Estimated reading time: 10 minutes
Dogs are one of the most beloved and common pets to have. They give us security, comfort, and companionship. Many people do not view their dog simply as a pet but as a member of the family. Those of us that have this viewpoint even make emergency preparations for our dogs, with some even having bug-out bags for their pups.
However, just like people, not all dogs are cute and cuddly, and not all dog owners are willing to go the extra mile to take care of their dogs during an emergency. When the SHTF, there will be owners, pounds, and other places that will cut dogs loose, and it won’t take long for feral dogs to become a danger that people will have to contend with.
Just like any other animal fighting for its survival, a dog, even one that was once domesticated, will do anything to protect its own. It’s not just people or the elements that you will have to contend with but the real possibility of feral dogs. In this article, we will be addressing what to do to avoid a dog attack and how to survive one.
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Warning Signs of an Attack
When I was growing up I remember a time when we rescued a rather young golden lab. She didn’t appear to have been abused or mistreated and, as most dog owners say, “she was a sweetheart.” One day while I was in the backyard, the dog was hooked up to her chain watching me when a family friend walked up behind her. The dog turned, casually stood on her hind legs, and immediately started snapping her mouth at our friend.
Our family friend did not threaten the dog in any way, and the dog didn’t show any signs of aggression beforehand. To this day, I still don’t know what prompted the behavior.
There are times when a dog will act aggressively towards a person, or another animal, and this behavior will seem to come out of nowhere. But if you pay close attention to a dog, they will exhibit signs, sometimes subtle ones, that they are uncomfortable or feel threatened. If these signs are ignored then aggression will often follow.
Here are a few warning signs that should not be ignored:
- Showing teeth
- Snarling
- Barking
- Growling
- Lowered head and arched back
- Hair standing up
- Nervous eye movements
- The dog holding its ground with minimal movements
- Lowered tail (not between its legs)
- The dog running all out at you
Avoid a Fight
There are two options when encountering a feral dog. The first is to do everything possible to avoid a confrontation. Depending on the circumstances, there is a chance that a person can get away from the dog by putting an obstacle between them, getting to higher ground, or possibly running away if the running distance is short. Let’s start with some ways to avoid an attack.
Move Slowly
Any movements that you need to make should be done smoothly and slowly. Fast, jerky movements could be seen as a threat, and the dog will react accordingly.
Avoid Eye Contact
Direct eye contact should be avoided as it too can be seen as a threatening response. This does not mean you should take your eyes off the dog though. Keep the dog in your field of vision by looking down at the ground towards its paws or just off to the side of it. This way you will still be able to see the dog if it makes a move.
Do Not Show Your Teeth
This can be a hard reaction to control because with people, showing our teeth through smiling is a non-threatening response. However, many animals show their teeth as an aggressive display. Avoid this confusion by keeping your pearly whites tucked away.
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Talk in a Calm or Authoritative Voice
This suggestion is twofold, and it entirely depends on how the dog reacts to you. Talking in a calm, soothing voice may help the dog feel at ease and see you as less of a threat. If this doesn’t work, trying a more authoritative voice by yelling “No!” might make the dog feel more submissive.
Give Them Food
One reason that a feral dog may be acting aggressively is that it is hungry. If you are carrying food, then they may smell that and simply want it. If the food is in a bag, reach into the bag slowly while talking in a calm voice, and throw the food away from you. When the dog shows more interest in the food over you, slowly back away and make your exit.
Back Away Slowly
If the dog is holding its ground and not advancing, it may just feel threatened and not want to attack. In this situation, it is best to keep talking calmly and to back away slowly. Do not turn your back to the dog until you have reached a safe distance, or you are out of sight. Also, do not turn and run away as this can trigger them into chase mode.
Fight Back
Sometimes there is nothing that can be done to keep a dog from attacking. They may just feel too threatened, hungry, or desperate. When the suggestions for avoiding an attack in the previous section fail, the only option left is to fight back.
A lot of people, including myself, have a soft spot for dogs, and we don’t want to hurt them. But when a dog is determined to attack, you must shut these feelings away and become just as determined to protect yourself.
Create Distance
It was stated earlier that running from a dog is generally not a good idea because the average dog is faster than most people. This mainly applies when there are no obstacles and the distance between the two of you is relatively short.
Running away can be a viable option if the dog is far enough away that you can run to a safe area before the dog reaches you or, and keep your fingers crossed, if you think you can move faster than the dog to get inside a building, vehicle, or another safe area.
