General Cycling Discussion - What to do about dogs?

What to do about dogs chasing you? Dont say pedal faster. I give out quickly. :(

A squirt from the water bottle can cause the dog to hesitate for a moment, which might be all you need to get away. Failing that, you always have the option of stopping and getting off the bike. This is not as suicidal as it might sound, most dogs are only in it for the chase itself anyway, and stopping gives you the chance to use the bike to protect yourself should it become necessary.

Another option is to have really squeaky brakes. I did this on a ride when I was chased by five dogs. I managed to skirt the first four easily enough, but the fifth one had the angle on me, forcing me to brake hard to avoid a collision. Braking hard let out a big spanky squeak, and I have never before or since seen five dogs turn and run the other direction so fast!

I crashed once, when I tried to squirt the water on the dog. I had to break urgently, as the dog was not frightened by water, as I expected.

I would suggest to slow down and stop. Then walk for a while.

I noticed that for me the danger comes more from my anger, than from dogs. So I try to control my anger and understand dogs better instead. Often the dog wants just to show its master how vigilant, agile, and brave it is. The dog often does not want to bite me or even does not care about me at all. It is usually hungry, and uses anything extraordinary, like a cyclist, for instance, to deserve some food from its master.

So if I just play along and dismount for a minute, then everybody is usually happy afterwards.

But I understood that engaging into the running battle with dogs while cycling is really dangerous, because of the risk of loosing balance.

A Frame Pump works really well ...
If all of the options dont work for you, I really suggest you pedal faster and dont give out easy...
If that doesnt work then rollers would definately work :D

pedal faster...:)

or,purchase an ear splitting airhorn at nashbash.
two rotts came after me on the lakefront one morning..it was before sunrise and i had on an LED vest..it spooked them..they spooked me..i floored it.
So much for owner control....:)

I bent a frame pump on a dog once. If it's on a regular ride route you might want to stop a little ahead and pick up a stick for that purpose.

What my wife does is to slow wayyyy down. I guess dogs really only want to chase if they think you're trying to get away.

It is a good time for a sprint. I have squirted them with the water bottle, chalenged them to a race, and stopped if they were in front of me. just yelling "go home" seems to work to at least slow them down.

"As the weaker riders fall off the back of the pack they are culled by the dogs in the neighborhood"

Stop and give it a cleat.

Even though I live in rural Alabama and see my share of dogs, I rarely have a bad encounter with them.

I believe dogs can sense fear or urgency in us, so if you are afraid they will know it and try to dominate you.

I find most dogs respond to kind words, so I try that first as I approach them or they approach me. Often I can engage the dog into a bit of sport. I'll get them jogging alongside me as I speak playfully to them and we race. We both have fun.

If they don't respond well to that (their eyes show their emotions best) try to dominate them with "stay" or "no." By this time, I have my water bottle ready and will squirt them in the eye if necessary. Only once did I do this and have it fail to slow the dog down.

I've never had to dismount, but I've read often where that will work.

Main thing is: Don't show fear or urgency when encountering a dog on the road.

Scott

And what do you suggest when its a pit bull thats pissed and after you. Fricken bullet doesnt always stop them and if they get those jaws on you,they dont let go no matter what you hit them with.

I have never had a dog that I kicked in the teeth chase me again! The thing that scares me the most about dogs in the road, isn't the dog, it's the idiot drivers that will swerve to avoid hiting fido and run you over to do it! ;)

In 30 years of road riding I've never felt endangered as in your example with the pit bull.

If it ever happens and I could not go faster than the dog, this would be the time I would dismount, keep the bike between me and the dog and scream for help.

Other suggestions?

Scott

You better outrun that pit because nobody else is going to want to get that close. Some places have more of them and others dont have any.

pumps are OK for kitties. i usually carry a bat for the occasional cujo that comes a gunnin.

I have a voice trained by Uncle Sam's Misguided Children. I yell at dogs, telling that I will kick their hairy tail back up on the porch, I chase them back to the house, I squirt water at them.

