How to react to aggressive dogs?

[neil_g]

to be honest when an aggressive dog attacks there is no easy way of defending yourself without getting bitten, fact of the matter is if you are a dog lover, an animal lover or someone who hates seeing harm come to animals, you will throw those happy little ideas right out the window when its biting down on your flesh trying to tear you apart, all you will care about is getting it off and preventing it from attacking you a second time.

So In cases like this where you fear for your life or that of a child the best and probably the only way to deal with a dangerously aggressive dog is by grabbing both its front legs and spreading them apart in a very fast and hard motion. It will damage the heart and kill them instantly.

I await the flame posts from the anmial lovers on this site, go ahead, but at the end of the day if its you in this situation, please try and call the rspca to come rescue you, when the dogs finished chewing on you or your kids mauled body, the rspca will only arrive, and take it away to be destroyed anyway.

a quick google points to an urban myth.

if you can get to the dogs legs while it is in a frenzy feel free to try but if you can i suspect all you will achieve it to damage their leg(s) and/or joints.

 

[gman]

Unlike people having a street brawl, when a dog attacks it's a fight to the death as far as the dog is concerned. The bigger or stronger the dog, the bigger the problem you have if he/she goes bad.

I love dogs but I do believe you have to respect the fact that they are still animals underneath and exercise common sense accordingly.

 

[Islander]

to be honest when an aggressive dog attacks there is no easy way of defending yourself without getting bitten, fact of the matter is if you are a dog lover, an animal lover or someone who hates seeing harm come to animals, you will throw those happy little ideas right out the window when its biting down on your flesh trying to tear you apart, all you will care about is getting it off and preventing it from attacking you a second time.

So In cases like this where you fear for your life or that of a child the best and probably the only way to deal with a dangerously aggressive dog is by grabbing both its front legs and spreading them apart in a very fast and hard motion. It will damage the heart and kill them instantly.

I await the flame posts from the anmial lovers on this site, go ahead, but at the end of the day if its you in this situation, please try and call the rspca to come rescue you, when the dogs finished chewing on you or your kids mauled body, the rspca will only arrive, and take it away to be destroyed anyway.

Old wive's tale/urban myth/complete rowlocks

 

[Islander]

Regardless of the breed, if the dog was aggressive and out of control with no sign of its owners in sight then it should absolutely be reported. That type of irresponsible dog ownership should not be tolerated.
(I say regardless of the breed because there are dogs that can be mistaken for Pit Bulls - our first dog, Luke, was a Staffie / Lab cross and could easily have been taken for a Pit Bull by those that didn't know better)

On a positive note I doubt that there is any real danger to your toddler.
Contrary to popular belief, even poorly trained dogs don't roam around savaging small children. A dog may act aggressively to another dog if it perceives it to be encroaching on its territory, but it's highly unlikely to launch into an unprovoked attack on a human.
Having said that, staying away from the woods for a while until you know what's happening isn't a bad idea.

If you do ever find yourself in a situation where you feel threatened by a dog, stay calm and maintain an aura of confidence and control.
If your toddler is with you, move him behind you so that you're stood between him and the dog. Don't panic, shout and scream or try to run away - that's likely to agitate the dog even more.
I'd also strongly advise against responding with aggression. If you start waving a stick or pole at the dog, a large, strong breed will take the stick away from you and will very likely respond with further aggression.

If the dog is bounding toward you stand your ground and stay calm - and once the dog is stationary you can back away slowly avoiding any sharp or abrupt movements.

If you feel confident enough you could even try a simple command like "back" or "down" . . . it's the tone of your voice rather than the words themselves that the dog is most likely to respond to, so even if it doesn't know the commands you may get a result.

And remember that some dogs are just exuberant and excitable (and possibly poorly trained) - 99% of dogs that may come bounding up to you are probably not doing so with the intent of attacking.

This has been the only accurate and sensible advice on this thread so far. Spot on

 

[Islander]

Without a gun there is probably not much you can do when a pitbull attacks. I heard it is impossible to unlock their jaws when they lock on to something!

Dogs jaws don't lock.

 

[Islander]

carrying a trekking pole which usually has a hardened steel point - perfectly legal

Now it's legal - unless you plan to use it as an offensive weapon at which point it becomes illegal.

get a local workshop to grind the point to a 'sharp' point

At which point you are definitely in possession of an offensive weapon and potentially a criminal record.

attack the dog and aim for the eyes

gruesome and horrific i know, but it's your child you are defending

Unbelievable.

