A metal bucket? Do they swing it?
If I were going to swing something, I think it would be a wooden baseball bat or similar. I would go for the base of the skull, but it may take a first strike on the top of the head to stun. If it’s a pit bull, give it all you’ve got, they have thick skulls and dogs are very quick in close quarters. It would take a lot of strength and would be very messy.
Have you looked into a Taser?
“If I were going to swing something, I think it would be a wooden baseball bat or similar. I would go for the base of the skull...”
What if you go for the small of the back, just above and forward of the hind legs, to break the back bone and cripple the dog before finishing it? (Asking for a friend who doesn’t know.)
I have seen tasers be worthless on pitbulls. The video I saw of the bucket was a woman being attacked. Scooter goes by. Stops ..gets off scooter and swings bucket. I was thinking noise might do it before the attack.