Protecting your dog from a dog attack

[Jane57]

The trainer was talking about this on Saturday at puppy class. Have any of you really had to step in when your dog was being attacked?
I must admit Im not really prepared even though I have thought of it several times.
What is the right thing to do if an unleashed dog does attack your dog?

The trainer says she carries, keys or chains of some sort and has been known to through them at the ground just infront of the oncoming attacking dog to stop it in its tracks. Failing that she mentioned a spray to stun it, not hurt it but just stun it.

What is the right thing to do? and have you had to intervene? My first reaction would be to try to protect Riley, even if it meant me being hurt, I think that would thought though in that situation would go right out of the window about my own safety to be honest.

[twiceover2]

It's hard to prepare because you don't know what the situation could be.  Barney was attacked walking on the canal.  He was on lead when a teenage couple approached with a bigger dog off lead.  It came up to Barney and was sniffing him, then without warning lunged and bit his side. I actually just shoved the dog off with my hand.  Barney was traumatised and just lay on the ground, not moving.  I had my niece and nephews with me so was worried about them being upset too.  The girl grabbed the dog and put it on lead and apologised with the usual "He hasn't done that before".  The boy was just talking on his mobile the whole time and seemingly oblivious.  I should have made more fuss but was too concerned about Barney and about not upsetting the children.

I don't know what I would have done if the dog hadn't been grabbed by the owner when I shoved it off.  I would probably have kicked it.     Barney wasn't too badly injured physically, just bruised, but it has made him more wary of other dogs.  My niece and nephews also still talk about the day that horrible dog hurt Barney.

I had a situation the other week with Pippa.  We were just setting off on a walk and literally stepped out of the back gate with Pippa on lead when a staffy came racing up the lane towards Pippa.  It was obviously not friendly.  Pippa screamed and got behing my legs and we were spinning in circles with me trying to position myself between it and Pippa.  Thankfully, it was only for a few seconds as the owner appeared from my neighbours' yard and came and grabbed the dog.

Like you say, at the time you don't really think about safety.  You just want to protect your dog.

[dipsydoodlenoodle]

I wouldn't hesitate in kicking the other dog. Not necessarily hard, but enough to jolt/give it a shock then see where that took me. Also try and pick Charlie up - with his leader/harness so my face isn't going in the middle of it. I'd rather bruise Charlie from his harness than have him attacked/bitten.

[JennyBee]

When there was a spate of dog attacks around here all the dog owners started carrying sticks - considering the damage this dog had done to several dogs I wouldn't have hesitated. In saying that, when Brodie was attacked I just froze . It was a nearby couple that pulled the dog off her. My plan had been to pick her up and put her into someone's garden if I ever thought she was in danger of being attacked, but in the end it all happened so fast I would never have had the chance to do that.

Ideally I'd have done whatever I could to protect her. However, during that spate of attacks i mentioned above, one owner ended up with very bad bites on her arm after she tried to pick her dog up, but I think you just act on instinct and that instinct tells you to protect your dog.

One of the things recommended to me after Brodie's attack was a spray, which I keep meaning to look in to.

[Lily Freya]

No one is going to like what I say......BUT, we were told that the best thing to do is to carry a cigarette lighter always.  The breeds that lock jaws will not let go or relent even if kicked repeatedly in an attempt to get them to release their hold.

After Luis was attacked twice by a local mastiff...but luckily escaped......someone told us that a lighter held beneath the nose, makes them open their jaw immediately.

Has anyone else heard of this?

PLEASE KNOW that I am not advocating this method.  The subject came up, and I wondered whether anyone else had heard of this last resort method.

It took two hefty owners to sit on their dog last time we encountered it.  It really worries me.

[lisalh]

The last time fred was attacked I actually launched one the offending dogs (with a hefty boot to the ribs) into the sea and picked the smaller one up by the collar and scruff trying to get it to break its grip on his ear once it had let go of him it also got launched into the water.  I phone the police and the dog warden immediately afterwards to report the attack and my actions as this was not the first time this pair of dogs had attacked him and I had also seen them attack other dogs. I am afraid all sense of self preservation goes out the window with me if my dog gets attacked and I have waded in one more than one occasion with a pair of size 6 boots and either got Fred behind me or when he was smaller lifted him into my arms - we are lucky that he has never suffered a serious physical injury and is still happy to meet other dogs when we are out

[Jane57]

No one is going to like what I say......BUT, we were told that the best thing to do is to carry a cigarette lighter always.  The breeds that lock jaws will not let go or relent even if kicked repeatedly in an attempt to get them to release their hold.

After Luis was attacked twice by a local mastiff...but luckily escaped......someone told us that a lighter held beneath the nose, makes them open their jaw immediately.

Has anyone else heard of this?

PLEASE KNOW that I am not advocating this method.  The subject came up, and I wondered whether anyone else had heard of this last resort method.