Also, I am fortunate to live in a state with a state-wide leash law. If I have repeated problems, I call Joe Law.

What to do about dogs chasing you? Dont say pedal faster. I give out quickly. :(

I carry full strength pepper spray. It fits easily in a jersey pocket, and can be deployed quite accurately from the bike (effective range is about 12 feet). I use it about once every 6000 miles or so, on average. The pepper spray does not seem to hurt the dogs (they don't whimper or cry), but they immediately lose all interest in chasing me. I'll typically use it on dogs trying to overtake me from the rear. Even if I could outrun them, I'll give them a shot of pepper if my loud "No" doesn't make them stop. Most dogs are smart enough that after getting sprayed once, they won't chase me again.

The pepper spray also provides a bit of confidence in case of an encounter with a two-legged varmint, but I've never had to use it in those situations.

Thanks for the info. I have ran into 3 German Sheperds and they really chased me a long way down the the road. I really dont believe that I have the nerves to dismount and try to fend them off. I m thinking pepper spray. If that does work Ill call the Law dogs and see what they can work out with the owners. Then there's always my other companion. My Mak. ;)

Thanks for the info. I have ran into 3 German Sheperds and they really chased me a long way down the the road. I really dont believe that I have the nerves to dismount and try to fend them off. I m thinking pepper spray. If that does work Ill call the Law dogs and see what they can work out with the owners. Then there's always my other companion. My Mak. ;)

If they are problem dogs, and repeat offenders, I would definitely advise calling your local animal control. I've had pretty good luck doing that in those situations.

The "dismount" technique can be effective when there's only one dog, but more than one and it becomes impossible to use your bike as a shield.

Also, when there's more than one dog, pick out the "leader" and spray him first, aiming for the nose and eyes. When he stops, the others usually will too. Wait for the dog to get within range before firing, and then shoot in 1-second bursts (most pepper spray containers are only good for about 4-5 seconds of spraying).

One final word of advice on using pepper spray...be aware of wind direction! I once got a tiny bit of back spray one time on a windy day, and could feel a slight burning sensation on my lip for the next mile or two (but the dog got more than I did :) ).

And, before I get flamed by dog lovers...I've owned and loved dogs all my life. I'd rather spray the idiot owners than the dogs that chase, but if a dog is threatening me then he's going to get sprayed. Even if I could outrun the dog, the next cyclist to come down the road might be some little girl or a senior citizen who can't (we've had a couple of cases locally where kids have been mauled and even killed by vicious loose dogs).

I noticed that the dogs living among people understand well the situations and emotions of those involved.

They do not have such a tool as the articulte speech, that is why they seem to be stupid. But they compensate by looking at one's face and posture, and get the picture. Dogs living among people are about as clever as people themsleves.

So if one is irritated by the dog presence, it feels it and expresses its frustration. It sees that this man does not accept its presence and is angry at the owner for the dog being there.

It indeed should be humiliating for the understanding dog, that the very right of her existence is denied.

When I have to be in the vicinity of a dog, I try to look friendly at it. Not that I approve of the big dogs running loose around, but I, at least, show the dog that it is not its fault, that it, personally, is not to blame that it was brought into this environment.

I noticed that the dogs are not aggressive, when I show affable attitude. But in the past, when I had been disapproving, they sometimes got mad at me.

In my experience, it depends on the dog's disposition, as well as my own. I'm not at all afraid of dogs, large or small. When I see a loose dog, I look at it, and start saying soothing things to it like "Good Boy" in a friendly tone of voice. Most dogs recognize this tone, wag their tails, and watch me pedal by.

But, it doesn't work with all dogs. I've been charged by pit bulls that were focused as a smart bomb, and completely oblivious to anything I was saying (not to disparage pit bulls as a breed...I once got surrounded by a pack of 8 of them, and all they wanted to do was lick my legs!).

