General Cycling Discussion - Damn dogs!! What to do??

Have not been riding for a while but finally got out last night for a short ride. As soon as we(wife and I) turned the first corner, this big nasty-ass Pit Bull came charging at us out of some people's yard. An old lady was sitting in the yard and yelled at the dog a couple of times but it didn't even slow the dog down. It was about 2 inches away from my ankle and barking it's fool head off. I just knew it was gonna take a chunk out of my leg(or my wife's) but we kept riding and after a few hundred feet it finally stopped and went back. I was fairly freaked out, but my wife was even more scared. What can a person do to stop a big mean dog like that?? I was thinking about attaching a big old "billy club" or piece of pipe or somthing to my bike and just pulling it out when I saw a dog and whacking him as hard as I could. Not sure that's really the answer though. Might just piss off a dog like that even worse. Anyone got a good solution? Some sort of spray or somthing like that maybe?? I don't care if it's "inhumane" or not, as long as it keeps the SOB's from taking a bite out of my flesh. :eek: :o

Kick the dog in his/her nose. Or, if possible, avoid riding in front of that house.

First line of defence is a good squirt in the face with your water bottle.

Bill

You're lucky that that wasn't a mean dog. You're unlucky it had a stupid owner. I would think that talking to the owner is the proper response. The og didn't bite you so don't bite it. If the owner thing doesn't work carry some ammonia water to spray at the dog.

Joe

carry some ammonia water to spray at the dog.

Joe

That should work. Spray him a couple of times and he shouldn't chase you any more. Mace would also work.

Trust me, there's no talking to these inbred morons.

This is not the only dog I have to worry about. Just one of several in the surrounding area. :mad:

I will never understand why anyone would keep a damn dog like that. Well, other than to guard their meth prodution. :(

Anyone ever used this stuff? http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=11371&subcategory_ID=2417#

You're lucky that that wasn't a mean dog. You're unlucky it had a stupid owner. I would think that talking to the owner is the proper response. The og didn't bite you so don't bite it. If the owner thing doesn't work carry some ammonia water to spray at the dog.

Joe


What will ammonia do to the dog? Just irritate it or burn it's eyes or somthing like that??

1. Explain to the owner that they can't let their dog do that and that you will contact animal control if it happens again.
2. Get some "Halt!" spray or a water bottle full of lemon juice (not ammonia!!!) in case it comes at you again. Aim for the eyes.
3. If the owner doesn't take care of the problem call animal control.
4. If animal control doesn't take care of the problem and it's worth the possible hassle to you then do what you have to do.

When I was a juvenile we had a tandem and a slingshot. We put the fear of Bike into several problem dogs.

Animal control? You must be kidding. Oh wait, you mean a shotgun? :D
No such thing out here in the boonies. The dumbass sherrifs will not do anything to these people. If they won't bust them for meth manufacturing, they damn sure ain't gonna come take their precious pit bull doggie away.

What will lemon juice do and what will ammonia do? I don't want to get that crap all over myself if it's gonna do something bad to my skin. :(

Good quality pepper spray is good stuff, for the random canine or human antagonist.

I read someplace you can kill a pit bull if you stomp on its snout hard enough. Can't remember where I read that...

Some city in Canada just passed an ordinance banning pit bulls. About damn time somebody did that.

Get the strongest pepper spray you can find. Clip or velcro it somewhere you can easily get to it.

Practice grabbing it while riding BEFORE you need it.

Procedure:

1- Stop pedaling.

2- Sit up and grab pepper spray.

3- Spray liberally until problem is resolved. Always in the face. (note wind direction)

4- Check frequently over your shoulder for a couple of miles for pissed of owner in pick-up truck.

5- Repeat if necessary.

What will lemon juice do and what will ammonia do? I don't want to get that crap all over myself if it's gonna do something bad to my skin. :(

Ammonia won't seriously hurt your skin unless you have open cuts, but you'll probably want to rinse it off if you do get some on you. You definitely don't want to get it in your eyes, nose or mouth. Ammonia burns like a sonafab1tch if it gets into sensitive areas of dogs or people.

Would hate to grab a water bottle full of ammonia and take a big gulp of it. Better put a skull and crossbones on that bottle if I try it. :eek:

Dragracer, We have a name for dogs like that in our area, that name is target. A dog that will chase a bike is usually stupid enought to chase trucks. and then you just do what is necessary.........

search the forums ;)

(im so CRUEL! :p )

That Halt! is only a 1.5 can. Is it multiuse or one-shot?

p.

