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Old September 9, 2000, 06:31 PM   #1
plateshooter
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Lets say you are attacked by a large dog. He has your weak arm and you have an open folding knife in your right hand. Are there any recommended tactics, or proven methods that are used to end the fight?
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Old September 10, 2000, 06:14 AM   #2
Spadone
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I've been told that pushing your arm into a dog bite will trigger a gag reflex.
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Old September 10, 2000, 07:01 AM   #3
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3 years ago, I was walking my dog, and it was attacked by a very big Rott. I kicked that dog repeatedly with my boot and it didn't flinch.I'm also curious as to handle situations like this.
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Old September 10, 2000, 08:29 AM   #4
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It really will depend on the dog. If I dont have an option Im still not sticking my arm in that dogs mouth. I have pitbull's and have owned dobermans--Im not giving them a handle to drag me around with. The damage that can be done is enormous, muscles seperated from the bone, tendons pulled out, bones broken---your arm is useless for ever more.
Here is what you can do, work out a way to choke the dog, use your belt, his collar, a naked arm choke and then either hold him up against a wall or a tree, if your strong enough, or if you take him to the ground keep fighting him dont think for a second he's gonna quit...its best not to be bitten, take your asp and slamm it in the head before he gets ya......a cane a walking stick.....Ive used a shovel against a rather large aggressive rott....worked real good. Look at him and act like he is dinner and go for it...fubsy.
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Old September 10, 2000, 08:57 AM   #5
TaxPhd
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Big dogs are powerfully built in the chest/shoulder area which can have a negative effect on a knife attack to that area.

A dogs soft spot is the belly and area immediately forward of the hind legs. Stab/slash repeatedly in this area until the attack stops.
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Old September 10, 2000, 12:53 PM   #6
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Thanks for your replies. I was thinking about cutting his nose off or taking out his eyes. I have never had a big dog or been attacked by one but I do run into the threats on occasion on bike and hike trails. I thought maybe the military or some other organization may have some time tested methods. I carry a razor sharp folding knife, but I doubt it would cut through the hair very easily. That's why I was looking at areas that have no hair on them. I guess I should look into some pepper spray also.

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Old September 10, 2000, 02:32 PM   #7
CITADELGRAD87
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I have owned Rotts for several years.

You DO NOT want to be screwing around with the teeth end. I wouldn't go near one with anything less than an aluminum bat (BTW--DO NOT MISS). Knives simply require you to get too close.

I carry pepper spray, but have decided after watching video of large dogs attacking that there isn't really time to wait and see if the spray is working, so I'll do a dual draw, and probably shoot, it is really that dangerous.

Sometimes they will "feel you out" before charging, I personally have stopped a 2 rott attack ( not mine) with pepper spray and very aggressive arm waving, shouting, etc, but it was at this stage, before they had decided what to do.

Most bites I know of are when a large dog attacks a smaller one and the humans intervene. I don't think this is wise, but have been told there is a right way to do this--pick up the attacker by the back legs, it will stop attacking. I never thought until typing this that there must be a step 2, I mean how long can I hold up a 110 lb dog, how far can I throw it, etc.

I just heard of a mauling in TEXAS where a Rott atacked a small dog, somebody got a hose to break it up and got severely bitten on both hands. It surprised me that she was attacked, but I don't know how close she got.
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Old September 10, 2000, 03:37 PM   #8
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A twist to add to the lifting of the rear legs. If you have the strength, pull sharply outward when the legs are off the ground. Not only can the torn hips disable the rear legs, it causes excruciating pain to the animal.