Most of the time, if "Good Boy" doesn't work, yelling "No" when they get close does. But, there are enough exceptions that I keep the pepper spray handy just in case.

What's the big deal about dogs? The Chinese have excellent solutions for these friendly animals! :D

Back in 1992 or so, I was out on a training ride with my friend Pat in Ohio. We were riding some narrow sparsely populated back roads near Kent State University. I look ahead and see a good sized black and dark gray dog standing in the road about 100 yards ahead. When we within 15 yards or so, I can see that the dog is VERY territorial, and very aggressive.

Those of us who have dogs know the difference between the normal "get out of my yard" barking and the "You are on my turf now and it is too late" demonic like snarling. This dog was a horror movie casting directors dream.

We stop, unclip, and dismount with the bikes betweens us and the dog.

I take a step forward, and the dog raises his hackles and his yellow eyes are staring straight into mine. Pat steps forward and yells "Go Home" "get outta here" "Git" etc.... The dog digs simply digs in and holds his ground.

I say to Pat "Whaddya think?" and after a long pause he says
"....I think we should go back the way we came"

We walked backwards for several dozen steps, I never took my eyes off the dog, and when we thought it was safe we mounted up and got the hell out of there.

I'm 6'2" and was 190 lbs of pure 21 year old muscle back then, but
forget about ego, bravdo, machismo etc. My decision was based upon hardwired biological primal instinct. This animal was much more determined to keep us from going down that road than we were determined to ride it.

2 weeks later we read in the paper some guy on that road was arrested, for breeding and selling Wolf/Dog hybrids. How nice.

I have not had any problems with dogs before. In the county that I live in, there is a leash law, so that helps. Why not write to you local gov't people explaing your situation and ask them to consider a leash law? Of course that won't happen in rural areas, but in the suburbs, it could.

-Garrett

Its not the dogs that Im afraid of it the Bite. I live out in the boonies and dogs run free.

And what do you suggest when its a pit bull thats pissed and after you. Fricken bullet doesnt always stop them and if they get those jaws on you,they dont let go no matter what you hit them with.

If the dog has hold on you and wont let go pinch it nose closed so that is cant breath this will force it to ether let go or pass out ( of corse once it takes another breath it probubly going to come right for ya)

And what do you suggest when its a pit bull thats pissed and after you. Fricken bullet doesnt always stop them and if they get those jaws on you,they dont let go no matter what you hit them with.
Perform a quick trechiotomy, like in Road House, with Patrick Swayze.

A trechiotomy doesn't work with pit bulls. I've seen these dogs get their heads smashed with baseball bats after they have, in an instant, torn a cat in half. Only after their body relaxes, so I'm told, do their jaws open. I once chased a pit bull after he grabbed my neighbor's cat, as she tried to climb up a tree. He turned around and looked at me with complete confidence and control, as if to say "do you really want a piece of me?" I slowly walked backward as he turned and continued wherever he was going with the cat. Treat these dogs as you would any mountain lion, bear, etc.; however, at least with wild animals, you stand a good chance of them not really interested in you; a pit bull needs no provocation. I usually ride along paths near water, so if attacked by one of these pits, we are going to drink our deaths together. Good luck!

Urbanmonk

Max writes: They do not have such a tool as the articulte speech, that is why they seem to be stupid. But they compensate by looking at one's face and posture, and get the picture. Dogs living among people are about as clever as people themsleves
Thats the problem here in Local Rural Area.
Local signs on property state "DON'T WORRY ABOUT THE f***ING DOG, WORRY ABOUT ME!!"

Hi folks --

New to the forums, but I've been reading for a while; thanks to all of you for the good advice and interesting conversation.

On the issue of dog chases...

