[Closed] Pepper spray for aggressive dogs?

How about some pepper spray?

oh, hang on...

That spray looks like just the job.

*orders*

Like the op's wife I hate it when dogs come bounding up to me with all those pointy teeth.

In fact this thread has become fing tiresome with opinions being flung around with little or no substance. As someone who has worked in a rescue centre I find the lack of understanding & willingness to lean really quite disturbing.

I've seen the downside of irresponsible dog ownership & all too often it ends in death & sadness.

Those of you who think a hoof in the slats is the way forward, well I hope you never have kids! Negative reinforcement really doesn't work, trust me it's been scientifically proven.

Over thousands of years mankind has domesticated the dog & we owe them a debt of responsibility. Both as pet owners & Joe Public who comes across them. Yes, pet owners & non pet owners share that responsibility. Maybe there's no place for dogs as pets in modern society, but they are here to stay.

It's high time both sides acknowledged that & stopped feeling so put upon by the other.

You may not like that fact but it's true. They depend on us. It's only fair we treat them with respect. If you can't find a way to do that......I hope we never cross paths in the real World, I think I'd probably think you a total @rsehole.

Over thousands of years mankind has domesticated the dog & we owe them a debt of responsibility.

Ah, the "sins of my grandfather". No - I don't owe dogs any debt of responsibility. I like dogs, but I expect their owners to control them. And if that means kicking a dog or threatening it when it comes too close, so be it. Negative reinforcement works just fine [i]right now[/i], which is all I care about when a dog is being aggressive.

Apart from one bite in history, since when has the OPs wife encountered aggressive dogs? We need to remember the distinction.

Negative reinforcement works just fine right now

Oh the short termism of todays society - I'll just kick the problem further down the street & someone else can deal with it.

Nice.

That someone who ends up being someone like me who has to pick up the detritus after someones else's irresponsible behaviour & your poor decision making.

Thanks, I'll let the vet know how you feel - I'm sure he'll understand as he puts the dog to sleep!

Oh the short termism of todays society - I'll just kick the problem further down the street & someone else can deal with it.

Well, if it's not my dog why should I have to deal with it???

Nice job of cutting text from mogrims reply there!

why should he deal with someone's aggressive dog? He's not kicking the problem further down the street he's teaching the dog a lesson that it has consequences if it carries on in the same way it will hurt the dog.

Its quite correct that the owner is at fault but that is of little use if the said owner is not in control of the said dog & its attacking you.

This thread has reaffirmed my faith in humankind.

Tldr. What about one of those high frequency devices that only dogs can hear?

Showing my age a bit now but on the road bike a nice frame mounted aluminium pump makes for a nice easily extensible item to wave about in an emergency...

I used to be a BT field engineer and over that period I had dogs jump/go at me lots and lots of times, I built up plenty of tricks to avoid getting bitten from the loudly closing the van door while remaining in the van trick for farm dogs to the running away bloody quickly trick. Yes I was intruding in their domain however if they'd go for me then they'd go for some nipper out on their paper round, so as far as I was concerned wearing steel toe capped boots (for pole climbing) was my ultimate response.

During that time my worst was having a dog running down a hallway and jumping straight thru a closed window at me, so as well as fighting off the snapping dog that landed on top of me I was showered in glass. I've seen one of my colleagues that had been thru multiple attacks whip out a pair of nunchucks (stored in his van for that very occasion) and poleaxe a dog right between the eyes when it went for him.

I'm over 6ft2 and 16st, grown up around animals small and large, from the tiny to the 700kg+ ones, so I am not lacking in confidence or in knowledge of how to comport myself amongst pack or herd animals. Some owners have not bothered to take on the responsibility of properly educating and controlling their dogs so as such, either they should remove themselves and their animals from public life or accept the consequences of their laziness.

I ride in a country where stray dogs are the norm, ones which don't chase bikes, motorbikes or runners.

Local forums have various discussions on how to manage dogs - from a mild ammonia solution in a water pistol, to carrying a can to whack them with, to using a sling shot.