Sudsy Amonia in a squirt gun. The dog will come unglued when hit in the eyes. It works paperboy tested. A nice chunk of gas pipe say 3/4" size about 2 and a 1/2 ft long velcroed to the frame some place to be used as a club works too, also paperboy tested.


A swift kick to the head work too but not with out risk, damm dogs never expect to get a boot to the head.

Mace works too.

Joe

This may sound funny but a friend of mine used to carry strips of bacon, she bought it unsliced and then just carved off a couple of good sized chunks. She lived in a neighborhood that had unruly mutts up and down the street. It worked, the dogs were much more interested in the bacon than a biker. Easier to catch too.

Something similar hapened to my brother. He and his wife went home, put on some nice clothes, and went to talk to the dog owners. They said that they didn't want to report this to the police - they didn't want the dog destroyed. They said that they also didn't want the dog hit by a car.

Result - the owner appreciated the concern, apologized for the dog running loose, and put a new fence around the yard.

I'm sure this won't always work, but maybe it's worth a try.

Throwing anything at the dog - a rag... should distract him long enough to get away.

Since I like dogs - I would only want to hurt one as a last resort.

take a camera with you next time. call the cops when it comes after you. pepper spray could possibly help if it's not windy.

Check what the local regulations are on this. Animal control may or may not be able to help. Talk to the police next on what you're allowed to do. I suspect that if you're on the public road and the dog's attacking you, it's open season for what you can do in self-defence.

Then try the simple stuff first, a squirt from your water bottle. Then a squirt of ammonia+lemon+whatever concoction you can make with household cleaning-products (you can actually build a bomb if you wanted to). Then try the pepper-spray, mace, Halt, etc. Then comes actual contact sports, billy-clubs, bats, golf-clubs, those giant clubs from the Fox-Sports commercials ("bringing you sports from your area").

I love animals, even pit-bulls (smartest dog I ever had). But stupid owners who don't train their pets and lets them run wild is opening up a big liability for them and their pets. I think we've let these people get away with this for way too long. Stay on the safe side of the law by knowing your rights, but do all that you can. The next rider along may be a 12-year old with a paper-route or a 5-year old on a tricycle and they may not be as lucky as you and get away cleanly... :(

The next rider along may be a 12-year old with a paper-route or a 5-year old on a tricycle and they may not be as lucky as you and get away cleanly... :(

Good point.

This may sound funny but a friend of mine used to carry strips of bacon, she bought it unsliced and then just carved off a couple of good sized chunks. She lived in a neighborhood that had unruly mutts up and down the street. It worked, the dogs were much more interested in the bacon than a biker. Easier to catch too.

Meanwhile, the dog learns that it gets rewarded for chasing bikes. Nice.

You idiot, it figures you would reply with a comment like that. All I was saying was that it worked for her, and she only had to utilize it once. So it was hardly teaching the dog to chase a bike for bacon.

From Post #19 "It worked, the dogs were much more interested in the bacon than a biker."
From Post #26 "she only had to utilize it once."

OK, which is it?

Point is it may have worked for her, but what about the next cyclist without bacon?

Rewarding dogs for bad behavior is a good way to ensure that behavior continues. I may be an idiot, but even I can see that.

If a dog is a bike chaser then whether it is bacon or mace or water, that dog is a chaser and about the only thing that can change it is the owner, which is probably too lazy to train the dog not to chase.

Meanwhile, the dog learns that it gets rewarded for chasing bikes. Nice.

I agree about not rewarding the dog.

I have been chased many times and my most effective strategy has been to look at the dog and yell at it in a huge, dominate voice… let the dog know who the alpha male is. I’ve heard that pepper spray is effective and also gives the dog a strong negative reinforcement (the opposite of bacon) associated with chasing a cyclist.

Dogs used to be a huge problem in Georgia about 15 years ago but most, if not all, of the counties now have leash laws – which they enforce.

here in ontario pitbulls are now banned

To be brutaly honest, I have absolutely no problem with hurting(or killing) the sum beech if that's what it takes. That may sound terrible to all the dog lovers, but when it comes to mean, or mean acting dogs, I'd rather it were them than me.

I ordered a couple of cans of that "Halt" stuff. Hopefully that will be sufficient.

First line of defence is a good squirt in the face with your water bottle.

Bill

No, the first line of defense is a good loud deep "NO! GET!". It has never failed for me. Dogs are basically cowards and, being pack animals, they will recognize an alpha dog when they see one. If you have to stop, stop! Stand your ground and face the dog. Lower the tone of your voice as low as you can and yell loudly. Almost all of them will retreat. The ones that don't will usually run away when faced with something thrown at them like a rock or smack them in the nose with a wheel.

