When we talk small caliber firearms you have to know where you are aiming at. I know case where somebody didn't even notice few shots to stomach from close range. Yeah he was in adrenaline ofcourse, but stopping power are minimalistic too when talking about small caliber pistols.
Where i'm living we do have some poachers who use 0.22 caliber rifle even to kill bears! They just wait until bear is very close and then shoot to the head.
But when we talk about dogs and dog fights, there is alot of movements around. Or if dogs is chasing somebody or rushing toward you. You don't have time to aim and it might just be impossible. If you are fast enough to shoot the dog, it is good trick already! But you must always worry where you are hitting when you are shooting... When dog is top of your kid or dog, do you want to miss the dog and hit your kid? That make shooting once again more trickier in some cases.
Still probably larger caliber is more nice in this situations.
My gameplay is in hand to hand. Not so good option, but when you cannot carry pretty much anything, it is what you must to do. Your chances really are pretty small here. But there is few trick when we talk about untrained dogs and wild animals.
These tricks are only for situations when to be calm isn't an option anymore.
Like i said before, gameplay is before dog attacks you. Try to read it's body language. Are it scared, are it defencing his area and so on... What you can do to calm situation down? Those are main options. Do not escalate situation any further and do not be threat to the animal.
But some times dog just are crazy and those peaceful tricks don't work. If dog are trained to attack, it probably just rush toward you and attack. If it is untrained you can try some of these tricks:
Do not turn your back to them. Do not run away. Try to be as big as possible. Shout alot and make alot of noise. Be aggressive!
Tactic is to make animal doupt his chance against you and make animal escape rather than fight. This can work even against bears (but remember, This should be used only when normal tactics are failing and you are dead anyway.)
I have been using these things against dogs and even attacking toward dogs and chasing them away...
Usually (my experience) dogs start to circle you and try to find "open spot." they try to get behind or side of you and attack you from there, more safer spot!
If there is only one dog, do not let it go behind you. It probably keep some distance and make larger circle around of you. You can just turn your body frontline and don't have to move from your spot at all... So you have time to turn even when dogs are fasts! You can stay in one spot easily... Unless your plan is to get inside of your house or to inside something else. Then you ofcourse are moving a little bit time at time when you have opportunity. But still remember, do not run away or turn your back to the dog! You are slower than dog, you don't win that race!
Your movements toward your home/car or whatever your safeplace is, are probably very slowly movements because your main goal still is not to get bitten.
If there is multiple dogs i cannot tell you straight away any kind of tactics. Dogs aren't wolves, but wolves are hunting with pack. they can circle larger animals longer period of time and biting it to legs and so on... They don't want to attack when their prey is defencing himself. They want to attack when their prey are trying to escape and running away... because it is safest possible place to attack when your prey is escaping and you can attack from the behind.
I just can quess dogs might work pretty similar way. I would try to get somewhere safe if safe place is near. Just remember, you must be threat enough even if you are moving around! So no running around and hoping you are faster than dogs! Your main goal is still not to get attacked.
If there isn't safe place near of me, i would just pray every gods what i know and hope i'm too hard target with my acting for that pack and they leave me alone after some time.
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In reality your chances are very small against the dogs. Specially if you are planning to stay completely unhurted! But what else you can do than try to survive how impossible your situation ever are? I'm here talking about never give up attitude! You should have one already because you are reading preppers site!
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But just don't forget what reality is. Dogs are strong and fast and full of teeth! If any of them manage to attack you, you will get bitten and hurted. If you cannot do anything else, try to cover your head, face, neck and throat atleast. It is better if it bite you to the legs or arms than more important parts... Yeah not sound so nice.
That why i said gameplay is before dog is even attacking you! Try to get away of the situation, try to stay calm, do whatever it take to stop the situation nicely. If the dog is attacking you and you cannot end situation nicely, then be aggressively and hope attack never happen!
If dog is attacking your own pets, try to command that strange dog or make it go away... Now i add pepper spray to trick list. I would like to have one in that kind of situation and i surely would be using one if my own pet is in danger. Pepper spray probably would go over the firearms in my list... because even if pepper hurt my own pet, it don't make holes on my pet even if i miss the aggressive dog.
If dog is attacking you, there is couple things what you can try to do even without firearms, sticks and so on.
Dogs snout is very sensitive area. I have seen this to be done couple times with success. Dogs eyes are also very sensitives... You aren't there to play nicely. If you can attack to the eyes, attack. yeah eyes are very small target and probably hard to attack and not in top of your list, but if there is chance to attack there, why not?
It really is what situation is and what you can do there! I have heard how boxer knocked out couple dogs once... I read about case when some kid chocke dog out of the game! And myself... I'm always trying to hit back of the neck/base of the head. Old hunters kill that way their dogs here. yeah it is illegal but it is old tradition when somebody don't want to shoot their hunting dog. They take dog to the forest, give it some treats and then pick any log what they see and hit the dog base of the head/neck and kill the dog at once. that is where i lay my trust.
there is other tricks too! Other peaceful tricks. You can google them and find from youtube. Those are tricks what dog handlers are using when they cannot hurt the dogs (or want.) Ofcourse usually situations aren't that serious that you must try to do some serious damage... Also that why those tricks are nice to know.
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From those kind of videos, you also can find more tricks how to read dogs and what there is in their mind. :thumb:
Those are very important skills! because like i said, if dog attack you, game is already over. this game is easier to play before dog is even attacking you. many situations can just be avoided.
I believe usually people are causing most of the problems themselfs. Firstly dog owners don't know how to raise their dogs and secondly peoples don't know how to read the strange dogs and how to behave around them. Dogs have been among us so long time and still people have all kind of misbeliefs...
I listed those more serious acts here because those are something what usually don't be talked at all! It is good if they can be found somewhere.
In the end i would like to remind of that pepper spray atleast once again. Not everything must be solved with firearms and stopping power. I would say pepper spray might be very first thing in "todo" list and easiest tool against the dogs. Aiming not be so exactly and you don't have to wory too much even if your own pet or kid are in the fireline. :thumb:
Pepper spray might be very good indeed but once again... Where i'm living it is out of our list what we can carry around.
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Edit: I started to think about this issue little bit more and realised how weird it might sound when somebody talk hand to hand against dogs because it is pure foolness! Why in the he** somebody would do that? Please try to remember it is reality where i'm living because you cannot carry firearms, pepper spray or even knife with you! That why i leave those advice here even if they sound weird for some folks. If those hints help even one guy who read them, it is more than enough for me.
Those are mainly hints what are given against all wild animals and how to avoid attacks... And those tricks where to attack are more my own experiences and what others have been telling.
I just thought what i would do in that kind of situations if i would have a gun... And i find me shooting that dam dog what is trying to circling me. It make whole issue so much easier! If i would have pepper spray i would be using that instead of firearm in some cases. Forexample if missfire would be too dangerous to happen.
In many countries guys are carrying pepper spray or certain kind of clubs because of loose dogs. Those are good tools and even if you cannot carry firearms, they are better than nothing! pepper spray i see in some cases even better than firearms like i said. But with clubs you need to let dog very close to you... Something what i would not recommend!
I surely would be using those tools if i could be carrying them! Bare hands are just foolness! But there have chance that in some cases you don't have anything at all... And that chance grow when you leave Usa.