lbs.

Another fellow I know knocked a lab out with a punch to the head! I wouldn't recommend this as it is very easy to break your hand.

A shotgun is the preferred weapon followed by pepper spray then a spear. Unfortunately often these weapons will not be available then you are down to rocks or sticks. I've been told to use two sticks - one to get the dog to grab and the other to club him with.
 
I was attacked once by a group of about 8 wild dogs, in a canyon in San Diego. Fortunately, I had a lacrosse stick, lacrosse gloves, a cup, cleats, and shinpads on, since I was going for a training run. And I played defense, so it was a really long lacrosse stick.

I nailed one with a lacrosse ball, and waded into them with the lacrosse stick. They took off pretty quickly after that. I think if they had chosen to press the attack, I might have had more of a problem, but I suspect they were startled by my attack.

I would rather have had a Benelli...
 
Doggy Lacrosse! Visitors: 0 LOL

I would definitely feel most at ease with my pump shotgun, but I rarely have that with me when I'm in the woods, especially in nearby semi-wild areas. And from what I've read, a handgun may or may not be up to stopping a large group dog attack; especially if it's not a high capacity pistol and you didn't happen to down the alpha (and beta if there is one) male.

In agreement with others, I have nothing against friendly dogs and I love big dogs especially. But a pack of mangy mutts in the woods or outskirts is something very different from the loyal domestic best friend. And the attack will almost always be by a number of dogs, who run in pack mentality so I would keep hand to hand tactics strictly for Fido who got loose down the street and decided to claim my yard as his new territory.

20 years ago, my father had to fight off three medium/small dogs that attacked him in a residential neigborhood for no reason one Halloween night (go figure), and all he could do was kick them since he had no weapons. He got some good kicks in but they just came back at him, and each time he kicked the dog in front, one of the other dogs came from behind and bit him. Finally, they retreated after a few mintutes of being kicked over and over again.

I'd hate to think of being unarmed facing a pack of 9-14 with some larger dogs mixed in with the group! So if you don't normally trot long the back trails with a remington 870 action express or a flame thrower, what then? Wire Edge's Trail Master would certainly be a comforting object to be gripping at that point...
 
Little dogs? Kick 'em, preferably in the throat. Bigger dogs take a lot of stopping. I remember an article in the local newspaper about a year ago about two cops facing some dogs (I think Labrador mixes) that had been killing cows. They literally had to empty their guns (.38s) into the dogs. Nearly every shot hit; one dog took five bullets, the other six.
 
My dog weighs about 19lbs. We have been attacked by Pit Bulls, Shepards and a lot of mixed breeds.

They always go for him and they always get hit hard with my ASP 21" baton. I go for the nose, head and neck. I only carry it when I walk him. I hang it on my belt where I can instantly draw it. Between that and my boots I have been lucky.

Some of them run off as soon as the ASP comes out. They come to kill so they get it back pretty hard. A huge Canary Island dog of more than 125lbs came after us once and it was very scary. When I yelled at him he crumbled and ran. You just never know.
 
Something to think about.Locally we just had a pitbull,kill a full grown horse!!The horses owner by the way stabbed the dog with a pitch fork and then broke it over the dog.That did not stop the attack.I personally know the horses owner and heard the story straight from her,believe me you want more than boots or a baton.
 
I really understand that Lone Hunter. I have had enough problems of this sort and they come up without any warning. The Pit Bull that attacked us was young. It could have been much worse. The Canary dog was huge and looked like something from Hades. If it were a mean dog it could have done some real damage. We are talking about a heavily populated area here and toting my 12 gauge would be not be practical.

I have a .22 mag but that would be a liability to discharge too. It could miss and hit something real bad. It's a problem for sure and I agree with you that my method may not be sufficiant for every situation. I am trying to reconcile that. I wonder if pepper spray would be the way to go.
 
B (I assume again),

The suggestion of pepper spray is valid, ONLY if a more lethal followup is immediately available.

Personal experiences with pepper and dogs have been mixed, but one definite clearly shines through - if a dog is in a definite and determined attack, pepper probably will NOT stop it. I have personally seen and have personal knowledge of dogs take multiple rounds of 9mm, .40, and .45 before termination of the attack and subsequent termination of life functions.

It's very disconcerting to the soul when you see a dog take two full 3 round bursts from an MP5 and he's still standing there growling at you.

Mike
 
I've had 2 run-ins with wild dogs. Once while small game hunting...a load of birdshot over their heads sent them off. The second time we were cooling off in a stream, near a small waterfall. Didn't hear them come up, noticed them @ 20 yards. What we took to be the 'A' dog was growling, so 3 of us started pelting him (& only him) with rocks from the streambed. They begrudgingly left.
I think I was very lucky both times.

BoynhisDog, is that a Cairn Terrier?
Mine is named Ozark...doesn't think he is a dog though.
 
hiking stick across the nose or learn how to climb a tree.

tree climbing also works for wild boars.
 
Yes Ebbtide he is a Cairn. He definatly does not think he is a dog.

The name is Bond, James Bond. Just kidding it is Winston.

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He also thinks that he could take on any comer. He has no fear so I have to be the logical one.
 
So far I've seen a lot of good suggestions here and just wanted to add my two cents worth. First of all, about pepper spray. I spent a semester in Ecuador a couple years ago, and had several run ins with wild dogs. They[re all over the place down there. Anyway, I maced one small dog about the size of a Sheltie to good effect. It yelped and ran. Very satisifying. another time though I had a shepard come at me, and I maced that with no effect. Fortunately it was behind a fence, but being dark out I couldn't see that . So I would say that mace definately has a limited potential, and would only use it on smaller dogs that could later be kicked, beaten or otherwise immobilzed by pocket knives.

Secondly, neighbors of ours have a shepard-rotweiler mix, and are very irresponsible about training their dogs. Every time I go for a run I have to retreat from it, or risk bodily injury. Well, one time it attacked my mothers dog, and she had one of those aluminum trekking poles. She beat it repeatedly, until the pole bent in two with no effect. I guess a large spear, shotgun, chainsaw or maybe a flamethrower is the way to go. In this particular case I'd like a flamethrower. It leaves a much larger psychological impact on the owners. Seriously, I have given consideration to using my Enfield No.4 .303 on it.
Thanks for all the advice folks.
Lagarto
 
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