The most effective I have found is shouting at them, loud and aggressive, I find "get out of it" the easiest to get a decent roar with. I've stood down a pack of 30 dogs on my own in the mountains.

Cougar said:

Anyone got any good ideas beyond "its her own fault"?

I provided a link to an article by the dog whisperer which advises on what to do when dogs attack. I find the suggestion that learning about dogs is not useful rather perplexing. Knowledge is power and learning how to deal with dogs helps one to deal with dogs!
I also suggested that having something loud as a backup would be useful.
I'm not trying to blame the victim at all, just trying to furnish her with the information to best deal with the situation should it happen again.

Runners, smear yourself in tiger poo before leaving the house and dogs (and other humans) will steer well clear of you.

Dress as a ridiculous straw man or perhaps a troll, that'll scare the dog off.

I find "get out of it" the easiest to get a decent roar with

This is good advice. I have found "Come and have a go if you want some you furry ****s, you're going home in an ambulance" to be overly-long.

😀

My partner was recently out walking our dog. He was off the lead on a quiet country lane, minding his own business and ignoring the passing runner as he does. Runner didn't ignore him though- "get that f'ing dog on a lead" was his opening gambit to my partner. She replied "he's fine" at which point runner became more (verbally) aggressive which did pique dog's interest. People are the problem- sometimes they're dog owners, sometimes not. I guess prior experience cuts both ways and I'm now retraining my dog runners aren't dangerous......

I've never been bitten by a runner.

If I am walking my dogs and I see a rider or a runner, I recall them and out them in the lead if necessary to ensure that the riders and runners can proceed without disruption. If I am riding or running and see a dog I tend to slow down and pass calmly - normally with pleasant word with owner.

All pretty simile really - to date never been bitten or had a problem with a rider. Only once had a do get too close and then used my bike as an effective barrier and firm, string commands.

Dogs and humans can co-exist perfectly well.

OP, my advice would be to leave the pepper spray at home or put it in the bin.

What you are doing is victim blaming. I know its not your intent but it what it amounts to. It is the dogs owners responsibility to stop the dog bothering anyone.

The problem is many dogs are owned by idiots so unless you can find a utopia with all dogs having responsible owners you are screwed.

Also its funny to read the responses of those crying victim blaming, most seem to talk about those making suggestions as if it was their dogs who bit the the op. Control "your" dog etc.

Anyone got any good ideas beyond "its her own fault"?

It seems no one is interested in my earlier solution.

[img] [/img]

PErhaps sacrificing kittens is a bit extreme for the right wingers on here, so if for some weird reason you don't want to rid the world of cats maybe you could substitute the furry ****o's with Bonio dog biscuits. A bit lighter to carry so less of a strength/fitness boost but easier on the conscience and the wallet. Dogs love the cardboardy goodness and they are dense enough to get a good 'yang on' and bounce them off the threatening dogs little face. Shock! Awe! And a little snack.

This thread has reaffirmed my faith in humankind.

A bit lighter to carry so less of a strength/fitness boost but easier on the conscience and the wallet. Dogs love the cardboardy goodness and they are dense enough to get a good 'yang on' and bounce them off the threatening dogs little face. Shock! Awe! And a little snack.

Would be better if you lace them some kind of powerful laxative, one that takes a while to effect the beast, by which stage it's back at home.

Try talking to the dog. I usually greet them with "hello doggy", or for big slavering hell hounds, "hello little doggy".
You may feel like a tit, but it works.

Would be better if you lace them some kind of powerful laxative, one that takes a while to effect the beast, by which stage it's back at home.

Or, coming full circle, lace them with pepper. Not as illegal as pepper spray but comes very close to answering the OPs OP. If dogs are anything like me, they'd be pretty much incapacitated during a sneeze.

Shock! Awe! Little snack! Impending Itchy sensation! Convulsive expulsion and Euphoric confusion! The runner would be long gone 😀

9. Roll in fox shit, it makes you invisible.

9. Roll in fox shit, it makes you invisible.

Not if you get it on your top lip though - promotes a full and vibrant moustache, almost instantly

Or, coming full circle, lace them with pepper.