 

[nano]

Jeez, some nutcases here

#1 tip is don't be afraid of dogs
#2 tip is dogs are pretty fast and strong for their size, but not especially agile or dexterous. If a dog is in full attack a simple sidestep will see you clear.

Ever see those police dog demonstrations where they grab a guys arm who is running away, that was the guys first mistake, running away you lose your agility advantage.

 

[staffitaxi]

Ok, a few points on this one.

Regarding jaws locking – absolute total rubbish. Someone on here has mentioned the pressure a dog can use to keep its jaws closed and some breeds have more pressure than others. If a Stafford or other bull breed wants to hold on it will.

Pitbulls are a banned breed but I’ve seen plenty of them around to know that the DDA is not effective and in reality its not a very good law in the first place.

Staffords in general are not good with other dogs, that doesn’t mean they will attack a child, they are normally very good with children. However, there can always be a rogue.

Best ways to get a Stafford to let go have already been mentioned. Most people get bitten trying to separate two dogs by going for the jaws to get them apart, big mistake. If the dog is wearing a good quality leather collar with proper D-ring get hold of it and twist, this cuts of the air supply and the dog eventually has to let go. If its wearing a fabric collar this is unlikely to work. Second option is not pleasant and does involve sticking your finger where the sun don’t shine. If it’s a male dog you can always try grabbing its balls instead.

Sarah’s posts have been very much on the ball.

For general info I’ve been volunteering for Northern Staffordshire Bull Rescue now for approximately 12 years and helped re-home around 2000 Staffords. I have only ever had one dog try to bite me that meant business and I left him at the pound he was in with the instruction he should be PTS and walked away with a hole in my fleece jacket, fortunately it was winter and I was wearing two.

The worst problems are dogs which have been tormented by their owners. The people who think its great fun when they are pups to aggravate them with their feet so they attack or just as bad their lead. You try getting a fully grown male to let go of a lead if its been tormented and allowed to hold on. Unfortunately in a rescue environment this makes the dog unrehomable if we feel the damage cannot be undone.

The weekend after next is our Big Event Weekend. We have a dog show on the Saturday and a sponsored walk on the Sunday up in Eskdale in Cumbria. We will hopefully have around 100 plus Staffords walking on the Sunday . All will be on leads, all will have been issued with their complimentary poo bags and all will receive a rosette for helping Staffords not as fortunate as themselves. Most of them will be rescues. Some of the nicest people I know will be attending and its great publicity for a breed which is often put down by the media as being owned by drop outs and criminals.

 

[Gremlin]

Unlike people having a street brawl, when a dog attacks it's a fight to the death as far as the dog is concerned. The bigger or stronger the dog, the bigger the problem you have if he/she goes bad.
.

Dogs do not fight to the death unless trained to do so and trust me a lttle terrier can do as much damage as a big dog

One very popular misconception that has cropped up yet again here is that a dog that is aggressive towards oither dogs will attack children, not true, even those poor tormented souls thrown into dog fights are mostly great with people.

I very rarely give advice on dog aggression over the web or phone, unless you can see the dog and how it is reacting it impossible to tell the best way to deal with it and for the record I have been involved in rescue for a very long time and do tend to take on the problem dogs

 

[gman]

Dogs do not fight to the death unless trained to do so

I'm not talking about a dog just getting annoyed, I'm talking about a dog which goes totally loopy upon which it will not stop when you simply fall down or such; it will keep on going. Maybe to the death is a little excessive though but it wouldn't surprise me.

and trust me a lttle terrier can do as much damage as a big dog

Sorry, I disagree. Yes a terrier can do damage but compared to a big dog which can weigh as much as a person you've got a whole new problem. A quick hoof up a terrier's arse would send it flying but you try doing that to a rottweiler! lol


I know which one I'd rather be up against .....

 

[unclened]

This isn't going to please dog owners or dog lovers, but I absolutely hate dogs and get very annoyed when a dog comes running up to me or a family member whilst in the park. I think everyone has a right to enjoy the public space without being harassed or jumped up upon by a dog. I don't think they are very clean animals and wish that some public spaces were completely dog free.

 

[neil_g]

This isn't going to please dog owners or dog lovers, but I absolutely hate dogs and get very annoyed when a dog comes running up to me or a family member whilst in the park. I think everyone has a right to enjoy the public space without being harassed or jumped up upon by a dog.

i completely agree and im pro-dog. it irritates the hell out of me people that cannot control their dogs.