Another way to create distance between you and an attacking dog is to gain the high ground by climbing on top of whatever you can. Just be sure that you choose high ground that the dog can’t get on top of as well.
Use a Barrier
If you can’t run or climb your way away from the dog, another option is to put a barrier between the two of you. Nowadays, lots of people carry backpacks and other types of bags that can be used as a target that the dog will hopefully attack first. Using a bag, trash can, or whatever is available as a temporary barrier can help to deflect an attack and give you a few more seconds to figure out your next move.
Stay Off The Ground
Like many four-legged animals, when a dog attacks, it will try to bring you down to their level where they will have a better chance of overpowering you. Unless you can stay on top of a dog, the last place you want to be is on your stomach or back on the ground. By doing everything you can to stay upright, you will keep the advantage.
Trigger The Gag Reflex
A person’s initial reaction is to pull away when they are bit by a dog. However, when an animal has a firm hold on you the act of trying to pull away can cause further damage. In the situation where a dog has your hand in their mouth try pushing your hand further into their mouth rather than trying to pull it out.
If your hand goes far enough in, you may be able to trigger their gag reflex. Another option is to grab ahold of their tongue or any soft tissue that you can. Doing any of this will be extremely uncomfortable for the dog and will hopefully cause it to release its grip.
Go For The Soft Spots
An attacking dog usually won’t bite over and over. They go for a firm hold on the leg or arm and try to bring you down. When this happens, hit the dog in their soft spots which are the same as humans. Go for the throat, ears, eyes, and underbelly.
Use a Weapon (less-lethal force)
There are far too many objects that can be used as a weapon to list what to use, hence anything can be used as a weapon. If you have something that can be used as a weapon before the attack, a non-lethal approach to using it would be hitting it on another surface to create a loud noise. Since a dog’s hearing is more sensitive than a person’s, loud noises can scare them off.
Since a weapon like a bat, pole, trash can lid, etc. is hard and easier to use than our body, it will allow a person to deliver a more meaningful impact. A non-lethal blow with an impact weapon may only require one strike to the dog’s head or body to detour it from attacking further.
Pepper spray, mace, and other animal sprays are another non-lethal approach to dealing with an aggressive animal. Just know that when these types of sprays are used, they are not always one hundred percent effective in detouring an animal, and there is a good chance that some of what was sprayed will come back at you.
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Lethal Force
* Warning: The following description may bother some readers, please skip this section if you are sensitive to this type of content. *
In an all-out attack, there may be only one way to end a dog fight, and that is with lethal force. If you have a knife or any other type of sharp tool, use it on the soft parts of the dog’s body to end the fight as quickly as possible. Areas to concentrate on are the eyes, throat, and the area just behind the shoulder where the heart and lungs are located.
In the absence of a sharp tool, use whatever blunt tool you can find, including your fists and feet, to beat the opponent until they are no longer a threat.
Lethal force may be needed at the beginning of the fight or before it even starts if you are facing off with a pack of dogs. A person will have a difficult time trying to fight off one dog, and when there is more than one, a person’s chances of walking away from an attack go down. If lethal force is used from the start to take one opponent out of the equation, the others may be scared off or unwilling to continue.
FAQs
Note: Please keep in mind that the information listed below is largely dependent on the breed of the dog and therefore will vary depending on the type of dog you encounter.
Can people outrun dogs?
With a top speed of 45mph, the greyhound is credited with being the fastest dog breed. On the other hand, the average speed of most pet dogs is between 15-20mph. Unless you are Usain Bolt, who is the fastest person on record with a top speed of over 20mph, the average person is not going to be able to outrun most dogs.
How hard can a dog bite?
With an estimated bite force of around 500psi, Mastiffs are thought to have the strongest bite. You want to avoid a bite from any dog, but especially a mastiff.
How high can a dog jump?
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the highest recorded jump by a dog is 75.5 inches ( 6.29ft) but many dogs can easily clear an obstacle that is a few feet off the ground.
Conclusion
Hopefully, you will never have to deal with a feral dog or any of its friends face to face, but if you do, please keep some of these suggestions in mind. They may help you walk away from an attack or even prevent one from happening in the first place.