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Old September 10, 2000, 04:57 PM   #9
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My .02cents,
Some years back, I went to a friend's house. I hadn't seen him for about a year. His dog (rott) was sleeping on the couch next to the front door. My friend opened the door and then the screen door to let me in. We had been talking a good minute through the screen door with no reaction from the dog, but when my friend let me in and he reached out to shake hands...I was reaching out towards my friend's extended hand with my right hand..that Rott sprang out of that couch and chomped down on my forearm in a heartbeat. In the next second, he had shaken my arm while bearing down with his vice like jaw and teeth. I believe if I was a cat or rabbit, it would have snapped its neck.
Luckily, for me, I was into T'ai Chi and JKD trapping at that time, so I went with the shaking motions, but it had my strong arm! I immediately went into eye jab/rake with my left hand, then throat jab with open hand. I locked on into a one hand strangle around it's adam's apple?
The dog continued to shake it's head from side to side...This was dog fu to it's dirtiest!! Then it loosened its grip just a little and I kind of pulled my arm back with my free left hand.
Even in judo,jiujitsu, and hapkido, I have never experienced such a quick and violent attack in such a short time. I believe if I had stood my ground and tried to defend with muscle strength, I would have deep puncture wounds and lacerations if not broken bones and torn tendons.
Just then, my friend jumped in and grabbed his dog around the neck with his arm. Thus separating the two of us. I stepped back out of the screen and front door and shakily said, "Maybe we can get together some other time, when it's more appropriate."
I had my foot firmly against the door in case the dog wanted to have another go.
All my friend could say was that "his dog had never done that before...and that he was sorry."
I immediately washed my arm with a garden hose and went to my nearby hospital to get my arm patched up and x-rayed.
True story.

I don't think I couold have gotten to my folder if I had one because it was on my dominant hand side. I carry two now.

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Old September 10, 2000, 05:21 PM   #10
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I've got a small dog that I walk around three times a day. We've had some problems with loose dogs running around. A Dobbie attacked us and sent my dog to the vet and had to have surgery.

Now I don't walk him without a large can of pepper spray and a gun. If any dog comes up to us and refuses to stop when I verbally confront him, I'm prob going to shoot. If enough time, I'll try the pepper spray, which I keep in my hand. But these things happen SO FAST, that you prob only have time for ONE MOVE. If you choose the pepper spray and it doesn't work, the dog is going to be in contact with you before you have the chance to go for the gun.

Dogs deserve a LARGE amount of respect. I'd rather have to take one of YOU on before I go up against another Rot...
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Old September 10, 2000, 09:13 PM   #11
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If you see the attack coming in time prepare to punch the dog in the eye. Don't mess around with the punch but give it all you've got. Dog's don't think out their attack they just go for it. Normally for the throat.

I've owned Dobes for years and my present company consists of a 100 lb male and a 75 lb female. Have worked with some trainers over the years, both military and civilian so I'm accustomed to big dogs.

Whatever you do don't run. If it is life or death, yes the shoving you are far back into the mouth does work, although you will get bit and torn up some. However, that is better than being dead.

If you've got the knife go for the throat or the underbelly, although that can be hard to reach. A solid punch to the eye area will normally leave the dog sort of messed up for a couple of seconds. And as was stated above, choke it if you can. It might not be pretty but you can take on and defeat just about any dog. The key is to THINK!

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Old September 11, 2000, 12:32 AM   #12
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I have worked with people who trained dogs before [both K9 cops and professional trainers of Personal Protection Dogs] the reaching to shake hands, or similar, is something that does cause problems on occasion. My @.02, I think the dogs see it as an attack either by their owner against you, or by you the stranger...and just come to the aid of their pack in either case.

The guy I worked with that trained Protection dogs, had on more than one occasion saved a strangers arm because he was side stepping to block his dogs lung when people went to shake his hand. The dog would end up crashing into his owner on those occaisions.
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Old September 11, 2000, 01:36 AM   #13
radom
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The best I could say is just hope it has a collar you can get a grip on if you have a free hand. Grip, twist and strangle and I mean strangle. It is a bit of a if but if you can get a grip it will put you in control. sure has to beat trying to swing them around by the tail.
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Old September 11, 2000, 11:34 AM   #14
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my $.02

i used to have a samoyed ... my dog was pretty much left alone by all the others (which was good coz i loved my sammy and would have pulverized anything that would have hurt him) and when i walked friend's dogz they pretty much had the run of the area.

