I have an upcoming job where I have been warned about the neighbor's Pit Bull dog.?ÿ Does anyone have a recommendation for brand or type of repellent??ÿ I would rather spray it instead of hitting it with my bush axe.
Thanks,
Ed
I've seen more ineffective dog repellent (short of CS gas)?ÿon the market than?ÿanything else.?ÿ I haven't wasted money on repellent in over 25 years.?ÿ Good luck with your search.?ÿ
Animals?ÿdon't behave like humans.?ÿ A dog or any animal that is in a defensive mood will probably only repel intruders in a fiercer manner if irritated.?ÿ?ÿ?ÿRemember they are?ÿwired to take it?ÿto a?ÿ"life or death"?ÿ?ÿsituation to protect their area.?ÿ
I've encountered stubborn dogs.?ÿ I've been bitten.?ÿ I've been chewed to pieces on a few occasions.?ÿ There are?ÿa few?ÿthings I usually attempt if I need to "get in their space":
Contact the owner and see if the dog can be penned or restrained for a short period.?ÿ Or, if you have the time, contact the owner and see if you can be introduced to the animal in an attempt to become familiar to them.?ÿ Or, if the?ÿanimal is running loose, contact animal control.?ÿ But in rural areas there is no animal control...limiting the options.?ÿ Beef jerky?ÿcan be?ÿa pretty good peace offering...just don't run out...
Maybe a cat in a gunny sack could distract the critter for a while?
?ÿ
A good hickory hoe handle comes to mind.
Contact the neighbor and ask them to keep their dog out of your way so you won't have to contact animal control or the sherrif's office.
0.02
A good hickory hoe handle comes to mind...
Maybe I'm just slow, but my swing-to-miss batting average is horrible.?ÿ I've swung short range poles, shovels and even a Schonstedt or two at dogs and I rarely get a hit.?ÿ Dogs are a lot faster than me.?ÿ Usually the act of swinging becomes?ÿthe deterrent.?ÿ
I do have a secret weapon for larger and meaner dogs...in retreat I have dry ground?ÿupon which to run.?ÿ The animal pursuing me is usually slipping and sliding on some pretty disgusting stuff I just dropped in front of them...?ÿ
Stick the point of the pole at the dogs face. Just keep it there, a few inches in front of the dogs face. Don't try to strike, just hold off the beast while you back to safety.?ÿ
Federal premium #4 shot?
Don't mess your prism pole or GPS pole up by using it as a staff.
The hoe handle serves as a staff and you can hold it like a gun and many dogs will cower at thatt sight, it is to point into the dogs face or keep it between you and dog so it will have to go around it and get at you and prop you up while you give it a boot in the gullet.
If your machete is long enough, point that at the dog.
I carry a bois de arc shillelagh if I am walking.
Machete in one hand, brick hammer in the other - come at me, bro.?ÿ?ÿ
I hate dogs.
Over the past 50+ years I have seen that most dogs will respect the invisible rock, I have reached down on bare pavement like I was picking up a rock and they would run, but I was a little concerned with this breed of dog.?ÿ This is a rural area that I will be working in, but the common line with the neighbor gets very close to his house and from aerials it appears that he is using a good bit of the property that I will be surveying and the dog may not know where his space should end.
Thanks,
Ed
Hydra Shock makes a great dog repellent but it might get you thrown in jail.?ÿ
I got bit by dogs early in my career until I learned it ain't worth it, and I don't want to hurt or kill somebody's dog just to do my job.?ÿ So if confronted I'll put up friendliness, like kissing sounds and come on buddy, I'm harmless, where's your owner..?ÿ But if the dog escalates I'm out of there and will go through the aggravation of getting the owner to restrain the dog while I'm there, or if the owners are belligerent file for access and arrange for a County Sheriff escort.?ÿ Doing either could take weeks, but such is business.?ÿ Sorry, I don't want to get hurt.
It's in my spectrum of access limitations, for example running a section line where we come over a hill and there's a homestead in the woods where we enter the owner's apple orchard and he's sitting on the porch with a 12 gauge and stands up, points the shotgun at us and yells "get off my property!"?ÿ Yes we did!
Dogs are a minor problem compared with nuts with guns. also the endless permits to access airports or military sites, etc.
I can't say this will work for all dogs but I know that it worked for the dogs I encountered early in my career. If you have a good sharp machete in your hand and at your side and are competent with it, just tell the dog in a calm voice that if he comes any closer, you'll lop his head off - and mean it. It would be horrible to encounter a dog where you had to follow through with this but all the dogs I encountered respected the calm and confidence - no problems.
It used to be SOP to hop the fence looking for corners without requesting permission (not SOP any more). I encountered Dobermans, Shepherds, Rotweillers, and a number of mutts that all understood - I was predictable and no threat if they kept their distance. I'd never do that today - young and bold - turns out that I was lucky too.
As a kid, I had a paper route, I carried a squirt gun filled with ammonia to deal with known problem dogs - one squirt in the general vicinity of the dog was all it took for them to permanently lose interest in me. Due to my poor aim, it didn't harm anything other than their ego.
The best deterrent I've found is to bring a helper to watch your back.?ÿ The pitbulls that will tear you up are often the ones who run at you without a warning bark.?ÿ ?ÿ
Trusting the dog's owner to keep him inside is the dumbest mistake you can make.?ÿ What if the owner forgets to tell someone in the household??ÿ What do you think little Johnny is going to do when he's woken up at 8:30am by barking and howling and needs another two hours of sleep in order to tolerate his hangover? He's going to stumble to the back door of the trailer house and let Killer out.?ÿ?ÿ
Ever notice how the worst pet owners tend to get the most dangerous breeds?
...Ever notice how the worst pet owners tend to get the most dangerous breeds?
I've always said the fiercest dog I ever encountered was a Chihuahua.?ÿ
He hit my boot with his full pound and a half and snarled and yanked my pant's leg until I left the yard a few minutes later...with him still attached to my pant's cuff.
If Staffordshire Terriers (pit bulls) had that kind of?ÿhutzpah they would probably be shot on sight.
...Ever notice how the worst pet owners tend to get the most dangerous breeds?
I've always said the fiercest dog I ever encountered was a Chihuahua.
If I had a nickel for every owner of a dog that has bit me that said, "Don't worry he won't bite you"...
You are right about the little guys.?ÿ Their bites might not be crippling, but they sure do hurt.?ÿ A couple of months ago I was doing a recombination for a municipal sewer lagoon and sprinkler field (better move quick when you hear the sprinklers charging).?ÿ I had to look for a corner a couple hundred feet from a fella's house and his little rat terrier decided he wanted a chunk of me.?ÿ The dog was maybe 5lbs soaking wet but he was wicked.?ÿ He kept circling behind me and if I didn't immediately turn to face him he'd dart in and bite.?ÿ I like animals and don't want to hurt them, so I solved the problem by taking one shovel full of soil out of area where I eventually found the pipe, then immediately turned 180 degrees and slapped the shovel on the ground in front of the now charging little demon.?ÿ The town employees watching from the sewer plant got a big kick out of it.
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