Unless you're certain you can outrun the dog, I'd almost always advise getting off the bike, rather than trying to simultaneously deal with a dog and operate a vehicle. Seems to me that the greatest danger in a dog chase is not that the rider will get mauled, but that the dog will tangle with your front wheel...rider goes down in a really nasty diversion-type fall, and the dog, who probably meant no real harm, gets hurt badly too. Once you're off the bike, most dogs will lose interest; you're just a regular person now, not a wierd (to the dog) whirring flashing running thing. In the rare case where he remains agressive, at least you're no longer risking a wreck, and can devote your full attention to one source of danger. And as an added bonus, you've got a big metal object in your hands now. ;-)

However, I don't have data to back up this advice; anyone seen numbers on cyclist injuries due to dog bites vs. dog-induced crashes?

Every situation is unique, of course. If your instinct is that this specific dog is literally a killer, then the safest option might be to stay on the bike and fend Cujo off with pepper spray, pumps, clubs, tactical nukes, or whatever else comes to hand...but I've yet to meet a dog that was more dangerous to face on two feet than on two wheels.

Good luck out there, and have fun.
- Paul


P.S. -- When you do need something to spray at dogs from a bike...I've never had to try this myself, but I've heard that a face full of water generously spiked with red pepper dampens the dog's enthusiasm even better than pepper spray. Easier to aim, too, and you don't have to worry about the wind direction. Extra water bottle is kinda heavy, though, and you gotta be careful not to drink from the wrong one...

re:
"I'd almost always advise getting off the bike."

I've used that method, using the bike as a shield, and it works...but, only if there's just one dog. If there's more than one, they'll quickly outflank you.

re:
water bottle "spiked with red pepper"

Inadvertently drinking from that bottle would not be pleasant! By comparison, a small canister of pepper spray fits easily in a jersey pocket, is quickly accessible in case of a confrontation, and weighs very little (1.67oz / 47g).

When I am out on the MTB in the back country I carry "bear spray."

If you have a problem with dogs in the same area all the time, notify your local animal control. Also carry some bear spray with you. The nice thing about bear spray is the dogs don't need to be "close" to be effective. The bear spray would be a last resort. You certianly need to bug the living daylights out of your local animal control agency to get it resolved with out escalation.

Just some advice from the back woods...

Its funny that Ad Bot recommends pepperspray.;) he or she is a bot.

has anyone tried a bb gun? are they legal to carry aroudn?

I find that frame pumps work well as others have mensioned. Typically just holding the pump in the air and yelling a warning scares them back. Also Dogs may be fast on the sprint but they slow down quick so staying on the bike is'nt too bad. Having said that going up a hill once and being chased I bent a nice zefal pump ofer a dogs snout. Should have charged the owner for it. There is one bad dog on a real great riding route that the owner lets out on purpose out here b/c he 'don't like bikers'. That dog will be dead some day. I've noticed the bad ones disappear b/c typically they chase cars too. Better for the dog gene pool.

has anyone tried a bb gun? are they legal to carry aroudn?

I don't think you should carrythat around. That said, youmight want to try an airsoft gun. not as powerful as a BB gun but it still stings.

The only dog that has ever chased me was a rotweiller(sp?) near my grandparents house. I decided that I could outrun it(which I did) until I got to my grandparent's house. No one was home at the time so I ended up hiding up in a tree until someone saw me and called the police/animal control/pound. Not fun :mad:

?

How to Stop a Dog Attack
Spot the warning signs, and take these steps

by Teri Walsh


Learn More

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When dog attacks make headlines, it's natural to wonder: Am I safe near that growly Labrador retriever down the street? Should I avoid the heel-nipping collie on my daily walk?

"Any dog can bite. But only about 8% will actually ever bite or attack anyone," says dog trainer and animal behaviorist Dennis Fetko, PhD, former instructor for the National Animal Control Association Training Academy based in Columbia, MO. Sadly, it adds up: Dogs bite an estimated 4.5 million Americans each year. The consequences can be serious: Seven hundred fifty thousand of these bites require medical attention, and about 18 bites a year are fatal.

