Self Defense against Fido
When you study and learn martial arts moves; or make it through a tough combat training course, the last thing on your mind is that you may find yourself face to face with a bad guy on four legs. The fact is, though, that dog attacks amount to almost 5 million annually in the United States alone. Because of this, the wisest plan of action for any individual would be to learn about dog attacks and teach the young people in their lives about how to deal with a possible attack from a dog.
The thing to remember with dogs is that they are animals. Even your trusted friend who sleeps at the foot of your bed is an animal. Animals do not have the same feelings as do you or I; they are predatory and the bottom line is that you can never know for sure what a dog may do. So, not that you should fear little Fifi; but you need to always be on your toes and always teach young children how to use caution around any dog.
It’s not like you can use martial arts moves to fight off a dog. In fact, if your martial arts moves consist of kicks, you want to avoid using this type of defense against a dog. Through plain and simple instinct, a dog will bit the leg or foot when being kicked at. Here are some of the general recommendations in dealing with dogs:
- Never freely approach a dog you do not know, even if they are on a leash
- Even with permission from the dog’s owner, approach with caution
- Allow a dog to smell you before you touch it.
- Do not pat a dog on the head
- Use a calm voice around dogs
- ALWAYS teach young children to use caution, and watch any encounters with dogs closely.
In some cases, the dog is the one doing the approaching. I talk to many people who say they have been approached by dogs while they are out jogging or walking in their neighborhoods. This can be a particularly frightening situation. In my combat training, I teach people to never turn their backs on a bad guy. This is no different. When faced with an unfamiliar dog who seems aggressive, do not follow your instinct to run in the opposite direction. This will only give the dog permission to chase you.
If you walk or jog on a regular basis, it pays to carry a stick or even an umbrella. I know this can be inconvenient for a jogger. This individual may be best served by carrying a small canister of pepper spray. I once heard it suggested that a person carry an umbrella. If approached by an aggressive dog, a person can open the umbrella between them and the animal. The umbrella opening suddenly may surprise the animal enough to allow you to move away slowly.
Should a dog attack, there are options; but you must be able to think quickly. Some people have actually fought dogs off by punching them as hard as possible as the dog attacks. However, bites will occur in such a scenario. Unless you have been through real combat training, you may not be prepared for the pain associated with such “hand to hand combat”. Steps you can take if a dog attacks are:
- Place any object between you; a briefcase, purse, jacket, shoe, etc. This way the dog bites the object and not you.
- Throw something at the aggressive animal. One person scared off a pack of dogs by throwing rocks very hard at them.
- Climb up onto a fence or car; any object which the dog cannot climb.
- Protect your head and neck if a dog knocks you over.
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