 

[gman]

I agree also and it would help if there were more enclosed areas for dogs, great for Beagles who do tend to run at people in their search for food!

Dogs are a lot cleaner than many people I see about lol

 

[srichards]

From another forum it suggests grabbing the back legs if they're having a go at someone else or another dog. A lot less revolting than trying to give them a rectal examination...

 

[ziggy©]

You heard wrong. That is complete and utter tripe that has been propagated by the media.

Staffies cannot 'lock on' any more than any other breed can (ie none can)

I didn't say its a fact I just said I heard

 

[pnotz]

Sarah has given sound advice. As to all of the 'get tooled up' attitudes i would strongly advise against it, thats a sure fire way to get in trouble!

 

[AndyB1976]

From another forum it suggests grabbing the back legs if they're having a go at someone else or another dog. A lot less revolting than trying to give them a rectal examination...

Maybe the former didn't quite have the desired outcome, resulting in the latter....guess you would already be in position after all

 

[MisterE]

If I was a dog made to look like this then I'd be after somebody to bite.....

 

[Decca]

Not sure I really understand something in this thread?.......... Are people seriously suggesting that dogs of a particular breed or race are somehow more likely to commit violence or aggression than other breeds or races of dogs?

Yes.

My family are working dog breeders and there are many many factors involved with dog personalities.

Take pitbulls and staffys, they were used for years as fighting dogs and they were deliberately bred to be as aggressive as possible by some people.
This is why it's important to buy certain types of dogs from a reputable breeder, replying to adverts in papers could be a very risky thing to do as you may very well end up with a pup that has come from a fighting line.

It's up to the owners to do research into the breed, another example is the primal breeds, the most well known of which is the husky. Primals are not your average domesticated dog, they still have a lot of wolf in them so you need to know exactly what you are doing or they will turn on you or others.
(to put it in camera terms it's like giving someone who has only ever used a disposable point and shoot a 10k DSLR and asking them to photograph your wedding)

I don't subscribe to the "there is no such thing as a bad dog there are only bad owners" line. You can have the best owner in the world but if they have unwittingly bought Krug son of "Tyson the destroyer, won twenty fights to the death" then it's going to have your hand off at some point.

My advice would be if there is a pitbull who has attacked lose in the woods don't go near them, you don't know where it came from.

The general rule is if it's owned by a chav then don't go near it.

 

[OutLore]

The general rule is if it's owned by a chav then don't go near it.

Also good advice for car buying

 

[gatecrasher3]

Personally I have never seen any aggressive behaviour from a Staffie towards a human but I have seen plenty of aggressive behaviour from Staffie's towards other dogs. As you say they absolutely need the right training and socialisation....but so do all dogs!

However this is not a perfect world and we all know most dogs do not get the right amount of socialisation and training. It seems that the trouble with the Staffie is that the consequences are far worse of not getting this training than it is with most other breeds. That's why in my mind they are not suitable as a family pet for the majority of the population.

If I look at the most popular breeds I encounter when walkimg my dog they are Spaniels, Labs and Staffies. Some will have been trained and socialised very well, some quite well and some badly or hardly at all......and that will be the same for all three breeds. The thing is I can't ever recall coming across an aggressive Spaniel, I've come across quite a few aggressive Labs but I've come across an awful lot more aggressive Staffies.

Ironically my Staff was attacked by a Cocker Spaniel as he walked past us.

As you say the Staffordshire Bull Terrier has historically attracted ignorant and frankly cruel owners but please don't tar them all with the same brush.

Whilst he would never admit it my boy has also received a nip from a West Highland Terrier.

 

[mr_pants]

Stick a finger(or fist) up it's rectum. They usually let go

Who on earth found this out? What drove them to experiment in this manner? What else do they do as a hobby?

 

[SarahLee]

Glad to see that there are some voices of reason on this thread - and that some of the myths have been put to bed.

For general info I’ve been volunteering for Northern Staffordshire Bull Rescue now for approximately 12 years and helped re-home around 2000 Staffords. I have only ever had one dog try to bite me that meant business and I left him at the pound he was in with the instruction he should be PTS and walked away with a hole in my fleece jacket, fortunately it was winter and I was wearing two.

The worst problems are dogs which have been tormented by their owners. The people who think its great fun when they are pups to aggravate them with their feet so they attack or just as bad their lead. You try getting a fully grown male to let go of a lead if its been tormented and allowed to hold on. Unfortunately in a rescue environment this makes the dog unrehomable if we feel the damage cannot be undone.