Ammonia won't seriously hurt your skin unless you have open cuts, but you'll probably want to rinse it off if you do get some on you. You definitely don't want to get it in your eyes, nose or mouth. Ammonia burns like a sonafab1tch if it gets into sensitive areas of dogs or people.

Ammonia will indeed seriously hurt you. It is a basic solution that should be removed from skin as soon as possible. Base left on skin will cause it to blister and peal off much like a first degree burn, depending on the concentration of the base.

Base left on skin will cause it to blister and peal off much like a first degree burn, depending on the concentration of the base.

Well, duh, yes, if you leave a caustic chemical on your skin it will burn. I was assuming a certain level of common sense in my earlier reply. Some people are so literal.

You could always try shouting "BAD DOG!!! GET OFF THE SOFA!!!!! " in a very loud voice - the dog will be as confused as hell, and stop to do a double-take, during which time you will make your escape…

- Wil

No, the first line of defense is a good loud deep "NO! GET!". It has never failed for me. Dogs are basically cowards and, being pack animals, they will recognize an alpha dog when they see one. If you have to stop, stop! Stand your ground and face the dog. Lower the tone of your voice as low as you can and yell loudly. Almost all of them will retreat. The ones that don't will usually run away when faced with something thrown at them like a rock or smack them in the nose with a wheel.

This will work on most dogs. The problem is the one that is the alpha dog and is chasing you with the intention of catching - mauling - disemboweling - eating.

This will work on most dogs. The problem is the one that is the alpha dog and is chasing you with the intention of catching - mauling - disemboweling - eating.

For the most part, we human tend to cull those type of dogs out of the pack. Not a good thing to have to fight your dog over who gets to sit at the table ;)

Well, duh, yes, if you leave a caustic chemical on your skin it will burn. I was assuming a certain level of common sense in my earlier reply. Some people are so literal.

You said
Ammonia won't seriously hurt your skin unless you have open cuts, but you'll probably want to rinse it off if you do get some on you.

I was just pointing out that it is caustic and it can hurt you. If you are miles from no where and squirting this stuff into the air to blast some dog, you are likely to get it on you. You may not know it and caustic chemicals, unlike corrosive ones, don't give any indication that there is something wrong until you blister and your skin comes off.

My dad had a dog that always gave him problems on a ride.
One day he outran it. Waited till the dog went back to his yard. Then rode past again. And outran it again, and again, and again.
The last time the dog was so tired it just walked out into the road and stood there panting.
Dad wheeled up and the dog just sat there looking at him.
Then he said "No" And this mean old pit put his head down.

I'd like to say the dog never chased him again. I think he chased hime every time. But dad swore they had a bond after that.

Accusing your neighbors of being meth-heads and calling them idiots and then killing or maiming their dogs is a sure way to make dogs the least of your problems on your rides. If you are too scared to bring it up with the owners, make friends with the dog! Stop, and call the dog over. At this point, most dogs will turn and run home. If the dog is still aggressive at this point, further action is warrented. Most dogs, however, will stand a bit off and contiue to bark. Call to them, don't stare them in the eyes, use a soothing voice. The dozen or so dogs in my neighborhood still run beside me on my way in or out occasionally, but we are familiar with each other, and it poses no threat. This only works where you ride regularly; dogs in areas you are not familiar with require a different strategy.

Cycling as fast as you can to escape, riding one-handed, looking over your shoulder and trying to aim pepper spray or something similar is a good way to turn a scary dog chase into a crippling collision with a stationary object. Always stop first if you are worried the dog will bite or run in front of you. Remember, most of these dogs are not being mean, even though the barking makes it sound that way. They chase things for fun; its a game. I'm not saying its good behavior, but if the dog really was vicious, you'd be missing chunks of flesh right now.

Good luck, let us know the outcome. :)

No, the first line of defense is a good loud deep "NO! GET!". It has never failed for me. Dogs are basically cowards and, being pack animals, they will recognize an alpha dog when they see one. If you have to stop, stop! Stand your ground and face the dog. Lower the tone of your voice as low as you can and yell loudly. Almost all of them will retreat. The ones that don't will usually run away when faced with something thrown at them like a rock or smack them in the nose with a wheel.

That is exactly correct. Even the alpha dog (although no alpha when alone) will back down. The trick is to look the dog square in the eyes, turn and face him squarely, and be as agressive and threatening as you can make yourself, almost to the point of initiating movement toward the dog. Yelling any sharp word or words at the dog is important here too. This is difficult to do the first time, because your natural instinct is fear and to run. But once you have done it, you will see how absolutely powerful this approach is.

