Dog Chasing
 

Hi Everyone,

I'm new to cycling, and about 3 weeks ago I was on a quiet country road, and then suddenly I was being chased by a dog. I peddled like crazy and managed to get away from the dog; however, I did have to lift my feet and legs off the pedals.

Anyway, y'all have any suggestions out there on how to handle chasing dogs? I thought about carrying doggie treats and throwing the treats at the dog, but that just might reinforce or encourage the dog to chase cyclists. I certainly hate to ride elsewhere, because it is a beautiful and quiet course.

Thanks ahead of time for your help.

Being large, loud and aggresive, that's exactly how I treat dogs. I bellow at them to get back on the porch, if they dare come out here, I will kick their hairy behind into the weeds. If you know the dog hangs out at a certain place, anticipate him, start yelling at him before he can get wound up.

Or take a treat and make friends with him.

And check the local leash laws in your area.

One tip: If you have an incident with the dog, call the law. And the dog bit you, which will get the cur impounded.

Type 'dog chasing' into the search engine. This has been discussed several times in the past on here.

I have one question though: How exactly do you pedal like crazy with your feet off the pedals?

When my husband is chased by a dog, he will pull out his water bottle and squirt the dog in the face with it. The dog will immediately back off. We have done this when we go on walks also--works like charm.

Opps. . . I peddled like crazy at first, because I saw the dog at the top of the road and I knew it would come after me. Then it darted towards me, and as I went around it, it chased me. . . bada-bing bada-boom. . . lift the feet off the pedals :) I'm also new to understanding the features on this board. Thanks, for the info on the search engine.

I find a well-directed squirt of the water bottle to be pretty effective in most cases. It generally causes the dog to have a split-second pause, which is usually all you need to get away. If, however, it doesn't work and you can't outrun the dog, you're better off stopping completely. Dogs generally only chase for the sake of the chase itself rather than to actually maul someone -- although if they did you're better off stopping and putting your bike between yourself and the dog.

One more thing to add: the biggest danger I perceive in being chased by either dogs or magpies is the distraction factor. You should always maintain at least some focus on where you're going to avoid crashing into something else (as a riding partner of mine once found out the hard way).

Aside from handling an emergency situation (sounds like you did well,) I would suggest that there are two kinds of dogs in the world: those who have humans, and those who don't. If the dog has a human, it (the human) should be located and informed that dogs are not supposed to run loose on public property. If necessary, contact animal control.

Get faster.

call animal control and have the dog put down.

Get faster.

:roflmao: This made my day :D

carrying doggy treats is a wast of efort, the odds that you are going to be attacked by another dog is nil. next time just sprint like theres no tomorow and the dog will just give up!

I've met with many furry friends. Usually, I talk in a soothing voice. Sometimes I yell, "Go Home". A couple of weeks ago, I was on a club ride. There were about 20-25 of us and we had turned into a small rural town :( . A dog came running out of a house. The owner was yelling. The dog came up beside me, and continued running to the front of the line. Then he turned around and gave up chase only to run right into my front wheel. I went down, no injuries, just a broken mirror.

Yeah, squirting water works great. I recall I had climbed out of a low spot and got jumped by a large lab mix while I was still under 20 mph. So I pulled out my water bottle and it was EMPTY! There was the dog trying to figure out how to grab my moving calves whilst he ran beside my bike. So I threw the water bottle in his face. The result was amazing. The dog took off like he was shot out of a cannon and dissappeared at high speed behind the house. I went back and retrieved my water bottle without molestation.

However, if you don't like being that aggressive, stopping works. You just stop. Get off the bike and keep it between you and the dog and tell them in a firm (not pleading voice) to GO HOME. If that doesn't work, you can bend over and pick up imaginary rocks and throw them at the dog. For some reason, dogs will usually dodge and often run from imaginary rocks.

Anyrate, most dogs protect a zone around their house and once you get about 100 yards away, they will go home.

My experience has been the larger the dog, the less interested they are in eating me. It is the little, yappy dogs that are the real pain. Not that they can catch a bike; not that they can cause any real damage; just the irritation, the distraction, and the possible harm they can do if they get tangled up with me and my bike.

My only encounter with a large intent on doing me some damage ended with me going from about 15mph - the animal had the angle on me - and kicking it up to 25+ quickly. The dog, a German Shepard, could not keep up.

I had ridden this route hundreds of times and this was the first time I had seen this particular dog. The next day when I went by the same place, the dog was in a fenced enclosure. Obviously a new dog one day and a new fence the next.

"My experience has been the larger the dog, "

When was the last time you were chased by a wolf?
Ok, I get the picture.

TrekRider, just try to KILL the dog if it annoys you, ok?
It won't KILL you in return, ok?

Jacob
a one who has defeated 3 charging dogs using only a rake wielded as a bowstaff
(example: picture http://groups.msn.com/UltimateKenpoA...to&PhotoID=253
)

I remember my first "victory" with a dog. I was about 8 and there was this dog who always scared me. My Dad caught on and told me the only reason the dog barked and chased me was because I was scared. He said "Next time, just turn around and yell at the dog!" Well, the next time, i turned around and managed a yell full of more fear than anger and, lo and behold, the dog backed off! Over the next few weeks, I honed my art to the fine skill of walking menacingly toward the dog saying things like "If I get to you, you're never gonna bark again" etc.

Fast forward to today... If a dog tries to chase me, I either turn around and chase him/her or get off my bike and walk towards them. If they're in front, I try to hit them (all this is assuming they're trying to get me). I've taken my feet off the pedals and kicked one or two (that was fun). Never really use a water bottle because it's always got Gatorade, but I did try it with H2O one time and it was effective.

Bottom line, the dog is only brave because it thinks you're scared. If you turn things around, you'll find you have fewer problems.

PS I did have a dog come at me one time on a right angle w/o really barking. I didn't see him until it was almost too late and he ran right into my rear wheel. I had enough time to prepare and keep the bike upright and he feel away somewhat dazed. It wasn't amusing until I was sure he hadn't pooped a spoke! :D

Man, that would stink.... if he pooped a spoke, that is.

:D Darn typo! (or was it Freudian...? Hmmm)

Thanks
 

Hey, thanks. I really enjoyed reading your post. I'll start getting my growl ready. . . grrrrrrr

Dont punish an animal for following instinct simply because its owners have no common sense.

Friday night riding after dark with lights for the first time. Was on the recumbent going up a slight hill. Large coon hound came down off the hill at the house. Came up behind me where I could not get to him. Dog bite my right shirt and coat sleeve. Did not bite me. Was running so fast he got to the side of me. I sprayed him with HALT. He backed way off but still barked. I went up and confronted the owner. Owner said he has never done that before. What an original line. rode by the same house on Saturday. No dog in the road. Next time the dog is in the road I will report him to the dog warden who takes her job very seriously.

What a pain when animals seem to have more rights than bikers.

Owners learn quick when they have to go bail their dogs out of "doggie jail".