Lifehack: If you’re attacked by a group of stray dogs, pretend to throw a stone at them. Each dog will think you’re throwing the stone at it and will run away. This has worked for me twice.
Speaking from experience in Mumbai, just pretending to throw a stone doesn’t necessarily work. You have to pretend to pick up a stone and then throw it.
Huh. If you pretend to throw the stone, does that mean you make a throwing motion with your arm, but just don’t actually release the object you are holding? If so, how come they run away instead of e.g. cringing and expecting to get hit, and then not getting hit, and figuring that you missed and are now out of ammo?
Or does it mean you make menacing gestures as if to throw, but don’t actually make the whole throwing motion?
As was said above, first you need to pick a stone from the ground or pretend that you are doing this if there is no stone around. Even if you have a stone, make the gesture that you take it from the ground.
Another important point is to do it quickly and aggressively with loud cry. Also you can pull back one’s arm with a stone.
The whole trick is that dogs are so afraid of stones that they will run away before you actually throw it or they see where it fails.
If I throw the stone, all dogs will know that I don’t have it anymore, so it would be safe for them to continue the attack (whether I hit one or miss). Therefore, it’s better for me to threaten and keep two stones rather than actually throw one.
If dogs really want to attack me, they might prefer that I throw the stone so they can attack afterward. However, I think each dog fails to consider that I’m most likely to throw the stone at another dog. Each individual dog has a small chance of being injured by the stone, and they could succeed if they continue the attack. Real hunters like wolves might understand this.
The problem is that their understanding of their territory is not the same as our legal understanding, so they can attack on the roads outside their homes.
When I was trekking in Qinghai my guide suggested we do a hike around a lake on our last day on the way back to town. It was just a nice easy walk around the lake. But there were tibetan nomads (nomadic yak herders, he just referred to them as nomads) living on the shore of the lake, and each family had a lot of dogs (Tibetan Mastiffs as well as a smaller local dog they call “three eyed dogs”). Each time we got near their territory the pack would come out very aggressively.
He showed me how to first always have some stones ready, and second when they approached to throw a stone over their head when they got too close. “Don’t hit the dogs” he told me, “the owners wouldn’t be happy if you hit them, and throwing a stone over their heads will warn them off”.
When they came he said, “You watch those three, I need to keep an eye on the ones that will sneak up behind us.” Each time the dogs used the same strategy. There’d be a few that were really loud and ran up to us aggressively. Then there’d be a couple sneaking up from the opposite side, behind us. It was my job to watch for them and throw a couple of stones in their direction if they got too close.
He also made sure to warn me, “If one of them does get to you, protect your throat. If you have to give it a forearm to bite down on instead of letting it get your throat.” He had previously shown me the large scar on his arm where he’d used that strategy in the past. When I looked at him sort of shocked he said, “don’t worry, it probably won’t come to that.” At this point I was wondering if maybe we should skip the lake walk, but I did go there for an adventure. Luckily the stone throwing worked, and we were walking on a road with plenty of stones, so it never really got too dangerous.
Anyway, +1 to your advice, but also look out for the dogs that are coming up behind you, not just the loud ones that are barking like mad as a distraction.
Not surprising to me: I’ve lived in a city with many stray dogs for less than half a year, and got “attacked” (“harrassed” is maybe a better term) by a stray dog twice.
Lifehack: If you’re attacked by a group of stray dogs, pretend to throw a stone at them. Each dog will think you’re throwing the stone at it and will run away. This has worked for me twice.
Speaking from experience in Mumbai, just pretending to throw a stone doesn’t necessarily work. You have to pretend to pick up a stone and then throw it.
Yes. It is important point.
Huh. If you pretend to throw the stone, does that mean you make a throwing motion with your arm, but just don’t actually release the object you are holding? If so, how come they run away instead of e.g. cringing and expecting to get hit, and then not getting hit, and figuring that you missed and are now out of ammo?
Or does it mean you make menacing gestures as if to throw, but don’t actually make the whole throwing motion?
As was said above, first you need to pick a stone from the ground or pretend that you are doing this if there is no stone around. Even if you have a stone, make the gesture that you take it from the ground.
Another important point is to do it quickly and aggressively with loud cry. Also you can pull back one’s arm with a stone.
The whole trick is that dogs are so afraid of stones that they will run away before you actually throw it or they see where it fails.
Hm. Does that imply that a pack of dogs hunting a human is a stag hunt game?
There are some game theory considerations here:
If I throw the stone, all dogs will know that I don’t have it anymore, so it would be safe for them to continue the attack (whether I hit one or miss). Therefore, it’s better for me to threaten and keep two stones rather than actually throw one.
If dogs really want to attack me, they might prefer that I throw the stone so they can attack afterward.
However, I think each dog fails to consider that I’m most likely to throw the stone at another dog. Each individual dog has a small chance of being injured by the stone, and they could succeed if they continue the attack. Real hunters like wolves might understand this.
The dogs are not hunting humans but want to defend territory or something similar.
The problem is that their understanding of their territory is not the same as our legal understanding, so they can attack on the roads outside their homes.
My point is that the behavior is not well modeled as “hunting humans”. They don’t attack humans with the intent to kill and eat as prey.
burning the dog defense commons 😔
When I was trekking in Qinghai my guide suggested we do a hike around a lake on our last day on the way back to town. It was just a nice easy walk around the lake. But there were tibetan nomads (nomadic yak herders, he just referred to them as nomads) living on the shore of the lake, and each family had a lot of dogs (Tibetan Mastiffs as well as a smaller local dog they call “three eyed dogs”). Each time we got near their territory the pack would come out very aggressively.
He showed me how to first always have some stones ready, and second when they approached to throw a stone over their head when they got too close. “Don’t hit the dogs” he told me, “the owners wouldn’t be happy if you hit them, and throwing a stone over their heads will warn them off”.
When they came he said, “You watch those three, I need to keep an eye on the ones that will sneak up behind us.” Each time the dogs used the same strategy. There’d be a few that were really loud and ran up to us aggressively. Then there’d be a couple sneaking up from the opposite side, behind us. It was my job to watch for them and throw a couple of stones in their direction if they got too close.
He also made sure to warn me, “If one of them does get to you, protect your throat. If you have to give it a forearm to bite down on instead of letting it get your throat.” He had previously shown me the large scar on his arm where he’d used that strategy in the past. When I looked at him sort of shocked he said, “don’t worry, it probably won’t come to that.” At this point I was wondering if maybe we should skip the lake walk, but I did go there for an adventure. Luckily the stone throwing worked, and we were walking on a road with plenty of stones, so it never really got too dangerous.
Anyway, +1 to your advice, but also look out for the dogs that are coming up behind you, not just the loud ones that are barking like mad as a distraction.
You have been attacked by a pack of stray dogs twice?!?!
Not surprising to me: I’ve lived in a city with many stray dogs for less than half a year, and got “attacked” (“harrassed” is maybe a better term) by a stray dog twice.
Dog: “Oh ho ho, I’ve played imaginary fetch before, don’t you worry.”
Why pretend, and not actually throw a stone? Or is this meant as a feint in case you can’t find one lying within reach?