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We live in the county and most large dogs have been trained in obedience and thus using a stern, firm command as you face them directly saying “No! Bad Dog, Bad Dog! No!! All trained dogs want to please and if they are told they are bad dogs they cower every time and will stop. You have to laugh a little afterwards as they are not all that mean and bad. I have used this in my evening walks on a number of occasions. It has not failed even once. Once they stop, tell them to sit and mean it. I command them to sit as begin to make a step towards them and I expect them to sit. They do! Then I tell them to go home and I am very forceful in that command. It really works and every time. One time I had to use German on a German Shepard as it appeared to be a well trained guard dog for some new neighbors down the road. It had a kennel and was out of it all alone and it became aggressive toward me barking. English had no effect and thus I figured it was an imported dog and probably from Europe. German stopped him cold. He wagged his tail! Very funny, but true. I did have small 380 auto in my pocket but that would be for unpleasant aggressive humans if it ever were to happen. Dog want someone to be in charge and they want to please that person. Fact!
Just a few suggestions: I always carry a walking stick that is stout enough to be of likely use in fending off a dog attack (and maybe a two-legged predator, as well). I also carry Citronella spray when I am walking my dog, in case the dog is attacked by another dog. Pepper spray works to fend off a dog attack, but once the attack is in progress using pepper spray will just make them fight harder, thinking that the other dog is hurting them more (advice from my professional dog trainer). However, when out of my neighborhood I also carry pepper spray. Regarding Wasp Spray, the containers are usually fairly large and perhaps not something you are likely to carry very long. And if you live in a problem area, Bear Spray is hotter than many smaller pepper sprays, and has a bigger container with more sprays, too.
Talking about a pack of dogs or maybe even a single dog, I think the idea of carrying a bag of kibble etc would be good, toss it so it breaks open, one it may stop them in their tacks and start fighting between themselves over the food and two allow you to back away unnoticed… but keep an eye open as your exit the area. I have also heard and stand to be corrected… that while bush walking to keep a couple of handkerchief’s or rag’s in your armpits to get if high in Body Odor and if you find yourself being tracked by wolves or feral dogs to drop a couple of pieces and hopefully it will distract them for a little extra time giving you some extra distance between you and the animals… it may even create a good distraction as in fighting over the cloth.
It makes sense. Dogs rely on their sense of smell so much, why not take advantage of that to distract them? Thanks for sharing!
There are many good suggestions and some not so good the more you know about a threat the less of a threat it is I used dogs in the military and learnt quite a bit for example if you are going to use a spray please ensure that it is not C.S. Anti personnel gas as it has no effect on a dog whatsoever in fact when you test a dog handler in the gas chamber there is so much gas in there it is hard to see even in a mask however the handlers dog has no mask and after a sneeze or two they sit obediently and watch the humans gag and struggle.
If you are in the unfortunate position to be attacked by a dog large or small panic will kill you and the animal will feed on your panic the phrase panic spreads is very real the animal smells fear and it’s instincts kick in you have to remember two things 1. An animal on four legs has great strength to pull and tear 2. Most animals can only articulate their bottom jaw.
Lesson stay upright do not allow yourself to be taken down on two legs you have strength and control the dog on two legs has neither that’s is why all animals try to bring a prey down they can inflict damage but cannot kill an upright victim.
A bite will hurt but being eaten alive will hurt a lot more get a hand into the dogs mouth and you will find a good thumb notch under the jaw bone the dog cannot now bite and if you have it up on two legs basically it’s powerless at this point the animal will panic and try to get away keep control of the jaw yes the animal will struggle it’s just gone from predator to prey and it knows it you now have to decide what you are going to do your hand will be hurting as you are gripping teeth but you may well be holding enough food to feed twenty people if that is the environment you are in either way you must maintain control you cannot break a dogs neck unless you are fighting a puppy or a very small dog it takes hours for a dog to die by hanging they will suffocate before the neck breaks you can break a leg or two if you have no penetrating weapons just don’t lose control of that mouth until you ensure it cannot come at you again.
If the animal is part of a pack you need a weapon if you carry then my first round in the chamber even today is a shot shell it will not kill a human or a dog but it will blind and hurt like hell I have shot shells for 9mm 38 special 40 S&W and then there’s the 12 gauge and yes they are for people as well what with every bugger having body armor these days the shot shell guarantees a hit and no one wears body armor on their face.
With a pack you must stay upright do not kick remember they are faster than you and they need to get you down if you can get into a corner or small space you defeat their number superiority everything you can hold is a weapon you need to strike hard fast and often whilst keeping them from gripping remember dogs love to play tug of war you have already seen a dog do that and you have seen how reliant they are on having four legs on the ground.