Only a trained attack dog under direct order of its handler will not back down in that situation, but will hesitate, none-the-less.

DO NOT bow your head, or turn your back until the dog has retreated.

While pepper sprays, water bottles, pumps, etc are all workable, they are not perfect, and you never want to be on the short end of a cruelty charge or investigation, as absurd as that sounds.

Contacting the animal control officer for your city/town is the best option, especially against a known dog.


As an aside, I have a couple of loose dogs on some of my ride loops, and I use them for interval training...I just have to peddle faster than they can run. One is a mean old cuss, very snarly. The other two are more friendly and just defending their turf...I am more concerned that I will T-bone them, or they will skid into me as opposed to them attacking.


peace
zac

Accusing your neighbors of being meth-heads and calling them idiots and then killing or maiming their dogs is a sure way to make dogs the least of your problems on your rides. If you are too scared to bring it up with the owners, make friends with the dog! Stop, and call the dog over. At this point, most dogs will turn and run home. If the dog is still aggressive at this point, further action is warrented. Most dogs, however, will stand a bit off and contiue to bark. Call to them, don't stare them in the eyes, use a soothing voice. The dozen or so dogs in my neighborhood still run beside me on my way in or out occasionally, but we are familiar with each other, and it poses no threat. This only works where you ride regularly; dogs in areas you are not familiar with require a different strategy.

Cycling as fast as you can to escape, riding one-handed, looking over your shoulder and trying to aim pepper spray or something similar is a good way to turn a scary dog chase into a crippling collision with a stationary object. Always stop first if you are worried the dog will bite or run in front of you. Remember, most of these dogs are not being mean, even though the barking makes it sound that way. They chase things for fun; its a game. I'm not saying its good behavior, but if the dog really was vicious, you'd be missing chunks of flesh right now.

Good luck, let us know the outcome. :)

Well said.

I hope all you who are bent on blinding and maiming anything that scares you can tell the difference between a real threat, versus simply running along side and barking - which is what dogs do.

Reminds me of a problem dog at a customer who had a long dirt driveway (paper route I had as a kid back in 70's). It tried to attack me on my bike, and I rode as fast as I could escaping the danger(lucky!). No paper for them that day. My Dad heard about it that evening. Next day he rode alongside with me so we could deliver the paper to the problem dog's house first. He asked me to "just watch". Sure enough, the dog came flying out to "attack" (Big German Shepheard) - and my Dad stood his ground, yelled "NO - GIT" repetitively, and when the dog continued toward him, he raised his arm, and lauched a baseball sized rock, which hit the dog right in the noggin...needless to say it retreated, and my Dad turned to me and said, "now you can deliver the paper, anytime that dog comes at you, raise your arm like I did to mimick throwing a rock, and yell "GIT". This worked for the rest of my knowing that dog - I could even steam into their drievway, no rock in hand, and just raise my arm yellin' "git" and deliver the paper quickly...my Dad was a little crazy....

Accusing your neighbors of being meth-heads and calling them idiots .....

I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but it's not an accusation, it's a well known fact in the neighborhood. They are meth heads, they have stolen numerous items from my neighbors to support their habit, they have burned up several trailers making meth(or attempting to make it), one of the kids blew the arm off of one of the women(not sure of the relationship) with a shotgun about 2 months ago, and it is very evident that some, or all, of the kids are inbred. Not one job to be had by any of the probably 10-15 of them...so here we sit supporting them through the welfare program. And like I said, the county sherrif's office will not touch them for some unknown reason. Life is grand. If you knew this nasty ass bunch, you would understand where I'm coming from. Sorry if hurting an agressive dog somehow upsets you(or whatever), but if would have been in shoes, you would not be wanting to make friends with the vicious thing.

I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but it's not an accusation, it's a well known fact in the neighborhood. They are meth heads, they have stolen numerous items from my neighbors to support their habit, they have burned up several trailers making meth(or attempting to make it), one of the kids blew the arm off of one of the women(not sure of the relationship) with a shotgun about 2 months ago, and it is very evident that some, or all, of the kids are inbred. Not one job to be had by any of the probably 10-15 of them...so here we sit supporting them through the welfare program. And like I said, the county sherrif's office will not touch them for some unknown reason. Life is grand. If you knew this nasty ass bunch, you would understand where I'm coming from. Sorry if hurting an agressive dog somehow upsets you(or whatever), but if would have been in shoes, you would not be wanting to make friends with the vicious thing.
Wow… that’s a bad situation. If the sheriff’s department isn’t responsive I would try going to a local politician – and get some of your neighbors to corroborate this.