if i had my arm taken in a bite, first of all i'd not try to disengage it. a zookeepeer once told me that the wolves he handled had jaw pressure of 2000lbs per square inch. they'd take frozen meat and shred it like wheaties. dogs being descended from that. i have no illusions of prying my arm loose unless the dog cooperates, or it is already dead.

in an attack i wouldn't dream of drawing a knife to stab. dogs are just too protected in the chest region (bone, muscle, hair) to hit effectively ... trying to go for the throat or chest while the dog is shaking its head violently risks my own wrist and arm to the blade. i'd either slam its exposed nose with my bare palm repeatedly, or go for the center of the brows where the bone grooves with the hilt of a folding knife or something similar. i wonder if these are the right choices, and if an expert could tell me.

personally i think its sad to have to end up doing that to a dog
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Old September 11, 2000, 05:18 PM   #15
fedaykin
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I remember reading about a fellow in L.A. who was attacked by a rott. He tried running but the dog easily ran him down and started going to work. Witnesses say the guy was screaming for his life, then the guy just flipped out and grabbed onto the rott and started biting into its neck and killed it!!
I had to shoot my roomates wolf/husky hybrid when he "turned" in a house full of guests at our party. The round was a cor-bon .40 135hr jhp at 1,300 fps. The round hit him almost center chest, then broke several bones missing his heart and breaking his shoulder bone coming out the back side. The bullet then went into a couch (with people on it) next to him and came out of the couch, flew by my head and landed in the kitchen behind me. It was the worst day of my life. I loved that damn dog. But he stayed alive for some time. We took him to get emergency care, but he died the next morning. His blood transfusion was not taking. The cor-bon round did not deform at all by the way. I think it hit to many bones. When the doc showed us the x-ray of all the bones smashed and broken, i was shocked. She said she has heard of that (them turning on people) with wolves and wolf hybrids.
anyone else hear of that?
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Old September 11, 2000, 07:23 PM   #16
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oya. countless stories when i was living in british columbia. poor dog sorry your day was so bad fedaykin.
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Old September 12, 2000, 10:17 AM   #17
Jarhead_22
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My First Post!

When I was 16, I was attacked by a Doberman. I was walking through an open field and spotted the Dobie running downhill at me from about 20 yards, not barking at all, just chugging it out. I swung my bookbag at his head and missed, at which point he bit down on my right forearm/elbow. He was up on his hind legs with his front paws on my chest, kind of yanking back and forth. I couldn't pull loose of him, so I jammed my elbow into his open mouth, hugged him around the neck/shoulders and jumped forward, landing prone on top of him. When I heard the air go out of him, I started punching the face and neck, then grabbed his snout and pressed it to the ground above his head, yanked my arm loose and ran and jumped a fence into a neighbor's yard with the Dobie hot on my heels. After about ten or fifteen minutes the dog took off, and I went home and washed up. I took a few stitches, but suffered no permanent damage.

In hindsight, I don't know what else I could have done, except running right for the fence straight off. Baseball bats have remarkable temper-adjusting abilities, but don't fit into bookbags that well.

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Old September 12, 2000, 10:33 AM   #18
KaMaKaZe
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<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by plateshooter:
Lets say you are attacked by a large dog. He has your weak arm and you have an open folding knife in your right hand. Are there any recommended tactics, or proven methods that are used to end the fight? [/quote]

Assuming the dog already had your arm, you are in very close proximity to the dog.. *duh* leading me to believe the quickest way to end the situation is several jabs to the throat or base of the neck.


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Old September 12, 2000, 04:09 PM   #19
Chris D
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Last winter at night i went to pick up some stuff at a friends apartment. As I left his place, a Black Lab seemingly came out of nowhere and was between me and my car. Since my friend wasen't home I had no retreat. I (amazingly quick) grabed my .38 out of my jacket pocket without a thought and had it pointed at the dogs head. (he was 4-5 feet away and barking agressivly) At that moment a second black lab came up and stood 10ft away.