Strike for eyes use fast jabbing so they cannot get a grip any animal that is hurt in the eye will leave the fight they know the value of their sight if you can break a leg with a sideways swipe that animal will leave the fight cuts and abrasions will not bother them a thrusting puncture will they know they need to see and run that is their weakness.
As for children sadly that will continue to happen as the child’s instinct to stare is actually a dogs threat the first thing any animal does to an enemy is fully open the eyes and concentrate on the target so the animal being stared at knows it has become a target and will attack the threat foolish people in the streets do the same thing they stare at a dog and the dog becomes aggressive so would you when someone stares at you then they whine when they have been attacked even though they were the initial aggressor albeit to foolish to know it.
Ever heard of punctuation? This is the worst example of writing(?) I have ever come across! I gave up trying after a paragraph(?)! Please learn to use periods and commas if you wish to write opinions!
I didn’t see ammonia listed. When living in Huddleston Virginia a daily walk was a problem
and dogs a given. I never paid attention just faced them and sprayed a straight shot in their mugs. If bothered again its was never the same dog twice. They learned that I was just a part
of the environment.
Oh, good one. Thank you, I would have never thought of carrying ammonia. I’m not in a bad place but this is good to know.
I HAVE NOT MENTIONED THIS EVER BEFORE, BUT When TSHTF & dogs attack, it is far more appropriate to EAT the mutt as we did in Northern Himalayan 1968 India where the Pie Shop lady served up the best hamburgers ever made from excess dogs & cats she caught! Police disapproved, tho she gets away with it for possible meal bribery + for other good reasons!!
I walk in the afternoons, and have on a couple of occasions been bitten, although not seriously. However, as much as I like dogs, I will not tolerate being attacked by one that has been left to by an irresponsible owner to roam unattended. The dog may pay a high price for his owner’s negligence. The law requires them to be on a leash, or behind a fence. A large dog that is being aggressive, and clearly capable of inflicting a lot of damage quickly is a threat, and I will deal with it in a serious fashion, up to and including killing it if I must. I have stood my ground on several occasions and called out in a loud voice that sometimes works to deter the dog. But how can you gauge a dog’s intentions. The tell tale signs may or may not be there. If he approaches too closely, I consider him a threat. Any kind of spray is a good idea, and I would try that first. Failing that, more extreme measures may be needed. Quite a few people here have been attacked this summer by rabid animals, foxes, and dogs, and what have you. So it is a serious concern. I was a teen kissing my girlfriend goodnight when her small dog mistook my intentions, and nipped me on the leg. How could the little fella know that I was not attacking her? Works both ways. I have many dog stories, but no space here to tell them. I once had a large German shepherd race directly at me, and I was prepared to spray him when he stopped, rolled over and waited for me to rub his tummy. His owner came running around the corner, yelling for the dog, that I was kneeling down and petting when he caught up. I told the owner what I thought of his carelessness. Another second or two and that beautiful dog would have had a snoot full of pepper. I was afield once when I was approached by a pack of feral dogs, with bad intentions. I pulled my hunting knife and yelled at them. They considered, but thought better of it and trotted away. Sometimes that works.
A couple good points but one thing I think you overlooked, is that in the event of a SHTF event, there would more than likely be packs of dogs…..what advice would you give in that type of situation? I would imagine that you’d want to take out the Alpha male in order to disrupt the “order” of the pack. I really like the idea of the wasp spray because those cans really jet the spray with force and it would definitely deter a dog or two…..And, in SHTF events, we would more likely be carrying and that changes the circumstances heavily in our favor, but, like you, I love animals and would only hurt them in self defense…..
It will be interesting to see those in favor of banning guns surrounded by dangerous animals, of two- or four-legged kinds. I got booted out of a “peace” group because I suggested we needed to at least vet those entering this country. Apparently the ideal of open-borders trumps common sense. It will be nice if we ever evolve to universally recognize that we are all one, and truly live ideals of loving even our enemies, but from what I’ve seen of humanity I’d rather be surrounded by angry dogs than angry people. Dogs at least only kill out of hunger. Humans will kill for far more and far less understandable reasons. Wave the right red, white and blue cloth in front of even the most despicable of causes and many of them will drool nationalistic pride as they strike you down.
