mace

[rachel]

My friend and I walk 4-5 miles every day. There are on our route and some aren't chained . We're thinking about mace but my question is even though the dogs eyes would be burning it would still be able to smell where we are,right? we're worried about making the dog angrier.how long does the burning last? any help would be appreciated. We've talked to the dog warden already about loose dogs and those people keep them leashed now but there are new ones all the time. Thanks.

 

[Seig]

a cattle prod would be more effective.

 

[GaryM]

pepper spray works on bears so I would assume that it would have an effect on dogs. Of course the spray for bears comes in the large industrial size. Since the spray works on the mucous membrains I doubt that the mutt will be able to smell you and dogs are much less motivated to press an attack when outside of thier own yard. Be aware, there is special "dog mace" that postmen in my area use that doesn't work on motivated dogs. I have personally seen it fail.

 

[dearnis.com]

Pepper spray works decently well on dogs; it attacks the nose as well as the eyes. You might consider the 'bear strength if that concerned. (and maybe a big stick...)

 

[Blindside]

Well, the caveat on pepper spray is that it MAY fail on any determined attacker. Most of the backcountry rangers I know carry the industrial size pepper spray for bears, but there are well documented instances of it taking way too long to be effective. It is a deterrent, not a stopper.

It MAY fail on a bear, dog, human whatever. Of course, the bear spray does give you a better range, longer spray, and greater coverage. The downside is that you would have to change your walking route after you chem-bomb some guys yard.

Lamont

 

[rachel]

I carry a big stick and I've had to use it to keep larger dogs at bay, The dog warden said if it's someones pet and not a stray it should listen if you tell it to go home and tell it "no!". that's worked most of the time. But spring is coming and more dogs will be out. We'll try pepper spray and see what happens. Hopefully we won't need it. Thanks for your help.

 

[Blindside]

Personally, I would keep the stick. Think of it as free live target training. Or go with the mace in the off-hand.

As an ex-paperboy, I can't count the times when my bike was the only thing that saved me from the dogs (and I still got bit twice!) I usually didn't have time to spray the dog before it got too close. I would jump off my bike and use it as a shield, then I would just back off, keeping the bike between me and the dog. As a walker you don't have that option. If you don't like carrying a stick, try an ASP baton, though you might want to check on your local laws.

When I worked out in the countryside in Ecuador, I ALWAYS carried a stick, the dogs are more aggressive, and at the time, Ecuador was top 10 in the world for frequency of rabies.

Lamont