So today was walking my Doberman at 6:45 AM.....2 dogs escaped from their fenced yard and attacked Hoss and I........no bites took place ........everyone is fine physically.... BUT .....I do not recall seeing a thread lately regarding this topic so interested in learning from other owners experiences and or training of tactics that worked to keep you and your dog safe from harm.

So what do we have to share on this topic.......what do we need to remember when all this stress is taking place ?

I carry pepper spray.

I carry a retractable baton. It works as a break stick, if needed.

My method is stand in front of my dogs, yell loud and deep, and if a dog keeps approaching aggressively I will kick it in the forechest really hard. It sounds cruel, but I'm not letting my dogs get attacked!

All I will add is watch out for invisible fence - I have seen dogs run right threw them to get to other dogs or what ever they put a bead on .

Just a oz. of prevention

My Previous 9.2018 post in thread on same subject:

https://www.dobermantalk.com/doberma...ml#post4035631

I haven't had many occasions where a loose dog tried to get to one of my on leash dogs.

The first time it happened it was a small mixed breed and I was actually out practicing heeling with my Dobe--I yelled SIT--mostly to get my dog to not run in front of me--he sat and so did the ankle biter--and the owner of the small dog came running out of her yard--apologizing all the way--kid left gate open.

The second time it happened I was working my Aussie through a novice obedience routine in the street in front of the house--I heeled him up to the corner and was about to do a series of recalls back to the house when a big pointer mix ran around the corner and jumped the Aussie (the Aussie was big for the breed and weighed a very solid 60 pounds but the pointer mix was the size of a male Dobe) To the best of my knowledge the Aussie had never shown any inclination to do anything except get out of the way if another dog was acting aggressive so it was a big shock when he jerked the leash out of my hand and met the pointer--he made one big jump--hit the pointer at his shoulder and the next thing that happened was the pointer was on the ground shrieking HELP! The Aussie stood over him a minute or two and came back to me when I called--the pointer got up quickly and ran away.

The only other time there as really a serious attempt for an attack from a loose dog on one of my dogs--I was doing off leash recalls in a park that was empty (or so I thought)--I had just positioned my Dobe--had taken the leash off and was about to leave him when a biggish dog (looked like a GSD mix) showed up--his intentions were NOT good so I said stay to my dog (who hadn't yet seen the other dog)--I took one step back and whacked the loose dog with the leash as hard as I could--that worked--he left and I put the leash back on my dog who was looking very surprised at that point and we went home.

I've kicked a few dogs but I've been lucky and none of the attacks were as determined as they can be.

I'd probably invest in a retractable baton if I was in a situation where I was proofing a dog in public parks these days.

Hi Di...

In the past, I have had issues stepping between dogs in a fight. Once (my dogs, out of the blue), I ended up with serious and long term hand and wrist problems. Another time, an off leash dog came at my very reactive and tough dog. Stupidly, in a knee-jerk reaction, I stepped between. I was not worried about my boy, rather the girl trying to grab her dog.
Guess who was injured? I was bitten behind my knee. Not particularly serious. Still, a trip to the emergency room, a tetanus shot and antibiotics.

A couple of years ago, McCoy (on leash) was attacked by large a pit/mutt about the same size as McCoy. We were just walking our usual route when the dog escaped from his owner who was sitting outdoors at a tavern.

I was knocked down. This time, I simply released his leash. On the ground, walking with a cane at the time, I figured that was the best course of action.

The whole incident lasted about 30 seconds, until the clueless owners could get their dog under control.

When it was over, McCoy was unscathed. Not so much the other dog. He had a cut under his eye and a slashed neck. Definitely a vet visit.

The bottom line is that stuff like this comes seemingly out of nowhere. So... Regardless of what route you take, it is indeed, best to be prepared. That is both mentally and physically.

John
Portland OR

What sucks for me, Di, are my bad neighbors! Really not the dogs' faults. Bad dog owners. Is there something I can use on them? Inquiring minds want to know!

Their Dane mix was aggressive towards me on my property.

My dogs are fenced in, but the rest of the property is fenced for livestock. Even, if I had a gun, the dogs are always in a place where if I miss I would do damage to my own property. Still contemplating a guard donkey, to kick them in the head!

There are a couple of newcomer dogs that have been coming in from the backside of the property.



People are stupid. Just because one lives in the country, doesn't mean they have the right to let their animals roam where ever they want to!

I carry Spray Shield - it's a citronella spray that's harmless, but is a good deterrent to most dogs. I don't like any other kinds of spray like pepper spray because you can hurt yourself and your own dogs. I've sprayed several dogs and it has stopped all of them. If you have a TRULY aggressive dog intent on hurting you it may not stop them. If you use it I recommend desensitizing your own dogs to it - you can get a second bottle and spray a little NEAR your dogs (not on them!) and give some treats so they at least aren't horribly bothered by it. I also get my dogs behind me so I'm between them and the other dog, get big and use my deepest voice to tell the other dog NO! GO HOME! as I'm spraying them. It works.

