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I like the paintball idea too. ......

Me too.

I like the paintball gun idea too. So Will, if we visit your neighborhood and see blue, green, and red dogs, we'll know who to blame, eh? <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

Also, carry police-grade pepper spray, learn how to use it and whip it out quick, and remember to dump the whole can on the dog. I know there is pepper foam which also sticks and creates an opaque layer, but I'm not certain of the effectiveness. Looks great though, would be something to really freak out a dog. Some people also have picked up stun batons, long rods that are electrified so they can shock the dog without getting close enough for a bite. You can also carry a pooperscooper, one of those metal ones on a solid wood or metal pole-rig, that way you look inocuous but have quite the clobbering weapon if you need it. Also, hitting the metal part against the pavement makes a loud clanging noise that may frighten off the loose dog.

I recommend getting very proficient at reading dog body language. Most dogs are all bluff and will turn tail when you call it or start attacking them, but a few may call YOUR bluff and decide to attack. Pick a weapon or two that will give you plenty of opportunity to overwhelm *any* dog as quickly as possible; the objective is to either get the dog to run, incapacitate it long enough for you and your dog to get to safety, or kill it, but only if you have to. In the case of a dog that looks serious, best to use too much force than too little, because too little will simply fire it up even more.

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.........There's something fundamentally screwy in the States. I'm sure many sociologists could theorize accurately why, but until I can leave MY doors unlocked in an urban or suburban setting, ....

Lots of fundamentally screwy stuff, I'm sure! <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

But what I was saying was that the states have very varied gun laws. There are just no sweeping generalizations about tightness of permit regulations, etc., in this country; states' rights in this area preclude generalities about the country.

I thought that this: "I now officially envy you guys out West. We have very strict gun laws" meant that the western states had looser carry laws, which was what I was responding to when I said that the loosest permit state in the country was a New England state and the tightest was Wyoming (I believe, anyway). It's just one of those things that geographical generalizations don't work on.

Now, paintball guns, on the other hand ............. do we have to apply for permits? <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Gotcha! I misunderstood.

It's bizarro in the extreme that in TX a person can have a concealed weapon w/permit which is fairly easy to obtain, and in MD or WY, it's basically impossible to obtain a similar permit.

I get it about state's rights too - this isn't just a thing in the US. It's similar in Canada, Germany and other nations too. Take dog ownership/possession of certain breeds as an example. Someone on a Rottie forum recently noted that in many German states a Rottweiler must be muzzled at all times in public, and leashed at all times. Other breeds can be off leash in public with impunity. While other supposedly "dangerous" breeds were also on the lists in Germany and must be handled the same way, it wasn't across the board of the nation of Germany.

Nutso. Just plain nutso.

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I recommend getting very proficient at reading dog body language. Most dogs are all bluff and will turn tail when you call it or start attacking them, but a few may call YOUR bluff and decide to attack.

The dog that charged me and one in another active topic dealt with dogs that were showing aggressive signs(tail up, hackles up, stiff and erect tail and body, etc.), but they were looking away. What does that mean?

Probably that the dog was feeling game but still very unsure, not so confident, maybe wanted to tangle with the dog but likely not with the person. I would worry about a dog standing upright, tail up, ears forward, staring directly into my eyes with a hard stare and practically marching forward, especially if the dog had a certain "air" about him.

Read this: http://leerburg.com/dogattack.htm Good info. When I meet a strange dog I rather jump first and scare it off without giving it a chance to think if it can get anywhere with me. Now that depends on the posture and language of the dog; you can tell a dog that's thinking about the situation and a dog that is extremely confident and is set in what it's going to do. I had a pack of two huskies (or mals?) rush me from their yard (owner said they're friendly... uhhhh huh) and I just stomped forward and yelled at them, at first they thought it was a game, guess I wasn't doing it convincingly enough but then I rushed forward like a bear and roared at the dog and both finally ran back to the yard. They were 100% focused on the dog I was walking, not me. Were they focused on me, I'm not sure what I would have done, now that I think of it if that was what had happened I probably would have unleashed my dog and made a noose out of the leash, attempting to rope in one of them and pull straight up, hopefully scaring off the other one. I think the only way you learn how to react is by being in the situation and trying things, though it's *very* dangerous. One mis-read or wrong attempt and you could be totally screwed. When faced in a situation you want to be able to react fast, so drill into your mind dog body language, threat responses, defense moves, etc so that when you're in a situation, you can do more reacting and less "oh geez, now what?!"

most of us have good intuition in these situations, i think, if we just stay calm and pay attention, and school ourselves to stay cool under fire. you have to rely on lightning fast instincts--your own--and the way to receive those inner messages and act on them quickly is to keep a cool head.