The weekend after next is our Big Event Weekend. We have a dog show on the Saturday and a sponsored walk on the Sunday up in Eskdale in Cumbria. We will hopefully have around 100 plus Staffords walking on the Sunday . All will be on leads, all will have been issued with their complimentary poo bags and all will receive a rosette for helping Staffords not as fortunate as themselves. Most of them will be rescues. Some of the nicest people I know will be attending and its great publicity for a breed which is often put down by the media as being owned by drop outs and criminals.

The very best of luck with that - it sounds like a great event
We've just adopted our 3rd Staffie, having lost our last two to old age - it's good to know that there are people out there doing their bit to promote the breed.

 

[SarahLee]

Ironically my Staff was attacked by a Cocker Spaniel as he walked past us.

As you say the Staffordshire Bull Terrier has historically attracted ignorant and frankly cruel owners but please don't tar them all with the same brush.

Whilst he would never admit it my boy has also received a nip from a West Highland Terrier.

I was about to respond to Beardie with something similar myself.
Yes Staffs may not always be the best with other dogs, but with responsible ownership, good training and proper socialisation they can mix well with others. In fact for years, our two were inseparable.

A long time back one of our Staffs was attacked by a German Shepherd and quite badly hurt - No retaliation on her part, she froze when we gave her the command.
Just a shame that the other dog wasn't so well trained. Her owner just stood there shouting and screaming. I had to wade in and get her dog under control, and I can confirm that grabbing the collar as mentioned by others does work if you need to do it.

(Incidentally, both our dogs were on the lead at the time - her dog was loose and came running over)

 

[Urban Grimshaw]

Dog's aren't much different kids. Sometimes they'll get into fisticuff with other dogs. Just like kids do, with other kids. I used to see this a lot growing up when most dogs were let out unattended. Never actually seen one hurt - aside from my Uncle's dog, that lost an eye, but I think that was actually a cat!

They will kill things, left to their own devices. Mainly small rodents and insects. Just like many kids do.

And they'll rarely attack humans. Just like a kid will rarely attack an adult. They may bark, and they may snap, and occasionally but rarely they may even grab you...It's very rare they'd viciously attack you.

 

[flossie]

This isn't going to please dog owners or dog lovers, but I absolutely hate dogs and get very annoyed when a dog comes running up to me or a family member whilst in the park. I think everyone has a right to enjoy the public space without being harassed or jumped up upon by a dog. I don't think they are very clean animals and wish that some public spaces were completely dog free.

I could say exactly the same thing about snotty, badly behaved, barely-clothed, children running riot around the park, dumping food and rubbish everywhere... the parks I go to twice a day 365 days a year with the dog, come rain sun snow and hail, the one I keep the paths clear by walking them, report damage to the council, clear my rubbish up without fail even if it means carrying a smelly bag for ages, daily exercise - and very importantly say hello to a wide range of people and neighbours I'd never have got to know or even met otherwise... so why should people who visit twice a year on a sunny sunday restrict where I can go...

See, stereotypes work both ways...

Anyway, you'll find your "safe" dog-free spaces with fences round them in most municipal parks... enjoy...

 

[String]

Hate is such a bad word.

I hate people who hate things

 

[omen1976]

A Staffie (dodgy breed with a bad demographic of owners) attacked my dog about two years ago...the owner was in no position to stop it so I found a very hard kick in the ribs did the trick. It hadn't "locked on" at that point though. Owner threatened to report me to the RSPCA at which point I offered to call the police.....

has a staffy owner i find that rather offensive! , there is nothing dodgy about that breed of dog , some owners yes , but the breed , no!

 

[Odysseus]

How to react? Hope you can throw a good, quick right hook

 

[AndyB1976]

Who on earth found this out? What drove them to experiment in this manner? What else do they do as a hobby?

Good point....I wonder how their CV reads

 

[seriousrikk]

Definitly some good advice coming in now after the rather misguided posts from early on!

This isn't going to please dog owners or dog lovers, but I absolutely hate dogs and get very annoyed when a dog comes running up to me or a family member whilst in the park. I think everyone has a right to enjoy the public space without being harassed or jumped up upon by a dog. I don't think they are very clean animals and wish that some public spaces were completely dog free.

Each to their own.

I wish that some public places were completely child free and that is even less likely to happen that dog free.

 

[String]

Who on earth found this out? What drove them to experiment in this manner? What else do they do as a hobby?

