what are good self defense tools against dogs

benchmadebob said:
I wish i was old enough to have a ccw. I was ready to pull out my fiskars But i didnt know what would be better a knife or hatchet. I want to carry a bigger blade now though.
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A hatchet would be wicked over a knife-- what isn't cut is crushed. As others said, a big stick used to swing and jab is a good choice and I would like the distance provided by a stick. Get your back against a tree, etc. Throw rocks, make yourself big and scary. If you have bear spray, that should nail a dog but quick. A 12ga would be my first choice if the Survival Fairy was granting wishes.
 
I usually carry a bow, tomohawk, or gun with me when I'm in the woods.

Just get one of those Cold Steel Hawks or get a bow as archery is a fun skill to learn.
Don't turn your back to and agressive dog though, it will only make things worse.
 
I would just use the knife, quick, easy, and quiet. :D Not to say that I wouldn't perfer my gun though.
 
Distance, a big stick and if all else fails, drastic plastic like my preferred G21 in .45 acp.
 
In the areas I hunt we have had a drastic increase in the wolf/coyote population and close encounters with humans are on the rise. When out hunting I usually have a small can of OC with me, especially in muzzleloader season (only 1 shot) just in case.
Those, plus a good fixed blade on my hip are enough to calm any worries.
For times when you are not armed with a firearm (God I wish we had CCW up here!), the spray, knife and walking stick I think would be your best choice...and use the jabbing technique already described with the stick. :thumbup:
 
I wouldnt try running, stand your ground. They know how to tell prey and wont mess with a threat. If you run to exhaustion then you are prey.
humans advantage is in our minds in many cases.
 
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I know there is a very anti Cold Steel vibe at Bladeforums, but these are the bomb. I have used them effectively and they seem almost unbreakable.
 
Kinfisher hiking stick (JO Stick) and bear or canine spray.
 
k_estela said:
Distance, a big stick and if all else fails, drastic plastic like my preferred G21 in .45 acp.
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Drastic plastic ??? in my LEO days we SIG P220 boys referred to the G pistols as tactical tupperware! LOL :D

Any weapon beats running... I helped train K-9's for over a year ( guess which end of the dog I was on). NEVER run from them. They will catch you because they are faster. Alot of good advice on this thread in weapon choice,
heavy stick, hawk or hatchet, spear, gun. I did have mixed results with OC spray though....
 
I had an experience with an urban feral dog pack many years ago when I lived in Williamsburg Brooklyn near the East River waterfront. At the time the area was undeveloped, just abandoned and dilapidated warehouses and rubble. One day I was walking around there and noticed a pack of 5 dogs facing me at about 200 feet. I was freakin' scared. I had about an eighth of a mile from where I was to the street and I had to struggle hard to fight the urge to run. I whistled loudly and threw some rocks but it had little effect, they all just stood facing me. I turned and started walking and they followed, fanning out a bit and slowly closing the gap. I picked up my pace, not a run, but a brisk walk, and turned to find them about 100 feet away. I was much closer now to the road but still wasn't within safe sprinting distance especially considering the terrain was basically a dump of twisted metal and bricks. I started throwing rocks again and since they were much closer I almost dinged one or two. I threw a bunch of rocks and whistled loudly and it definitely gave them pause. I started walking again, slowly, and whenever they closed the gap more I started hurling rocks again. They were about 50 feet away when I finally got to the street.

Had I been unarmed in the woods the only way out of being attacked that I can imagine would have been to climb a tree and even then I doubt they would have become bored waiting for me to come down. One or even two dogs I can imagine defending myself against with a stick but 5 :eek::eek::eek:
 
Interesting story - glad it was you.

I can't reacll and dog pack attacks on people here in Oz - rally thhe only dangerous things are venemous things that don't like being stepped on. Though dingos (native dogs that arrived with aboriginies 10k years ago) can get pushy, and have attacked children who ran from them - so another vote for don't run

On hawks - Saw a very old movie years ago about a canadian mountie arresting a trapper in the yukon in the black powder days - net was that the trapper ended up taking for and using two hawks together against a pack of wolves. May have been just for a movie - but might have had some truth in there.

So your fiskars(which you indicated you had) or a hawk may not bad option - considering you already carry something like that. if you like hacking away in the bush a hawk is not a bad toy

But, as said, I'd hate for a very determined pack to come after me...

I'd really hope the bear spray/mace etc did a good job

P.s. if we channel movies I saw another movie like this from England about an army unit out in the forest - but they wern't just wolves - you would need a silver plated hawk or cane and be very fast for those babies
 
I'd go the Stalingrad route and carry a shovel.Long,steel head with a heavy blade,And very easy to explain to LEO's and other onlookers as well.The style and size is up to you.
 
I had sort of this concern the other day when I was out hiking. Here in Oregon and the Northwest we have to worry about Cougars and Black Bears. I've only been hiking for a year or so but I've never seen either animal but I've heard stories of sightings. I was alone (which is always a bad idea) so i constantly took peeks over my shoulder to make sure I wasn't being followed. I always have my Fox 40 whistle on my neck as well as a collapsible baton available for quick deployment. I think I need to invest in bear spray too. I think the best thing is to not go alone and to always have at least one other person with you. A couple of dogs against one person is totally different than the same pack of dogs against two people. But for the times I'll go alone, a whistle and baton are my defenses...
 
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