Chillis. Lace them with naga viper chillis.

I wonder what the legality of this would be

[url= http://www.chileseeds.co.uk/media/bakery/images/item729/Kissthedevilchilliforespray.jp g" target="_blank">http://www.chileseeds.co.uk/media/bakery/images/item729/Kissthedevilchilliforespray.jp g"/> [/img][/url]

Had to Google them J. I'd rather revert to the kitten plan on the grounds of being less cruel to animals tbh.

In hindsight (and sober) my analogy was in poor taste, and I apologise for any offence.

That said, I'll just reply to this,

FFS comparing dogs & rapists as being the samething! A rapist, I'm assuming, knows the difference between right & wrong. A dog has no clue..

Firstly, I wasn't saying they were the same thing, at all. Secondly, a dog [i]owner[/i] should have a clue.

The point I was trying to get across (badly) was, a lot of these helpful suggestions seem akin to "well, going out dressed like that, what did she expect? / She was asking for it." It's wrong-headed, it's blaming the victim rather than the attacker. People have an unequivocal right to go about their day without being attacked.

Speak to your local neighood policing team. Dial 101. You should not have to avoid an area because of another's behaviour through their animals.

Try talking to the dog. I usually greet them with "hello doggy", or for big slavering hell hounds, "hello little doggy".
You may feel like a tit, but it works.

+1

Maybe I had a different upbringing to everyone else but I was taught that animals don't always understand the intentions of humans so when approaching horses / cows / dogs etc. to always take simple steps to put them at ease, particularly if there's nowhere for them to move to or if they are on a lead.

It's for this reason most of the people reading this thread will probably do the following when encountering a horse with a rider on it:

- slow down
- make clicking / friendly noises so it knows you're no threat
- move to one side and wait for it to pass or pass slowly carrying on making friendly noises

Animals and humans can live together well but there is some onus on humans as the brighter species to help animals feel relaxed / under no threat from things we do that are understood by us but can be confusing to the animal.

Dog walkers need to keep dogs on leads and make sure they are trained but with the best will in the world most animals will assume the worst when a human is charging at them - small shifts in behaviour and good training of animals completely removes the conditions for conflict.

Running at a person and making no sign that you've recognised they are there, are going to slow down or change directly would in most cases result in the non runner putting their arms / hands out to deflect the blow - animals don't have hands so will protect themselves accordingly e.g. running at you (cows), head butting your nuts (goats), rearing up (horses), jumping at you (dogs), jumping at you and scratching (cats).

Why? The dogs are obviously not under control. Why should anyone have to suffer someone other people's antisocial behaviour?

They are under perfect control Hora albeit in the OPs post there's a good chance they are not due to knucklehead owners.

Just ask yourself - if someone runs straight at you at sprint speed, would you stand there and do nothing when they were only 1m away, or put your arms to shove them back?

If you're seriously saying you would stand there and do nothing you'll be doing very well - most people's instinct would be to put their arms out and by your definition would not be in control of themselves.

For me, I can't see why any of the hundreds if not thousands of momentary small changes I've made on my bike to stop a horse from being scared wouldn't apply as a standing principle to other animals - it's no effort at all and if I'm on my bike out for a ride the whole enjoyment comes from being outdoors.

Who is sprinting straight at a dog though? Where has anybody said that's what they're doing and the dog should get out of the way? You appear to be suggesting a solution to a non existent problem. My experiences have involved dogs chasing when I've done my best to avoid them.

It's for this reason most of the people reading this thread will probably do the following when encountering a horse with a rider on it:

- slow down
- make clicking / friendly noises so it knows you're no threat
- move to one side and wait for it to pass or pass slowly carrying on making friendly noises

If I ever encounter a 600kg dog with someone sat on it's back I'll slow down then for sure.