Though shooting would have been the easy option, I was thinking if he charged I'd kick first shoot second. but since there were two, shooting would have been my call. maybe the bang would scare the second dog off?

Moments later the owner walked up the street and called the dogs. the owner must have seen my gun as it's silver anodized and I was not shy about pointing it. as soon as the dogs backed off I put it in my side pocket with my hand still on it. The owner never said anything to me and i was a bit to shocked to comment (read, bitch at the dogs owners).

Glad I was armed! Beat's being mauled by two dogs. Better yet I'm glad nothing happend!

Stay safe!

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Old September 13, 2000, 06:24 AM   #20
oberkommando
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I Keep a benelli under trench coat for dogs

I frequently walk two small dog at night and so I can keep their lead together I put a steel pipe through the loop ends, you know, its easier to untangle them when they criss cross each other. Keep a cold steel voyager 5" serrated tanto point and tack light in pouch fornt center. Will use steel pipe first if possible, if not will offer weak arm and start carving up bottom of throat with the serrated blade, if no luck hopefully will have time to stab tanto through skull if necessary. I figure if I can carry a 140-160lbs dumbell around gym with one arm a rott aint gonna be that hard considering I dont even have to have a good grip he'll be doing that for me

Also heard that ammonia in spray bottle works good? Or maybe mix a little bleach in with it for good measure, just dont take a whiff.
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Old September 13, 2000, 09:15 AM   #21
Jarhead_22
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Just FYI:

Ammonia reacts with bleach and releases chlorine gas, which is colorless, odorless and seriously poisonous. This is not something you want to carry around in a plastic spray bottle.

Jarhead

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Old September 13, 2000, 08:08 PM   #22
Steel
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Spadone : Re your dog question. My experience
with dangerous canines has largely been during my tenure as a cop, a few years ago.
My first line of defense, generally, was an
"Asp" baton across the nose or to the dogs'legs (even BIG dogs have a lot of exposed bone - works well. I never had to shoot a dog and I would reiterate what another person wrote in...do not run from a pissed-off dog. Try to maintain a "face-to-face" encounter. Last suggestion, if you do not have some sort of baton-type weapon or do not feel comfortable punching a dog : if it's a male and you are so unlucky as to have an arm in its mouth, the ntry with all that is within you to grab his family jewels and have at it...he is sure to detract.

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Old September 13, 2000, 09:51 PM   #23
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When I go walking I carry a 5 foot oak walking stick. Once when my dog was a puppy the neighbor's big German Shepherd came after him. So I took a 2 handed stance and tapped the Shepherd on the side of the head hard enough to turn him around in mid jump...I guess he weighted about 80-100 pounds and as hairy as he was his head was the optimum target. It left a big welp on the side of his head but except for a markedly improved attitude didn't permanently change him. He never tried to hurt the puppy again for sure.

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Old September 13, 2000, 09:53 PM   #24
sks
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Dragontooth,

Just for the record, we humans have almost the same psi in our bite as do wolves and great white sharks. What makes the big difference is the shape of our teeth and how our jaws work. That's not to say that I'm going to stick my arm in a sharks jaws while I flip out the spyderco and gut him.

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Old September 14, 2000, 11:38 AM   #25
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<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Steel:
Spadone : Re your dog question. My experience
with dangerous canines has largely been during my tenure as a cop, a few years ago.
My first line of defense, generally, was an
"Asp" baton across the nose or to the dogs'legs (even BIG dogs have a lot of exposed bone - works well. I never had to shoot a dog and I would reiterate what another person wrote in...do not run from a pissed-off dog. Try to maintain a "face-to-face" encounter. Last suggestion, if you do not have some sort of baton-type weapon or do not feel comfortable punching a dog : if it's a male and you are so unlucky as to have an arm in its mouth, the ntry with all that is within you to grab his family jewels and have at it...he is sure to detract.
[/quote]

um ... so what happens when the dog is a female?
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