Aggressive dog Charges...What do you do ?? - Page 1

Hey have a question here.... I used to have the statistics on this but can't find them, figures just when I need it !!

YOUR OPINION

How many dogs in a full on Charge at you will actually complete the charge and make contact ??? 

I am asking for Opinions, I might regret it later,  But I am asking for it,  Please lets keep this civil and dignified,  I am researching the issue !!   and looking for the statistics I had on it but can't find it so if anyone can find them I'd be VERY interested !!

I have had more than I can count make a run at me teeth beared, hackles up, head down, ears set back, the FULL on deal,  But have never been bitten !!   although I was not stupid enough to continue my forward movement eigther.  Anyway I would like to hear your expeiriences with such instances as well.

I have also never been bitten in that type of situation.  Though, those situations are very few for me.  However, being a vet tech, I get my fair share of attempted bites.  Although, being the number of times a dog would like to or has tried to bite vs the number of times bitten, which are very few.  I would say in my situation the statistics are very low to getting a bite and I have never had a bite bad enough for stitches or antibiotics or the like.  But, in almost all of these cases these are fear bites.  There are very few dogs that we see, that I would say are truly out to get you.  

 But, I would also handle it the same way you do and I always try to put something in between myself and the charging dog.  I can really only think of one time where I was truly scared of a dog.  Very large Mastiff who HATED the vet, our first time seeing him.  Pulls out of muzzle, promise collar, etc. CRAP, what do we do now??  This dog would have truly liked to hurt us.  Even on his death bed, he wanted to EAT us.  Now his owner has a very nice  and goofy white Shepherd who acts more like a Labrador.  :) 

chomped her from behind,  is the key detail in that scenerio, 

 running is "bunny rabbit" low risk and descent meal...  Full Frontal confrentation is more like "elk with sharp hooves and gonna hurt me"  (in the dogs mind)

Like this...

Dog looks at elk and thinks "elk is good a meal"  if she runs I'll take her from behind (less chance of being inured)     If the elk stops and stands off, dog thinks "maybe your not worth the risk your gonna fight me for it"  and likely stops the advance...  Hope that makes sense.

I always present myself to a charging dog that I am meaner, tougher, bigger, stronger, and that I damn well will fight him for it,  Therefore making the dog think I am not worth the risk of him being injured over the confrentation.   I always face them full on front,  never turn my back and never back up,  don't advance eigther,  Just stand my ground with chest to the dog at all times,  if he circles I turn with him/her NEVER giving way with my body language, voice, or eye contact.

Not running Echo. She walked up to find the ball that was thrown or hit over there. As she stood back up from grabing the ball the dog grabbed her leg. She turned to see what was happening and pulled her leg out of the dogs mouth, walked away from the dog, out of his reach but before she made it, he bit her 3 more times once on the same leg twice more on the other. Full bites. She still has the scars. I almost threw up when I saw how deep the K-9s went. I was fully the frantic/pissed off mother headed to the ER room on Thanksgiving Day 700 miles from home.

What made me mad was the woman who owned the dog could be heard screaming from accross the street that her dog was innocent and my daughter was the heathen. I thought "bitch get a fence for your yard". Her kids were out playing with mine. Luckily it was my daughter who was one of the eldest out playing. Another child could have taken a bite to the face or not known how to react and it could have been truly tragic.

This was a dog that came from a junkyard to be a fmily pet. (Brilliant thinking) Wonderull mother of 7 children. This is in a posh, second home area of Southern California too.

Years ago I was packed up on by my neighbors 7 mutt dogs.  They were not bluffing.  At least the ones that bit me weren't bluffing.  Mostly torn clothes but some bites too.  You can't look every which way at once, sometimes they give you no choice but to have your back to them.  Which is why a pack of wolves will bring down an elk, not normally a single wolf.
Did I mention I hated those dogs after that? 

Another time in a horse camp I was walking my then 12-week old Abram.  We were packed up on by 5 dogs some yahoos let run lose, this is an all dogs on leash camp BTW.  I had my clean up pitch fork with me so we were not bitten but I had to get a few good whallops in to keep it that way.  Abe on a leash in one hand and me swinging the pitchfork as hard as I could with the other, not a fun time...  When it takes being hit, very hard, with the side of a pitchfork for a dog to stop I would think that would have resulted in a bite, maybe it would have been Abe but still a bite.  And yes I would have used the forks if need be. I would not have risked Abram or myself anymore then we were already.  It was not a good start for his camping experience....