Concealed weapons are illegal in Australia but when I was a metor reader I carried a cap pistol it worked OK. Ron
You mentioned pepper spray or bear spray. Another thing to use which might be cheaper is wasp spray. It sprays a long distance and I’m sure a dog wouldn’t like it in the face or eyes.
Just a thought about gouging a dog in the eyes to drive him off. A dogs eyes are way too close to a part of him you don’t want your hands around. Keep in mind the dog is a lot quicker than you too so I’d suggest you don’t get your fingers anywhere near his mouth.
No, If I ever am in the situation. I hope I can stay upright an am able to RAM my fist down the animals throat so far it cannot clos on anything!
When dealing with dogs especially when you first meet even friendly ones is not to extend your fingers but make a tight fist. A smaller object is less of a threat than a wide open hand and this allows them to sniff your scent and not be a threat and you didn’t offer them finger food!
Also, If you can and have easily removable clothing like a jacket take it off and wrap it around your weaker arm and if you can’t stop him from biting you offer that covered cushioned arm. This allows you to have closeness to both his eyes and nose which is sensitive too to attack it with your good arm.
As stated within here, the dog will not want to let go so lift you arm as high as you can and knee him in the soft tissue in his under belly and try to jamb the soft tissue up under his rib cage. This is one way to stop a dogs who like to jumping up on you. Two or three times and the dog will stop jumping on people!
When you meet any dog especially for the first time do not present him with finger food. Make a fist and let him smell you. Smaller objects are less intimidating to a dog!
Also if having time and you have say a jacket on, remove it and wrap it around your weaker arm. If attacked allow this wrapped cushioned arm to be what he grabs. This way you can attack him with your stronger arm to his eyes or nose which is sensitive too with him being extremely close and in your arm reach.
Also – as someone has said they grab and don’t want to let go – so if you can raise up that weaker arm so as to get him on two feet then knee him in the soft underside. Attempting to drive the soft tissue up under his rib cage.
This is one trick to stop dogs that like to jump onto people. Two or three knees and he will stop jumping on people.Very discomforting to them!
After two terrifying confrontations with very dangerous dogs recently and viewing videos of horrendous attacks and photos of shredded attack victims, I’m no longer taking chances. Two vicious pit bulls will not be stopped by any of the methods above. In a dire situation like this, these methods are useless and most are downright ridiculous. I will now walk in my (unfortunately) dog-ridden neighborhood with bear spray in one hand and the other hand ready to draw my concealed-carry handgun if need be. I will NOT be literally torn apart by some worthless, vicious. I wish you all the best of luck.
I was bitten by a unprovoked German Shepherd as a four year old, leaving me twenty six stitches and permanent scars to my face. I still love dogs and have had one or two for the last Thirty years.
As an small woman, I doubt I would have the strength to pull off some of these moves. But little old ladies and children can plunge their fingers into eyes! If it can stop a shark attack, I’m sure it would work.
My first defense is always avoiding the situation though. The recovery and infection is horrible!
Concealed weapons carry national reciprocal laws are a great start, then you can take on any and all threats to your self or anyone in need! Think about it
Carry an UMBRELLA. When a dog start to attack suddenly OPEN the umbrella and poke it at him and keep moving forward.
Not only does it make you look dapper, but if there is any girl around that was watchin, tip you hat and walk away like a gentlemen, whilst the dog runs away with tail between the legs.
Cricket, you are such a charmer?
A dog trainer once told me that dogs are very sensitive to pain in the front of their legs. So if you take daily walks or are walking in an area where you may be susceptible to a dog attack it is a good idea to carry some sort of strong stick such as a cane or any stout stick about that length. A sharp strike to the front of their front legs (in the area you would call the shins on a human) should immediately get their attention and drive them off.
Now this information was given as a means to deal with a nuisance dog such as what a walking mailman would often encounter or what some owners walking their own small dog may encounter. Not sure what effect it would have on a feral attacking dog. Something to try though.
One last-ditch resort (that I’ve never personally tried) is to, when the dog grabs your forearm, pull him in close to your chest and bring your free arm around the back of his neck to choke him out, or (when that doesn’t work) fall forward onto him, forcing his neck back over your free arm. The theory is that this will break his neck, but I think that would only work for a very strong individual. Strictly hearsay so ymmv.
