dog protection when recording?

[Tom E Young]

This morning I did some run and gun on my way to church and a dog chased me. He bite my leg before I climbed over a fence and the fence tore my pants. I do not want to buy pepper spray because it is illegal. Does hair spray work on dogs? I do not want to blind them I just do not want to be bite. What is the best way for protection for dogs when running and recording?

I am waiting for the gs400 and using my zr20 in the mean time.

[Frank Granovski]

Perhaps contact the dog pound or SPCA for tips?

[Chris Hurd]

Don't let a dog chase you. It takes two willing parties to initiate a chase... the chaser (the dog) and the chasee (you). Refuse to be the victim. Instead of running from an advancing dog, stand your ground. In fact, run toward the dog. The dog will get a hell of a surprise and will stop, reconsider, and turn around to run away from you. It really works! On neighborhood roaming dogs, that is. If you're on that dog's home turf (backyard, etc.), forget about it... he knows that you know that you shouldn't be back there in the first place. But on neutral ground, you chase the dog and the problem is solved.

[Tom E Young]

Thank you I will do this, chase dogs when I see they want to chase me. I am still scared I might be bite.

[Keith Loh]

Use your tripod. It's big and heavy and it looks menacing to humans.

[Robert Knecht Schmidt]

Dogs really hate being kneed in the jaw.

[Alfred Okocha]

I never leave home without a steak in my pocket!

( Otherwise I agree with the "chase the dog" theory.. then again.. it might NOT work..)

[Keith Loh]

Dylan Couper's wife is a dog trainer so she'll weigh in .. oops .. that's probably a bad turn of phrase .. we can ask Dylan for her opinion.

[Justin Boyle]

heh guys i think that you missed the point. he was "run and gunning". he didn't have a tripod. none the less i like the idea of being the chaser but the most important thing is to be assertive and not to come across scared if that is possible. heh wouldn't it be great to catch that on video.

Justin

[Kamal Tailor]

Carry a stick with you, a big stick if possible, on run and guns you don't need to be using both hands on the camera, if you do need to put it down until you can pick it up again, then when a dog comes at you, chase it, but wave the stick around and bang it on the ground and yell like a crazy person.... i'm sure that'll freak out the dog enough to make it think twice about biting you, unless it has rabies.....ahh the joy of living in a rabies free country!!!! =)

Justin>>> no rabid dogs for us in Aus =)

[Rob Lohman]

Now on the bite: you do know you should get an injection for
that, right?

[Chris Hurd]

That's only if the dog doesn't have tags, Rob!

[Rob Lohman]

Howso? Here in Holland you'll always be required to get an
injection I think. Otherwise you can get some kind of illness I
believe. What do you mean with "tags"?

[Ken Tanaka]

I'm coming into this late, so poor Tom may already be dead or hospitalized.

Tips via my better half, who has some expertise in animal behaviorism.

If you've triggered the dog's natural "chase" instinct, stopping cold -may- help diffuse the episode. Charging an unfamiliar animal is generally a bad move. If the dog has poor socialization (such as many strays and fight-trained dogs do) chances are good it's instincts will be to charge back and bite. If it's a fighting dog such as a pit bull or rotweiler you can forget about being able to beat the dog off of you.

While pepper spray is illegal in most places, citronella spray is almost equally effective with dogs and safe. It will buy you a minute or two to plan your exit strategy. (Sticks are generally not a great idea for a defense.) The general idea is to force the animal to get a different idea by distracting them through sounds, strong odors, etc. Swinging a stick at an over-excited dog is reinforcing the same idea.

Rabies has become a rarity in the U.S. and Canada. So the greatest hazard you face in a bite wound is infection. And it's nearly as great of a hazard as rabies. You should seek immediate medical treatment for any bite wound that breaks your skin. Even a seemingly minor bite puncture can easily turn into a raging, difficult to control infection within 24-48 hours. Recovery from such infections will be long and painful. (My wife is still recovering from a cat bite received during her volunteer work last February).

[Gints Klimanis]

>Carry a stick with you, a big stick if possible

I'm not a dog expert, but pretty much every dog I've known backs up or even cowers when I'm holding something in my hand.

The same holds
true for humans, as I train martial arts and run my own weapons sparring group . The most informative are the first bouts of newbies, which cower
from each other even though they know that the rolled up magazine won't really hurt them. Every time the weapon is escalated (Duct-taped magazine -> metal rod core in duct-taped magazine -> long whippy flexible stick -> rattan (solid version of bamboo) stick), the same reaction occurs.