But, I also know people that will throw a handful of dog treats, which is much nicer, and that typically works, too.

I know several that just carry an umbrella - you can open it up at an approaching dog - the startle will stop a lot of them, but it can also be used as a weapon/breakstick as needed.

Off-leash, aggressive dogs suck.

Just read a post on my town's FB page about two older off-leash dogs that were walking with their owner in a local public park's trails (the well-posted rules clearly state that all dogs must be on leash) attacked an owner and his on-leash dog. Luckily the man who was bitten got a pic of the offender's license plate and it is being handled.
It is frightening how quickly a challenge between dogs can escalate. When I walked our two, I'd always keep a can of pepper spray in my pocket, just in case. Had thought of picking up the citronella spray, but we have bears here in semi-rural NJ, and I just feel better with pepper spray. Have never had occasion to use it, if I ever came across dogs that were off-leash, I'd stop and have my two sit so that I'd be between my two and any approaching off-leash dogs. Nine times out of ten, when the other owner saw two Dobes on leash, they'd quickly get their dogs back on leash as well.
Unfortunately you can't fix stupid. Not sure if dropping a quick note asking that the dogs be kept on their property for their own safety (ie so they don't get hit by a car or mistaken for a coyote if someone has livestock) would help, but at least you'd have something in writing should an incident occur.

I carry pepper spray. Everyone needs to PRACTICE using it if you carry it. It is NOT pleasant to experience (been there, done that, accidentally) but it doesn’t permanently harm any dog, including your own, who is likely to be affected if you have to use it.

I consider this to be a much better solution than getting in the middle of a fight and having my dog/myself get harmed by flashing slashing teeth. Cannot count the number of dogs we saw in our vet clinic with serious injuries from a random attack by someone’s off leash aggressive dog. It happens way too fast and way too often to not be prepared with spray, in my opinion. Just realize that you can beat the crap out of some dogs and only manage to escalate their behavior and/or redirect it to you.

If there are multiple dogs attacking, which are usually the worst attacks, I can’t imagine anything that would stop the attack faster than a bear sized canister of pepper spray. Nor can I imagine being able to stop 2 or more dogs with a stick. If approaching dogs continue after my freezing/posturing/loud commands to stop while standing in front of my dog, I have the spray already in my hand and ready to go. If I end up using it, things got very bad and I won’t have regrets. As much as I love dogs, there are some very scary ones out there.

As for the electronic fences, that’s a recipe for disaster and I purposely avoid walking my dog past those situations. My best friend had a dog raised from a puppy who, at age 18 months, broke through her electronic fence and pulled a toddler off a tricycle, causing extensive bodily harm and permanent damage to the child’s leg. That dog, very sweet and friendly to everyone in calm one-on-one situations, had m7ltiple puppy obedience classes, and had also had months racing up and down the “invisible fence” with extreme reactive behavior when people walked by her house. It was a busy neighborhood so, lots of practice getting amped up. Two adults were unable to make the dog release the child’s leg for an extended period of time, despite repeatedly kicking and striking the dog. No one had pepper spray.

This dog, a pit bull (for information purposes only, take a deep breath, it’s not a breed attack) was from a shelter and had a well educated owner who took excellent care of her throughout her life. It happens. That’s why I carry pepper spray. And I periodically practice with it. Pepper spray saved me from injury from two large shepherd mix dogs that attacked me on a bike ride many years ago. I trust it.

Great thread! So smart to have a plan BEFORE any chaos happens.

Yeah... Practice with self defense spray if you are using it. We have a cabin in Montana that became part of grizzlie habitat after the 1988 Yellowstone fire. There usual haunts we pretty much wasted so they moved into other areas.

We often soft side (tent) camp on the property, so shot guns and bear spray became fact of life. Bear spray is nasty stuff. It is basically just a huge canister of pepper spray that shoots a stream quite a distance. Every summer we would have a "test canister" so folks unfamiliar with it could try it out. The coughing and sneezing and irritated eyes were hilarious.

Today the grizzlies are back where they belong, but some us still hike in posted grizzlie habitat. We have a book shelf in our cabin which always has a few canisters of bear spray on it. Whenever I see someone pick one up. I immediately ask them if they have ever used it before.

So yes, practice first.

BTW... Pepper spray delivery system shave come a long way. IMO, this is the best on the market. It shoots quite a distance. It is accurate. And, it directs the spray away from the user:

https://www.kimberamerica.com/pepper-blaster

I am glad to be in Tx where you can carry a gun and I have no problems putting down an animal that is attacking me or my dog.

With that said it has to be a physical attack and not just a charging barking dog.

But that is why they move to the country. So they can let their dogs run. An excuse never tolerated by my husband and I. They were shot on site if we found them on our ranch harassing anything. I need to ask where one might get a retractable baton?

The easy answer is ebay or amazon

You might have to search protection stick or some other name due to silly policies of protection devices

Mine is police surplus.
https://www.sportsmansguide.com/prod...used?a=2080499 (I have shopped here before, can confirm they're a good website)
https://www.harrysarmysurplus.net/batons.html