HOW TO DEFEND YOURSELF AGAINST A DOG ATTACK
By Adam Katz  Visit Dogproblems.com for more dog training information.

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.

Anyone who does not believe me can contact me, and we will outfit you with a padded suit and you can give it your best shot.

-          You cannot outrun a dog. Even a big, heavy slow dog like as a Rottweiler.

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-          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.

Furthermore, many trained dogs are taught to take chest bites, back bites, leg bites, etc...

-          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.

If you are a reporter or media journalist, please feel free to contact me for more information at: adam@dogproblems.com

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