The first line of defense: Learn how to recognize an aggressive dog. "A canine that stops panting, turns to suddenly look at you or away from you, or becomes suddenly attentive and rigid in your presence may be feeling nervous and aggressive," Dr. Fetko explains. If this happens to you, these steps could prevent a bite or an all-out attack--and could save your life:

Stand still.
Don't approach, pet, or talk to the animal--but don't run away either. "Dogs are pursuit predators with a chase reflex," Dr. Fetko says. "Keep quiet, and stand at a 90-degree angle [sideways] to the dog. You should see him in your peripheral vision without facing or looking at him directly."

Minimize injury.
"If you're being bitten and the dog doesn't release, slowly move closer," says Dr. Fetko. "The worst damage occurs when you try to pull away or the dog shakes its head."

Then yell.
A biting dog may respond to a loud, authoritative "No, back!"

The heck with moving in closer. If this "Bulldog" bites me its going to die. P32 style.
Screw the owner they will be getting sued.

Just my humble opinion. ;)

has anyone tried a bb gun? are they legal to carry aroudn?

Pepper spray is a lot easier to carry in your jersey pocket. And, if you have to use it, it probably carries less legal liability than a bb gun. At least with the pepper spray, you don't have to worry about blinding the dog with a shot in the eye.

Dogs have different motives for agression. A prey drive is the most significant for a cyclist. When a dog chases, he views you as prey, if not to be killed, to be harrassed, when you ride by. That's why the dog *chases* so aggressively, and sometimes does so without barking. (Sometimes, though, barking dogs are motivated by a prey drive when chasing, too.)

There are two ways to deal with this. Ride away, or, failing that, get off of the bike and confront the dog. Riding away still keeps the dog thinking of you as prey, but that matters little since, of course, you're riding away. Dismounting will always-- always-- get a dog to think of you as something other than prey.

So when I can't clearly ride away, I get off the bike. No more chasing, no dog in the wheel, no nipping at my achilles. None of that. Whatever problems I'm going to have from then on out, it won't be from a dog trying to hunt me. And the fact that the dog doesn't view me as prey itself means I'm much less likely to have problems.

You *can* get away with staying on the bike with some prey-driven dogs. Many domestic dogs are still inhibited about biting, even when they chase down a cyclist. I don't bother with this, though. If the dog can catch me, I'm getting off the bike to face him down. Even a house dog *might* bite, particularly one who isn't controlled enough to stay on his property. And he might knock me down.

Aggression is sometimes motivated by a territorial, defensive instinct, too. This is typically what's going on if, for example, you walk by the front yard where a dog is fenced in. So, when you get off of the bike to confront a loose dog, the dog may switch to this way of thinking about things. A defensive reaction is one where the dog will (usually) l stand off at a distance-- perhaps still on his property-- bark, growl, raise his hair, etc. This is usually not dangerous for a person. The dog is warning you away from his territory. He's not trying to please his owner, or angry at you for not accepting his owner, or anything like that. He just wants you away from his land. If you don't run, and keep your eyes on the dog, and just walk away, there are very few dogs who will bite you in this situation. If you command him to "get back", "go away", "get off the couch" or something similar you're even more likely to intimidate the dog.

In fact, between riding away and getting off and confronting the dog, there are very few dog problems that can't be solved. I have tried pepper spray on dogs, and throwing things, but by and large all I've ever needed to do is dismount and let the dog know I'm not prey, and I'm not afraid of him. You can go years with this approach with no problems.

Sometimes worse problems do arise, though.

If you get off of a bike and confront a dog, head on, there are two sorts of dogs who will still bite you. The first is nasty, fearful, temperamental, or just crazy. The second is a trained attack dog. Luckily, the second is rare.

Most of the time, if a dog advances toward you with the hair on his back up, his head low, his tail down, but some hesitation in his body language, he's a fearful, insecure dog. He *could* bite you, but if you stand up to this dog, unafraid and confident, *and* he has a place to which to retreat, he usually won't. An insecure dog will try to skulk around behind you as you walk away, but you can keep him away if you keep your eye on him and stand up to him.

