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What to do if an off leash dog looks to attack you or yours?

Caraline

Caraline

Well-known member
The thread about the roaming Pitbull got me thinking about this....

In the past all my walks were with my Boxers, and though they are the sweetest, most gentle, dog friendly breed, I think there is something about their faces that freaks out other dogs. They just give them a very wide berth, so I've never had a problem with aggressive roaming dogs.

However, now that I have the 2 little CKCSs to walk, I am wondering how you go about protecting yourself & your dogs in the event of an imminent attack, especially if you are walking multiple dogs, and can not scoop them up?
 
Pick them up before the imminent attack!! Sorry, re-read your post after posting this, try the lemon juice in second post AND still pick them up, one in each arm. Then yell for help....

There have a been a couple of Cavaliers "eaten alive" by large dogs in Toronto in the last few years.

When I used to pick up my daughter, there was a guy who always left his large dog off-leash and it would run at Charley.

The first time, I picked up Charley and asked him to please keep his dog on leash. (As required by law and posted as such)

He swore at me and told me where to go.....so after that, I carried a heavy walking stick and told him, that I wouldn't hesitate to protect my dog.

Each day, he'd see me coming and call his dog away from us.

When we go to the beach, we always carry the same stick. It works. :D
 
Another good idea from our self defense course, for kiddies and dogs.....
for children, it gives them time to either run or start yelling.

Carry one of those plastic balls of lemon juice and squirt it into the other dogs eyes.

It will make them run off but won't do permanent damage, the acid just stings. :D
 
Hey I like those, lemon juice balls & a walking stick. Here in Australia we are not allowed to carry weapons of any sort, but a walking stick is not a weapon, nor is lemon juice. :D
 
When Wesley was attacked at the dog park, the only thing that saved him from the grip of a pitbull was punching the dog square in the jaw. He had locked his teeth around Wesleys neck and had lifted him in the air. Wesley was screaming, and my mil was kicking and hitting the dog. The sweet spot was the jaw, and it instantly released.

I now carry pepper spray and a walking stick, just in case.
 
He had locked his teeth around Wesleys neck and had lifted him in the air.
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Good gods!

So what kind of walking stick do you guys carry? Is it the short, hook shaped one like granny uses, or is it one of those really long ones used for bushwalking?
 
After our two boys were attacked (not hurt just shook up) I can no longer walk our dogs, my fear is so high that I just about shut down if I see another dog and am really scared all the way round the walk just incase. My boys have picked up on my fear and that combined with a lack of socialisation has created some demons when walking them and if they see another dog they start to do a very high pitched bark which often provokes even the most obedient off lead dog. I am tearing up just writing this, this situation is my worst possible fear. My brother now walks the dogs everyday and although I play ball with them in our reasonably big back garden I really feel I am missing out, I have tried to work with a trainer (probably need a pyschologist) but I don't think I am going to overcome it and have decided therefore to just not walk them. :(

Anyway I have seen some people carry a choke chain to swirl in front of the aggressive dog. I think this is something that unfortunately everyone should plan for and this way you can be as ready as you ever can be as it all happens so quick and is so difficult with multiple dogs.

Very good suggestions and post (y)
 
Our "walking stick" is just a piece of thick branch that we found at the beach.

It "could be" a walking stick...you could use a regular cane if you have one around.

I also now carry pepper spray but that was because of an incident with a two-legged dog with road rage! :shock:

For regular dogs, the lemon juice is the best bet. :)
 
I find that a loud HUP!! will stop a dog in its tracks, then I raise my hand and tell it to go. So far this has worked for me. I honestly don't think that I could spray lemon juice in a dogs face,but that's just me....

:flwr:
 
if i feel a bad situation is coming i use alot of swear words that seems to work well.i also carry a riding crpo as they wont break and they sting real bad.
 
I'd be tempted to use the pepper spray on the dog first, then the owner if the owner didn't do anything. About the same intelligence.
 
yer i agree pepper sray the b........s.i am so sick of nasty dogs and the owners are worse,i carry my mobile with me now and the police no is on it i am not taking any more c...p.
 
my old cavalier lost an eye and had to have it removed when he got attacked by a German Shepard when he was 11 months old. :(

Pepper sprays are illegal here, but sounds a nice idea.
 
mishmosh said:
my old cavalier lost an eye and had to have it removed when he got attacked by a German Shepard when he was 11 months old. :(
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That is so sad :( :( :(

Pepper sprays are illegal here, but sounds a nice idea.
Click to expand...

Yeah, all that sort of stuff is illegal here in Australia too. So far I'm stil going with the walking stick (for my rickety old knees of course) and the lemon ball (to put on my chips, of course).
 
I think lemon juice is an excellent idea. Have you ever had lemon juice squirt in your eye? It happened to me once while dining out, I had to excuse myself instantly from the table. It's painful, you cannot see out of the eye and you tear up insanely, I had mascara running down my cheek in no time. I think that would stop anyone. Why not put it in a squirt gun, it may offer better aim than the lemon ball, or would that then be considered a weapon? Any squirt bottle with a nozzle and handle that has a long stream setting would be extremely helpful with aim. Jeez, I think I'm enjoying this arming ourselves discussion too much, but I'm fed up with these marauding beasts!
 
This will either make me a very good or a very bad doggie daddy... but if our little guys were actually being hurt by another dog, I would use whatever I could put my hands on to ensure it would be the LAST time the other dog attacked anything.

KC
 
Attack

Use pepper spray to ward off attacks. Put it on a chain or bracelet around your wrist where you have easy access to it.
I am usually walking 3 Cavaliers at a time and would not have time to get it out of a pocket or purse.
Thankfully we have never been attacked and live on a private country road but it is better to always be prepared.
 
We frequent a dog park which has a small dog section. The small dog side is full of gentle, sweet dogs. On the large dog side, there is always at least one scuffle everytime we are there. And most of the time a pit bull is involved. Recently, it took 3 men punching the pit to get it off the lab that it had pinned. The lab was taken out to the vet screaming and bloody. The men then turned on the owner, kept him there and called the police. Very scary.

For all the new puppy owners, if there is a dog park near you, please make sure it has a small dog section before you take your dog. We carry a chain dog leash. It makes a good weapon when you spin it. The lemon juice spray bottle is a great idea.
 
I'm glad that you started this thread because after I saw that scary-looking pitbull type dog in my backyard eyeing up my little dogs (thru my patio doors) I was wondering what I would do if we ever happen upon a loose dog on one of our walks now. I guess since my other dog is a small 6 lb. Poodle, I would be able to pick both of them up, my Cavalier weighs 19 lbs. so I can pick him up too. I could grab one in each arm IF I had the time to do it, and if need be then kick the loose dog if it was still coming at us. I was also thinking of getting pepper spray too (I like your idea Bruce!) and keeping it wrapped on something around my wrist so it was very handy. I won't do the dog park here because it doesn't have a small dog area. So, I take my two for walks on the leashes. I like the idea of a stick too, but with 2 dogs and 2 leashes, that may be a handful for me....but I like the idea of pepper spray.
 
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