Also, another poster mentioned trying to make friends with the dog… I think that’s a risky idea with a strange dog. Remember that – in the dog’s mind – you are invading his territory. Shouting them down has always worked for me.

I used to run a lot in my neighborhood. While in the road (not sidewalk) a 17lb terrier charged at me while owners and it were in their front yard. I didn't see it coming as I had just passed. It bit me on the upper thigh and got a small chunk with four puncture wounds as well that later swelled up to tennis ball sized lump. I went back after run and got papers on dog (that is how I know it was 17lbs ;) ) then went to Dr. $10 copay and $7 antibiotics which I decided not to take as I showed no signs of infection. When I returned the papers I told them it cost me $17 and suggested in a friendly way they compensate me, they got upset, etc. ushered me out of their house. On hindsight I probably should have put up more a battle, but just wasn't mentally or timewise up for it at the time.
But one lesson I learned from this is to immediately report to police (I didn't as they were neighbors, etc.) but what if dog had next done this to a child and cause far more serious damage? The second lesson is that even what seem to be a tiny dog can inflict a quite serious wound. I can't imagine what a larger dog can do.
Finally I developed quite a fear of dogs. I know the right thing to do is to ingore, not make eye contact, keep on your business, dont show fear, be ready to stand it down and agressively yell at it, but also not look like you are intending to invade their property. But still on sight of dog my heart would race and I would turn around, I just couldn't get over this for about 6mo after.

Al

I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but it's not an accusation, it's a well known fact in the neighborhood. They are meth heads, they have stolen numerous items from my neighbors to support their habit, they have burned up several trailers making meth(or attempting to make it), one of the kids blew the arm off of one of the women(not sure of the relationship) with a shotgun about 2 months ago, and it is very evident that some, or all, of the kids are inbred. Not one job to be had by any of the probably 10-15 of them...so here we sit supporting them through the welfare program. And like I said, the county sherrif's office will not touch them for some unknown reason. Life is grand. If you knew this nasty ass bunch, you would understand where I'm coming from. Sorry if hurting an agressive dog somehow upsets you(or whatever), but if would have been in shoes, you would not be wanting to make friends with the vicious thing.

Ride the other direction. You can not win this one.

Just to make things a bit clearer. I'm no coward. I've decided to break up a street fight (and did it) and get in the middle of a domestic dispute (ask any cop about domestic disturbances). One of my favorite bars in years past was a Hells Angels hangout (Hells Angels always seem to like the strange big guy, meaning me, on the bicycle). I'm less prone to macho stuff as I've grown older.

BUT in this case the issue is that it is like fighting sharks. So you take out a couple of sharks before they get you. You still lose and the sharks quickly replace their numbers.

The dog in this case may well be trained (to the small degree it is trained at all) to be mean. Making friends would be hard. Taking it out is risky as this can be the start of escalation.

My condolences.

Ride the other direction. You can not win this one. ............

Yep, that's what we have been doing the last couple of nights. It's about the only logical solution for now.

Assuming every dog is going to back down is not a good idea. Like I said, most will but they're all individuals just like we are and there are bad dogs just like there are bad people. They're not robots and they are about as predictable as people are which is to say fairly predictable but not completely.

I generally yell no to a pursuing dog repeatedly in my best command voice. If I get any sort of a response such as a hesitation or a change in body language then I'll slow down, maybe stop, and chase him back into his yard. If no response from the command then I wouldn't risk it. The dog might not be seeing you as an amusement but as a threat to his pack that needs to be destroyed regardless of consequences.

The more screwed up the environment the dog lives in the more likely it is to seriously attack. In suburbia the dogs are no doubt pretty docile. Dragracer's neighbors sound like they have a pretty screwed up environment. You wouldn't want to be trying to fend off a dog attack in spandex and cleats with a bicycle chosen for it's light weight.

On one of my routes, out in the country side, I was chased by a dog a couple years ago. About 6 months ago, I rode by the same house and the dog chased me and bit my shoe, but did not break the skin. A couple months later I rode by and the dog was there waiting for me. As I got closer he started to make a movement towards me. I stopped the bike, pulled out the pepper spray and hit him dead in the face. He was stopped, but I wasn't. I was going to go back and nail him with the entire contents of the can. I started to do that but I just ended up looping around and continuing on.

This happened on north part Price Road north of Camarillo, CA, off the 118, all attacks took place early on Sunday mornings.