Non-Lethal pistols to use against "stray" dogs

newbury · Jan 21, 2014

Recently I've had to "go caveman" scaring off different stray dogs. Usually grabbing whatever stick or bar is nearby and threatening or actually throwing it.

I'm toying with the idea of getting an easily packable paintball or airsoft "pistol" to use. I don't want to kill the animals, I just want them gone.

Any suggestions?

tcartwri · Jan 21, 2014

Airsoft would do it. So would the paintball, but I don't think the ammo would be too convenient to carry around.

Gunny · Jan 21, 2014

Just get a cheap BB pistol that is pump up, not one that uses the CO2 cartridges. The cartridges don't last long once they've been pierced. The cheaper BB pistols don't have enough power to really hurt the dog if you shoot it in the butt or ribs, but it will be enough to let them know they're not wanted around there. The airsoft pellets won't bother them much at all and the paintballs can get expensive.

Down at the farm, I keep an expensive pump up pellet gun close at hand, doesn't take any time at all to pump it one stroke and most of the time, I only have to pop the dog once or twice before it finally gets the message.

rsallen · Jan 21, 2014

Mace works
And handy to carry around.

LiveRoll · Jan 21, 2014

Try firecrackers; reasonably cheap and harmless. I use them as needed on the noisy nights when the coyotes are partying it up, Hate to have my beauty sleep interrupted as I need all I can get.

Cheers

Roger

EddieWalker · Jan 21, 2014

Dogs that go wild are very dangerous. They do not have the fear of humans that other wild animals do, and the look at a house as a place to get food. Attacks on humans are very common. If you do succeed in scaring them away, they will just go to another house looking for food. This might mean killing a neighbors pets or livestock, or attacking a neighbor that they feel is in the way of their finding something to eat.

Sometimes it's better to eliminate a problem when it happens.

Eddie

Gary Fowler · Jan 21, 2014

Eddie Walker is right on with his advice. Wild dogs that come to my house looking for trouble will find it in the several forms, shotgun, rifle, pistol- all lethal. I had some come in while I was working overseas once and kill almost all my chickens. Wife was unable to do much (she refuses to learn to shoot a gun) other than scream at them but they finally left. We never found how they got into our fenced acreage. I haven't seen them again, but I keep several loaded guns awaiting their return.
Wild dogs or just marauding semi-tame ones, if they dig their way into my property, they are just like coyotes to me. I have net wire fencing around the whole perimeter to keep my animals in and other out, so if they make a trip to my house and I see them it is going to be a one way ticket for them and my backhoe will get rid of the evidence pretty quickly.

Reyer Farms · Jan 21, 2014

We have slingshots for dogs that are known and roaming. All critters endangering livestock or people are disposed with swift accuracy.
Neighbors here are pretty good.

beemerphile · Jan 21, 2014

Recently a stray pit bull caught my dog in the yard and was shaking her by the neck when I responded to the cries for help. I fired a couple of 9mm warning shots into its chest and called Animal Services to take it for rabies examination. It came back negative. My dog suffered severe injuries to the neck and a puncture would to the chest and the loss of four teeth from trying to mount a defense.

What if it had been my 18 month old grand-daughter playing in the yard? What if I had scared it off to someone else's yard? If a dog is skittish and acts scared of people I'll yell him away. If he stands his ground, he is mine. I wear the 9mm on the hip on my property for this reason and because sometimes carloads of strange people come onto the remote property with implausible stories and acting lost.

MossRoad · Jan 21, 2014

Runners dog spray would work great. I carry it on my bicycle (I'm too lazy to run!). Also, as mentioned, a pump BB gun on 1 or 2 pumps won't break the skin but put a nice sting on the dog. It will put an eye out, though, so aim well. I pop the groundhogs in my back yard with the BB gun. They look up at 2-3 pumps and then continue eating. So they get 6-8 pumps depending how far out they are.