Self-defense against a dog is something a lot of people worry about and rightfully so. I just came across a video that illustrates perfectly how to do it wrong.

Have a look at this first:

Now you can argue that the dog owner should have kept his dog on a leash, he has no control over them, should have done this or that, etc. But that’s all besides the point when you look at the original cause of the problem:

The idiot who throws crap at the dogs/dog owner.

I wrote about this type of behavior in this article, in particular in tip #4: Get over yourself. It’s these kinds of self-righteous acts, oblivious to the potential repercussions, that lead to so many people ending up in a world of hurt. This guy is a prime example.

You want to avoid the need for self-defense against a dog? Don’t throw crap at a dog. It’s that simple.

Or in other words: don’t be an asshole. Leave dogs alone.

That said, there is indeed a need for practical self-defense techniques against a dog so I don’t want to leave you hanging. Check out this e-book my co-author Loren W. Christensen wrote, titled “Self-Defense Against a Dog Attack.” It’s not expensive and covers a lot of useful information on how dogs attack and what you can do to defend yourself against that.

Loren was trained to handle dogs back in his army days as an MP, so he knows of what he speaks. As a former police officer in Portland, he also had plenty of experience dealing with such attacks. So his book is a great place to get you started on this topic.