I don't know. Just something I was told. Perhaps it's wrong. Or maybe try it out on you

 

[srichards]

Didn't Frank Skinner mention it in one of his early comedy routines? He said he was bored, stuck his finger up his sleeping dog's bum and saw the dog's mouth open more? I can well imagine Frank Skinner actually being bored / drunk enough to try it, then talk about it after.

 

[unclened]

I could say exactly the same thing about snotty, badly behaved, barely-clothed, children running riot around the park, dumping food and rubbish everywhere... the parks I go to twice a day 365 days a year with the dog, come rain sun snow and hail, the one I keep the paths clear by walking them, report damage to the council, clear my rubbish up without fail even if it means carrying a smelly bag for ages, daily exercise - and very importantly say hello to a wide range of people and neighbours I'd never have got to know or even met otherwise... so why should people who visit twice a year on a sunny sunday restrict where I can go...

See, stereotypes work both ways...

Anyway, you'll find your "safe" dog-free spaces with fences round them in most municipal parks... enjoy...

I disagree. I go to the park quite a lot in a similar manner, and hardly ever come across these kids that you are referring to. Also I don't think you can compare kids with dogs, as naughty and rude children can get, I've never come across one that runs up to you, pants all over you, gets its dirty slobber everywhere and is very likely to crap all over the floor. I've never had to side step a pile of kiddy poo or puddle of kiddy wee either.

I do agree that you are equally as entitled to enjoy your leisurely stroll as I am, but I can't see how dogs and children are the same.

 

[gman]

Whilst walking the dog I have had to side step used condoms, needles, puke and broken glass and occasionally have to extract broken glass from his paws. Not to mentioned the empty cans left on the grass only for the council grass cutters to come along and shred them into tiny sharp pieces which are just great for removing from his paws

The above comes from kids ranging from 5+ where I used to live due to being in a thoroughfare from an estate and the main transport links.

Dogs bark, babies cry, dogs leave poo (which can be picked up and I'm seeing that it is more and more these days), kids/adults leave litter which can be picked up (but often not in my experience). Dogs run up panting looking to play, kids kick a ball right into the middle of you and don't even say sorry.

Dogs should be on a lead in public but in retrospect the councils should provide more areas for dogs to play off the lead. They need exercise and socialisation - both of which reduce aggression. Although some kids should also be on a lead lol

I'd say that kids vandalise, fight and stab on a much greater scale than dogs attack.

Some sweeping generalisations by me but the big difference in my opinion is accountability. A dog doesn't know that crapping in public is wrong, but most kids know fine well not to drop litter etc. You could say it's the owner's responsibility to pick the crap up and it is. But it's also the parent's responsibility to control their children.

 

[OutLore]

Dogs bark, babies cry, dogs leave poo (which can be picked up and I'm seeing that it is more and more these days),

Yes, me too - shame there's far too many people who think that putting the doggy-doo in a little bag and then dumping it in a bush/hanging it from a tree/throwing it on the floor is acceptable though...

 

[gman]

Yes, me too - shame there's far too many people who think that putting the doggy-doo in a little bag and then dumping it in a bush/hanging it from a tree/throwing it on the floor is acceptable though...

Aye I've seen that! What's that all about? I can only guess it's to stop people stepping in raw poo but if you are going to pick the steaming pile up then why not put it in a bin as well whilst you are at it???!!!! lol

 

[Splog]

Aye I've seen that! What's that all about? I can only guess it's to stop people stepping in raw poo but if you are going to pick the steaming pile up then why not put it in a bin as well whilst you are at it???!!!! lol

I once saw a lady carefully tying the poo bag to a bush! (if it was George I wouldn't have said anything ) but it wasn't! I asked why would she do that? and she seemed genuinely taken aback (not Barack) and replied it would be taken away by the council....... :bang:

 

[hellogoodbye]

Another Staffy owner here, and an animal rescue worker too.

For an accurate account on Staffordshire Bull Terriers, please read the following -

http://www.k999.biz/staffiebullterriers.htm

Staffy's cannot 'lock on', that is a myth. And for those who are like 'zomg Staffy's are awful with other dogs!!!1!', take a look at the photos

Here is a Polaroid of my rescue boy, Finley. He is crossed with a Rottweiler and has had a terrible time recently after eating things that he shouldn't, getting string wrapped around his gut and then contracting Gangrene causing half of his side to fall off in chunks... he almost died twice!


Untitled by ɥɐuuɐɥ, on Flickr

 

[Volusian]

Stick a finger(or fist) up it's rectum. They usually let go

ill remember that trick the next time the wife snaps at me ...