I would have preferred something that I could have nailed these dogs with from a little more distance rather than having to wait for one to bite either my vest or my son first. If I was alone then perhaps a stick would have seemed like a better option. As it was at 7:00 in the morning with no one else around except 3 big dogs with their hair standing on end and only 10-15 feet away from my kid, well. I was actually wishin for more than bear spray at the time.