Running at a person and making no sign that you've recognised they are there, are going to slow down or change directly would in most cases result in the non runner putting their arms / hands out to deflect the blow - animals don't have hands so will protect themselves accordingly e.g. running at you

If someone was running straight at me making no indication that they'd seen me I'd step out of the way. If a dog is in the path of someone running straight at it the dogs owner should move it out of the way with a lead or call it to heel. It's not rocket science. People have priority over dogs.

Tried to edit my last post to include this but ran out of time. Just to elaborate about people having priority, I was riding on the towpath (good 12 ft wide section) a few months back when I came up behind a big guy walking a little terrier. I rang the bell, gave a shout but he was on his phone didn't notice me.

His dog was by his feet but on a huge lead. Sure enough as I went to go around the dog ran from his side of the path right across and under my wheels, wiping me out.

Lot's of screaming and expletives (from him). [i]"You hurt my *ing dog". Did you hit my *ing dog you *"? [/i]

I calmly explained that his dog ran in front of me and was out of control.

[i]"You're out of control you *ing ****"!! etc etc[/i]

I went to get back on my bike, he then pulls me by my camelbak and screams about how I'm not going anywhere until he calls the police. At this point I (still calm) told him that was assault, if did it again, there would be consequences, and he could phone the police if he wanted to but I was leaving.

By this stage he is actually frothing, and screams [i]"Assault, I'll assault you alright...my dog blaaaaah"[/i] and he was a big boy, maybe 6'1 certainly 18 or 19stone, and I was late for work. So I grabbed his wrist and collar, pulled him off balance, fainted a leg sweep and I saw the fight just go out of him, and he shut up, which was lucky for both of us.

& this solves the OP's problem how exactly?

imnotverygood - Member

& this solves the OP's problem how exactly?

Oh it really doesn't. I'm just throwing diesel on the fire here. And also just sharing a personal experience about a dog owner who was completely oblivious to his animal's actions but instantly decided I was in the wrong was willing to go to violent lengths to assert that point.

jimjam - Member

Tried to edit my last post to include this but ran out of time. Just to elaborate about people having priority, I was riding on the towpath (good 12 ft wide section) a few months back when I came up behind a big guy walking a little terrier. I rang the bell, gave a shout but he was on his phone didn't notice me.

His dog was by his feet but on a huge lead. Sure enough as I went to go around the dog ran from his side of the path right across and under my wheels, wiping me out.

Lot's of screaming and expletives (from him). "You hurt my *ing dog". Did you hit my *ing dog you *"?

I calmly explained that his dog ran in front of me and was out of control.

"You're out of control you *ing ****"!! etc etc

I went to get back on my bike, he then pulls me by my camelbak and screams about how I'm not going anywhere until he calls the police. At this point I (still calm) told him that was assault, if did it again, there would be consequences, and he could phone the police if he wanted to but I was leaving.

By this stage he is actually frothing, and screams "Assault, I'll assault you alright...my dog blaaaaah" and he was a big boy, maybe 6'1 certainly 18 or 19stone, and I was late for work. So I grabbed his wrist and collar, pulled him off balance, fainted a leg sweep and I saw the fight just go out of him, and he shut up, which was lucky for both of us.

*Swoons*

No, thank you. Really, stop it. You mustn't. But thank you. Oh stop.

So I grabbed his wrist and collar, pulled him off balance, fainted a leg sweep and I saw the fight just go out of him, and he shut up, which was lucky for both of us.

[img] [/img]

Yes. Obviously. I contemplated making a ranty post on here after the fact but I wasn't upset enough to make spelling mistakes or use capslock in unusual places.

I also thought I might upset a lot of the betas who'd been in similar situations but failed to assert themselves and ultimately resorted to starting threads about how much they were shaking in fear and regretted what they might have done and/or what's wrong with the world 😆

OP - lend her your GoPro and chest harness.
ANy incidents are then on film and can be used should need arise.
Simple solution to any owners who feel they need to take umbrage to her scaring their poor doggie and the card can be handed over to the dog warden/police/etc to identify the owner/dog.