Most predators are highly dependent on their nose to find prey and survive so a strike to the nose with your fist or a heavy stick will often deter them. Putting your hands in your coat pockets and inverting it over your head will make you look bigger and is s’posed to intimidate cougars, but for domestic dogs who are more accustomed to humans this may not work. At least it will allow you to quickly protect your head and neck, or to offer the coat as a point of attack, rather than your arm. If you can’t afford bear spray then carry a container of cayenne, both to throw in the dog’s eyes and nose and to staunch blood flow from wounds. Always carry a loud whistle, such as the Storm brand, as most predators, including other humans, don’t like to think you are summoning help. We fear the things we don’t understand, but again, if it’s a dog gone feral it may not be fooled by a human acting crazy. They may be used to that. A squirt gun filled with vinegar has helped me ward off dogs chasing me on a bike without doing them any permanent harm. In the case of a dog viciously attacking you 90% rubbing alcohol may work better, as well as provide emergency fire starter, though you may have trouble getting your lighter out at the time. 😉
I didn’t mean to imply you should pull your coat over your head and try to hide in it. If you’re trying to intimidate them by looking bigger and they lunge in at you anyway then you should probably just try to make their first bite be into the coat, rather than your arm. At that point you want to shed the coat but maintain a grip on it so the dog thinks it’s doing you damage. If the dog releases try to wrap the coat around your arm and offer the padded arm as its next target, then proceed to disable it as the author suggests. If the dog is clinging to your arm and is heavy enough to drag you down, and you don’t want to drive his fangs further in then your strongest punch to his delicate nose may be your best option. If he’s pulling you and has a long nose the area between his eyes may not be reachable, and it’s a lot better protected than his nose. Whatever you do, fight back and keep yelling. They really can smell fear and it will only encourage them! ‘Just the random thoughts of an old dogcatcher with a couple scars to show for it.
Wow, this is making me think I should put together a longer post full of tips for surviving a dog attack.
My story…. walking my mix-breed female dog, 70 #, 9 y.o. and very sweet. Neighbors Mastiff walks causually out his owners door, across the yard, into the street, never growls or rushes. Simply picks up my dog like she was a rat or something. The attack knocked me over. I then kicked the Mastiff (185 #) and he did not budge, i grabbed him by the mouth and tried to try open his mouth. Nothing. He did not chew. It was clamp and never moved his mouth. My dog screamed like she knew she was dying. Without thinking I grabbed his collar and twisted as hard as I could. He yelped and turned loose. Just after that the owner grabbed him and pulled him away. My dog needed medical attention, but healed up ok. They paid the bill, but I told the owner I would continue to walk my dog on her lease, but I would be doing so with my pistol. Some told me I didn’t need to kill him, but to carry a long heavy stick and beat the crap out of him. Maybe? Don’t know. I don’t want to hurt any animal….. BUT what if it were a pack. The stick probably would not do the trick. So I go armed. Two mags.
Cougars are an attack from the rear and they try and bite the back of the neck killing their prey.
Old wives tale. In cougar territory wear a hat that you put anything that looks like eyes on the back of the hat. Cougars think they are attacking from the front and that is not their style!
When I volunteered for a national disaster response agency, I often traveled all over the country in areas just devastated by one natural disaster or another. Most of the time I got along really well with the people we served even in crime infested high risk security areas. My lifelong profession as a social worker gave me pretty good people skills. I had a few pretty scary encounters, but those were far and few. As an animal lover who has spent my entire life in animal rescue, one of the most frightening predicaments would be the bands of starving dogs left by their owners who had to flee areas of complete destruction. I always carried a small metal bowl , A bottle of water, and dog biscuits in my backpack and stuff in my pockets. In all my years traveling on deployments, the highest rate of injuries in the field that I was aware of, was from dog bites. If I would continue, I would be tempted to bring a Bear spray with me. A dog can see a stranger walking around its former owners property and immediately assume you’re an enemy. I’d like to know how others deal with this situation.
That is such great advice! I hope you don’t mind, but I added your quote to the post.
I believe that when a dog is attacking a child or something smaller than him. The best way to get him to stop is to grab him and place your fingers in his rectom to get him to stop biting the child. I havent seen this personaly but my father did this to a dog that attacked my son. This helped the dog to stop the attack and left my father in charge
I’m not sure about this one. I’ve heard it’s a myth and that the dog will keep attacking, but I’ve also heard stories like yours that say it works. I guess it can’t hurt to try.
I like the idea of carrying a small bag of kibble, too. If you can prevent an attack by making friends with the dog that’s always better than having to kill or be killed.