If a dog like this bites you, you might be dealing with a nasty, or psycho dog. You should understand that without training, it is *very hard* to get a sane, healthy dog to bite a person. Some breeds just won't do it even with training, unless they're sick or terrified or badly maladjusted. So, if you're off of the bike, not fleeing, and a dog actually *bites* you, I wouldn't follow the advice above:

"If you're being bitten and the dog doesn't release, slowly move closer," says Dr. Fetko. "The worst damage occurs when you try to pull away or the dog shakes its head."

Any dog that *does* bite you in a non-prey situation likely has something wrong with it. Standing there "calmly" while a dog's got your flesh in his mouth is a good way to get ripped up. I don't think there are tricks here. If a dog were to bite my arm and not let go, I would kick the *crap* out of that dog. That dog is going to let go of my arm or I will kill him. One or the other.

Some people do have trained attack dogs. These usually are trained well enough *not* to chase you off of the property, though. If, somehow, you just get charged by a large dog that doesn't hesitate, barks deeply, aggressively and means business-- should this unlikely event occur-- you might be in some trouble. I wouldn't want to deal with this. I guess what I'd do is put my arm in front of me, and try to pull back at the last moment, then kick the hell out of the dog when it went by. This would be hard to do, though. Fight like hell and try not to let the dog take you down, I guess is all you can do against a trained fighter.

To get an idea of the difference between a trained attack dog and nasty or insecure dog, think of what a police dog is like if you get too close to his patrol car. He's full throated, harsh, and he means business. But it's all business, if you know what I mean. The other sort of dog has a nasty edge to him, and may be less predictable.

Anyway, most domestic breeds are fairly timid. So, it's possible for a cyclist to get a dog like that to chase him, and still not get bitten. In the same way, it's possible to spoil many of these dogs-- feed them at the table, let them sleep on the bed, let them on the couch-- without their getting aggressive. These behaviors make aggression more likely, and aren't the best if you want a dog to behave, but most breeds are so timid that owners and riders can usually get away with these mistakes. So, letting dogs run beside you while you ride-- and thinking "he just wants to run"-- can be done. Riders do it. I don't, though. Why take a chance? This sort of thing makes a bite more likely, even from house dogs, so I don't do it.

I live in a rural area with a lot of loose dogs. They're more aggressive than city dogs, as rural riders will tell you. The possibility that a dog might suddenly leap from ditch in front of me is enough to worry about. I don't take other chances with trying to deal with a possible biter while on the bike.

Sometimes, in rural areas, you run into a *pack* of dogs. That's more difficult. It's like a nasty, fearful dog, but worse, because these dogs egg each other on. Still, if I can clearly ride away, I do. Otherwise, I get off of the bike. That's all I've ever had to do, but if it came to it I'd try to hit the dog that seemed like the leader-- and *hard*. This isn't the time for love taps.

This is all more than I intended to write. There it is, though.

I've used pepper spray once in a "pack of dogs" scenario. My buddy and I were climbing, going fairly slowly, when 3 Samoys (sp?) came running out after us from behind a hedge. There was no chance of outrunning them, and they were gaining rapidly on us. Fortunately, one blast from the pepper spray into the snout of the lead dog handled the situtation. He stopped beside the road and started rubbing his muzzle in the grass. His two companions stopped to observe their leader, while my friend and I rode off. Hopefully, those dogs will remember this episode the next time a cyclist comes riding by.

Ive got two bulldogs chasing me now. :(

[QUOTE=Stevet04II]The heck with moving in closer. If this "Bulldog" bites me its going to die. P32 style.
<snip>QUOTE]

How do you like that P32? Reliable?

Sometimes you have to yell at the owner. Happened to me the other day. It was a lady I had encountered before on the trail. She has like 4 dogs that she walks with and she doesn't have any of them on the leash. They just run all over the friggin place. Usually the little white biatch (dog term :D ) goes for my legs.