It took two hefty owners to sit on their dog last time we encountered it.  It really worries me.

Totally understand what you are saying Lily freya, I think this is a good idea, Im sorry but If a dog had its jaws locked on Riley, I would do absolutely anything to make it let go. I would face up later Im afraid.
Of course in the hands of RESPONSIBLE dog owners this method is a great idea. It would take an extreme case for me to use it but hey I sure would do it if it meant I watched my pup being tore to pieces. 

[Helen]

No one is going to like what I say......BUT, we were told that the best thing to do is to carry a cigarette lighter always.  The breeds that lock jaws will not let go or relent even if kicked repeatedly in an attempt to get them to release their hold.

After Luis was attacked twice by a local mastiff...but luckily escaped......someone told us that a lighter held beneath the nose, makes them open their jaw immediately.

Has anyone else heard of this?

PLEASE KNOW that I am not advocating this method.  The subject came up, and I wondered whether anyone else had heard of this last resort method.

It took two hefty owners to sit on their dog last time we encountered it.  It really worries me.

Totally understand what you are saying Lily freya, I think this is a good idea

How can you hold a lighter under an attacking dog's nose - it's not exactly going to stand still so you can do it!  So you run the risk of burning yourself and your own dog and getting bitten yourself.....

[Jane57]

What about  you Helen what would you recommend ?

[Jane57]

I think I will carry the mini deodorant with me, as the dog trainer says it wont blind a dog but will be enough to stun if its not for letting go.

[Helen]

What about  you Helen what would you recommend ?

I agree with your trainer.

What in everyone's eyes constitutes an 'attack' though?   

[Jane57]

What about  you Helen what would you recommend ?

I agree with your trainer.

What in everyone's eyes constitutes an 'attack' though?   

Well in my eyes its not a fight, its when a dog has actually physically attacking your dog and the other dog,s owner is nowhere to be seen or has no control over their own dog.

[Darwin]

Thank you for starting this thread.
Darwin was attacked last week ( no blood, thankfully he's got a thick coat at the moment) on our own road on the way to the park, he was on the lead.

It has left us both shaken and now Darwin is nervous of large lab / ridgeback type crosses. It has taken a bit of work but I've got Darwin to walk past the spot where it happened.   But when he was out with OH at the weekend, Darwin saw a similar sized/shaped dog in the distance and reacted if he was being attacked ( squealing /crying/ trying to hide )

At the moment I feel a complete failure as I was unable to prevent the attack and couldn't have stopped it if the owner hadn't acted quickly.

[Lily Freya]

No one is going to like what I say......BUT, we were told that the best thing to do is to carry a cigarette lighter always.  The breeds that lock jaws will not let go or relent even if kicked repeatedly in an attempt to get them to release their hold.

After Luis was attacked twice by a local mastiff...but luckily escaped......someone told us that a lighter held beneath the nose, makes them open their jaw immediately.

Has anyone else heard of this?

PLEASE KNOW that I am not advocating this method.  The subject came up, and I wondered whether anyone else had heard of this last resort method.

It took two hefty owners to sit on their dog last time we encountered it.  It really worries me.

Totally understand what you are saying Lily freya, I think this is a good idea

How can you hold a lighter under an attacking dog's nose - it's not exactly going to stand still so you can do it!  So you run the risk of burning yourself and your own dog and getting bitten yourself.....

Please understand that I did not say this is necessarily what I advocate......I wondered if it was something that was known in dog circles.

I agree that a dog is not going to react well to a lighter under it's nose.  The person who told me about it said it was used as a last resort to open the attackers mouth to free a dog....severely injured, but not dead as a result of the attack.

[Ben's mum]

What in everyone's eyes constitutes an 'attack' though?   

That is the hardest question in the world to answer!! Because a growly scuffle can be fine in a 'doggy' world, I know Ben will run at growl or nip another dog if it pesters him too much, and I would not class that as an attack - equally if another dog did that to one of mine I would view it in a similar fashion, just dogs sorting themselves out and its best to leave them to do it I always think human intervention can escalate the situation when it is not necessary.

However - for me it depends on the 'breed' of the other dog. And I know that is not going to be a popular answer - becuase it is making a judgment about a breed without taking individual dogs and owenrs into consideration.  But I have fears about certain big breeds, eg staffies, dobermans, huskey types (huge huge apoloiges to all you people who have lovely kind examples of these breeds  ) but my fear is that with a strong or big dog I wouldn't be able to get it off or pick it up or even do anything much if it was pinning down or drawing blood on one of my boys.  I know someone who had a really bitey terrier, and probably much more likely to bite than a big breed, but I wasn't scared of him becasue in my head I imagined if necessary I could pick him up or shove him out of the way.  Not necessarily logical perhaps, but the way my head works.

So for me an attack would be a certain breed biting or trying to pin down one of my boys - sorry