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HOW
TO DEFEND YOURSELF AGAINST A DOG ATTACK Many of you know that in
addition to being an author of dog training books, I
am also a martial arts enthusiast. About a week ago, I was
browsing through a discussion forum on Krav Maga, an Israeli martial art
and self defense system, when I happened across a discussion board topic
with the title: “Woof!! Defense Against Dogs…” http://www.kravmaga.com/forum/discussion.cgi?forum=1&discussion=353 The person who posted the
question wanted to know how to defend himself against a dog attack.
Coincidentally, I also received two e-mails on this subject, last
week. Upon reading through the
discussion forum thread, I was appalled at some of the myths and old
wives tales presented as, “fact” on the subject of being attacked by
a dog. Everything from, “Shove
your hand further down the dog’s throat” to kicking at the dog’s
paws because they are a “sensitive area” to try to attack.
Let me tell you… if the dog is in the midst of fight drive,
stomping on his paws will only make him sink his teeth into your flesh
even faster and harder. Anyway… here’s the
response I posted. Feel
free to read through the other responses at the link above.
There is some good advice, but there is some extremely poor
advice. I contributed: “My name is Adam Katz.
For [approximately] seven years, I owned a company called South Bay K-9
Academy. I currently own the web site: Dogproblems.com.
And I am the author of the widely acclaimed book, "Secrets
of a Professional Dog Trainer!" I have been quoted on
this subject in numerous national and industry publications. Most
recently, Men's Health. [They
don’t know me from Adam, so I had to establish my credibility, here.] Here are the facts about
defending yourself against a dog attack.
I’ve added some commentary here, for my e-zine subscribers: -
If the dog is a trained personal protection or police dog and it
is a good specimen: You have no chance. All of this nonsense about
kicking the dog at the right time is baloney. Your best chance of
surviving is to stand absolutely still. If you are unarmed, and you try
to fight the dog, you will lose. The dog is fast enough to bite you two
or three times before you even realize where you've been bit. And by
then... it's over. -
You cannot outrun a dog. Even a big, heavy slow dog like as a
Rottweiler. ----------------------------------------------------- ADVERTISEMENT:
Read about my
dog training videos… they’ve helped a lot of people transform their
pet into the dog they’ve always dreamed about owning!
Click here to read more… http://www.dogproblems.com/newvideos.htm -
If the dog is not a professionally trained dog, you may be able
to intimidate the dog with forward-leaning body language and moving
directly in towards the dog, making direct eye contact. However, make
sure that the dog has an easy way to turn and escape. If he feels
cornered, you're in big trouble. (This technique relies on using the
dog's psychology.) [Although
this technique will work very often, there is still a good chance that
you may get bit. Better to
stay still and call for help, or back away slowly until you can get to
an object that will help separate you from the dog.] -
It is a myth that a well trained dog is taught to bite and hold
on to one arm. A good dog that is taught to bite the arm will also be
taught to release the first arm and bite the other arm when it comes
close to his face. -
Stun guns often work well to deter untrained dogs. The electrical
sound will very often scare them away.
[Buy one at a local hardware store (or on the internet) that
makes a loud crackling sound (most do) and keep it with you when you
jog, go for a walk or a hike.] -
Pepper spray works well on some dogs. On others, it is
ineffective. -
Kicking or punching a trained dog will be ineffective. We've
documented several cases where large breed dogs were latched on to an
individual and neighbors ran out and beat the dogs over the head with
baseball bats and the dogs did not let go. (Again, it depends on the
dog, but if you're going to put together a defense strategy, it's
important to take this into consideration. -
Let me recap: For both a trained or untrained dog, your best
defense is to stand absolutely still. If the dog walks around behind
you, turn smoothly but slowly to face the dog. Do not try to run or move
quickly as you will turn into prey.
Keep a stun gun on your person, or at least pepper spray.
Aim for the nose. -
If you are in possession of a weapon, there are other strategies
which should be employed. But I'll save that for a later discussion.
You are welcome to use
this article written by Adam G. Katz for your web site or
publication. Subscribe to our free weekly dog training tips e-zine! http://www.dogproblems.com |