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I would suggest carrying a walking stick with a steel point on one end. Before carrying what amounts to a spear get some training from a Medieval weapons expert or any Marine that knows, and they all do, how to use a bayonet.
When you are in a dangerous place being alert, aware and ARMED is always the first part of self defense. If I had the misfortune to live in a neighborhood where being attacked by a dog, or a person, was likely I would just carry my Colt .45 pistol in my back pocket.
I still say either OC Pepper spray or a wood walking stick with a metal tip. Either can be used as a "stand-off" weapon to keep the animal some distance away from you. Either can be used as a non-lethal deterrent. Either can be used effectively against a dog with minimal to no training. Either can be carried on a neighborhood walk without raising concerns from neighbors or being accused of "looking for trouble".
A gun is often restricted, requires extensive training, and opens you up to liability. You own the bullet and all damage it does. Think about a bullet ricocheting off the pavement and going through a neighbor's window. I'm not saying don't carry a gun if you can do it legally, but only use a gun against obvious 2-legged threats.
A stun gun requires physical contact, significantly opening you up to danger of a bite.
The main rule is to never back down from an aggressive dog. Face it, stand your ground or even take a half step toward it, lock eyes, and even give a low growl. Speak its language. Make it think you are the biggest bad it's ever seen. You are bigger than it is, so show it. I've backed down full-grown pit-bulls this way.
If that doesn't work:
Small dog: a good punt. Honestly, the only way a small animal can hurt you is if you are afraid of hurting it. I'll never go out of my way to hurt any animal, but if a little yappy dog tries to bite me it will learn to fly.
Otherwise, OC Pepper spray is legal almost everywhere, can be carried on a key chain, and is your best bet. Mace can be heavily restricted depending on where you are. A sturdy wood walking stick with a pointy metal tip can be extremely useful to stab, push, and whack. Last would be a good fighting knife, but those may also be restricted.
Talking about pit bulls, keep in mind they have VERY STRONG and thick skulls designed to take lots of punishment. They lock on and don't let go; you cannot pull the dog away, and as already mentioned you can even cause more damage by trying. I know this from experience. An untrained pit attacked my well-trained GSD; they both started off aggressive, but I called my dog off and she immediately ignored the pit. As soon as she turned away the pit lunged and grabbed her neck. Trying to get him off his owner and I actually pulled my GSD's neck skin away from the muscle underneath.
If it isn't trained well enough to release on command, you have to either force its jaws open with a metal tool or kill it. In my case the owner's wife ran up with a wrench and we were able to pry.
Fastest way to get bit.
No matter how "big" you are, you will never be badder than a dog. They can tear you apart in minutes. I'd say you just got lucky, in that the dogs you challenged were either submissive or had learned to back down.
Fight or flight. If they can't get away, you will have a fight on your hands.
When my SIL was attacked in her own backyard by her neighbor's "security" pit bull, her own German Sheppard jumped out her open window and went after the dog attacking his "Mom". When another neighbor heard and saw all the commotion, he called the police and ran outside with a baseball bat and hit the other dog on the nose until he jumped back into his own property.
No matter how "big" you are, you will never be badder than a dog. They can tear you apart in minutes. I'd say you just got lucky, in that the dogs you challenged were either submissive or had learned to back down.
Fight or flight. If they can't get away, you will have a fight on your hands.
No, the absolute best way to get bit is "fight or flight". If you initiate the attack the dog will fight back. If you run you will invoke a predator/prey response and it will chase you down. If a dog is charging, your best bet is to stand your ground and face it. If it is barking trying to warn you off, you still face it, but back off slowly until you are out of "his" territory.
But just to clarify:
- I was not talking about dogs that are trained to attack humans (police or Schutzhund or similar). I was talking about random pets wandering the neighborhood and/or protecting their yard which they think extends out into the street.
- I'm obviously not talking about extreme situations such as a 200_lb English Mastiff going after a 80_lb kid; I'm talking about an adult human facing your average 50-75_lb pet.
The one I faced down last year was a blue pit that had escaped its pen. He charged toward me, tail straight, growling aggressively. He wasn't barking or trying to warn me off, he was coming after me. I locked eyes, faced him, took a half step toward him to assume a fighting stance, and got ready for the attack. Dogs can sense emotions (fear, happiness, sadness), so I put all my energy into the emotion of menace complete with growl (yes, I growled at the dog). I was probably going to get bitten, but I was taking him down with me, and I made him know he was about to get hurt. He stopped short about 5_ft away and stared at me, sniffing. This lasted long enough for the owner to run up. If I had run away (flight), or tried to hit him first (fight), I would have gone to the hospital.
As for the "never be badder than a dog", I was technically talking about trying to appear to be the biggest bad it had ever seen. Projecting the emotion of menace. I never meant to imply I was badder than every dog out there. That said, an adult human has hands, feet, and more intelligence (well, some of us do) than dogs. You can grip, push, and grab. If it lunges for your legs grab it behind the head and shove its jaw into the ground. Pick it up and sling it around; use its own weight to throw it. It's very likely you will get bitten anyway, but if you hurt it enough it may decide you aren't worth the trouble.
*BUT*
I've been around dogs for a long time, so I know what to do. Back again to the OP's question:
Carry OC Pepper spray or a sturdy wood walking stick with a metal tip.
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