The other B*%!!@ (not the dog) just stands there in bewilderment while her dogs chase me. THe other day I had the last of it. First I screamed at the dumb dog. Next I screamed at the dumb lady. "Get your GDMF dogs on a leash!"

The sign on the trail says you have to have dogs on a leash. I haven't had an encounter with any alone dogs but if I do, I won't describe what I will likely do, but it probably won't be in the dog's best interest. I saw a pack of them out this morning when I was out in the country. THey were playing together in a field and payed me no attention. Then again I had a strong tailwind and was going to be a pretty good chase for them.

I was just riding about town, doing a circular ride close to home and doing errands at the same time..Two dogs came out on a residential street. Looked like a mix of Pit Bull.
They would not leave upon using a pleasant tone of voice. I put the bike between me and them until the owner called them off. After several minutes.
They did not seem to want to charge behind the bike. I have always been told stop the turning of the wheels and they will back off?
Raises another question...The owner is resonsible should the dogs attack me off of their property. The dogs are unleahed..I favor doing something about such violations of code. Like reporting them to the police. Two complaints and they are supposed to respond.

Thanks for the info. I have ran into 3 German Sheperds and they really chased me a long way down the the road. I really dont believe that I have the nerves to dismount and try to fend them off. I m thinking pepper spray. If that does work Ill call the Law dogs and see what they can work out with the owners. Then there's always my other companion. My Mak. ;)

Well, a group of large dogs is the worst situation.

Usually, you can stop and the stare down the dog while walking slowly out of his territory. But when they are in a group, while you fend off one, another one will angle in for the attack. Another problem, is that in a group the dogs get bolder and more aggressive and they will do things in a group that they would never do solo.

The only time I got bitten was when I was jumped by 7 dogs at the top of a hill when I was riding of fully loaded touring bike. The one biter in the bunch managed to sneak in and nip my ankle when I was distracted fending off the others. It was just a scratch though.

I had a couple of friends who worked for the post office. They told me that pepper spray works great. I think you should give it a try. USPS approved.

Sorry for the late response. I like the P32 alot it goes with me everywhere. ;)

I tried one of the dismount tactics I jump off my bike and bent over as if I were getting rocks and the two large dogs ran away. They must have had a bad experiance with rocks before. :D

what's a p32?

and waht i normally do it get off the bike. with the bike between me and the dog i yell REAL LOUD!!! "GET BACK!!!" also yelling like yer nuts helps too. don't chase the dog.. just wait till it runs away.

i really need to get some pepper spray.. until then... they'll get their heads bashed in with my chain. (not joking)

Whats a P32? A Small handgun.

you mean a 32 special? hmmm... oh.. how i dream! :D i just wish there were a spray that i could spray on a dog and it would make the dog feel like it was burning all over! one where ya don't have to aim for the eyes... oh well...

should i get bear spray or wild fire spray? i want the one that will cause the dog the most pain.

http://besafeproducts.biz/bsp_sprays_wildfire.asp

Pepper spray has worked best for me. You just have to be careful how you spray it or you'll end up with it in your face too by riding through the cloud you create when you spray it.

I've pissed off many dog owners for turning their dogs into a bright red or orange sneezing coughing mess. And I've been confronted by some of them too. I simply tell them you let your dog run loose into the public street after me so you and your dog receives what you deserve.

Now I use my judgment before I spray the dog. I decide if it is coming at me in a threatening manner. If it is not and just wants attention or to be played with my concern is the dog either running into my path for a collision or getting hit by a car behind me. I can tell what the mood of the dog is simply by looking at its mouth and listening to it. If it is snarling and growling I know it doesn't want to play but attack. If it is barking in a playfull manner or just running up to me I give the dog the benefit of the doubt. Some dogs are just curious. But if I determine the dog is a threat I ready the pepper spary and puch the button with it aimed at the dog's face.

I ride a recumbent so sprinting away is not an easy option for me because a person can not stand up to get the power they need to out run a dog. And neither is using a frame pump, there really is no place to put a pump on a 'bent that is wasy to reach should a dog chase you.