Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - Dogs, what to do?

I was riding this weekend and I got chased by some dogs. Not once, but twice! What do people do about dogs. I am not looking for someone to say I should hit them with my bike pump because I have a mini, not a frame pump.

If they get close a quick squirt of water right in the face usually stops them in there tracks.. If it becomes a big problem, pepper spray..

http://www.botachtactical.com/sabred125ozb.html

I carry HALT pepper spray with me every time I ride. Doesn't matter if it's road, MTB or MUP. I don't want to take a chance losing balance swinging a bike pump that's too small to do any good anyway. I tried water once. All it did was tick off the dog making him more determined to come after me. It was sort of like he said "Is that all you've got, Water?"
Strange, since I started carrying pepper spray, I've never had to use it.
BTW, Pepper spray is not a bad item to have is some ped or cager decides they don't like you and want to take a swing at you.

I usually yell at them "bad dog! go home" ... believe it or not, it works sometimes.
Other than that, I use my horn. So far, I've never had to resort to pepper spray or HALT! Not saying I won't--but so far, so good.

Think of them as sprinting partners. I have a route that I use for hill repeats, and I usually think I have nothing left when I start back for home, but then I pass a house that has a Doberman that will chase me for about a half mile. I always find a little left in reserve when he starts after me, he will be right on my wheel at 25mph. I much prefer pit bulls, because they usually can't break 15mph and they stop at their property lines.

I was riding this weekend and I got chased by some dogs.

Chased is the key word. Dogs are hunters and they chase prey. You are the chasee. Stop. Look them directly in the eyes, raise you arms, strong not excited vioce. Dogs will stop. Then watch them as soon as you start biking again the chase is on.

Thanks for the responses. I did look at many of the threads. There was some good information, but it is hard to find with all the colorful responses in the Road Cycling Forum. This tread was more informative and quicker to get what others do than the other threads.

Let's keep the gun posts out of the "dog chased me" threads, thanks. They just stir up trouble and wind up with the thread being either closed or moved to P&R.

Thanks, guys and gals.

I found out this weekend an opened on the go frosted flakes bag thrown at the lead dog works wonders for stopping a pack of chasing dogs in their tracks. Of course it is a waste of 80 calories of sugery goodness it is better then the alternative.
Serious winds meant halt was out, steep hill kind of ruined stopping, packs of dogs tend aren't scared off by bells/horns/yelling lately so the frosted flakes grenade had to happen.

I did read about a triker using a cattle prod recently.

http://www.amazon.com/Dog-Dazer-II-2/dp/B000E7KVQ2?ie=UTF8&s=kitchen

This works for me. Dogs need to be within about 10-15 feet to be effective. No harm to the dogs.

I found out this weekend an opened on the go frosted flakes bag thrown at the lead dog works wonders for stopping a pack of chasing dogs in their tracks. Of course it is a waste of 80 calories of sugery goodness it is better then the alternative.
Serious winds meant halt was out, steep hill kind of ruined stopping, packs of dogs tend aren't scared off by bells/horns/yelling lately so the frosted flakes grenade had to happen.

I did read about a triker using a cattle prod recently.

A pack of dogs is a very different thing. Dogs have a similar dynamic to humans when they get together in numbers--they do things they would never do on their own. I was knocked off my bicycle (ironically) when I was about 12 by a pack of 6 wild dogs. They ripped the skin off the back of my left calf. I'm sure if a neighbor hadn't come along with his car (I grew up in the sticks) those dogs would have eaten me alive.

If I was you, I would consider more radical response to this. Call the animal control or Sherrif's office and report it. If they don't help you, ask them what they recommend. If they are wild dogs, they could be rabid. So it's not bad enough that you get bitten, if they can't find the dog, you get to have those shots anyway. Yuk.

A pack of dogs is a very different thing. Dogs have a similar dynamic to humans when they get together in numbers--they do things they would never do on their own. I was knocked off my bicycle (ironically) when I was about 12 by a pack of 6 wild dogs. They ripped the skin off the back of my left calf. I'm sure if a neighbor hadn't come along with his car (I grew up in the sticks) those dogs would have eaten me alive.

If I was you, I would consider more radical response to this. Call the animal control or Sherrif's office and report it. If they don't help you, ask them what they recommend. If they are wild dogs, they could be rabid. So it's not bad enough that you get bitten, if they can't find the dog, you get to have those shots anyway. Yuk.

Well it was rumored to be an Animal Control Officer (of unknown affiliation ;)) who threw the frosted flakes grenade in the first place :o When riding a bike that puts you about eye level with your pursuer it makes things certainly a little more urgent. One dog ok.. two hmm. three or more and you got problems for sure.

In the randoneuring events I have ridden they are often out in the country on unincorporated county land and many dogs aren't fenced in. Seems the less fence the more dogs :( I've ridden in 3 200ks this year so far and a few last year and on every one there are loose dogs. In fact on the que sheet it identifies some areas with particularly bad dogs after certain turns.

When we turned back we actually had to stop due to mechanical in front of one of the houses and the dogs stayed back and ran from a little gatorade while we did some chain fixing.

I'm going to try and contact the local animal control/sheriff there after getting some research done some of which is where in the world I even was when it happened since it was somewhere on a 45 mile road. Each town has it's own ordinances and of course lots of these places aren't towns so it should be interesting.

HI,
Usally my country route is peacful except for acouple labs that are pretty much wiggle butts that want to kiss ya, today we had some type of wire hair giant Schnauzer mixed breed that was agressive but he had to many options 4 bikes and I yelled bad dog and he backed down thank goodness, It would have been a disaster if he tangled with one of us for sure.
I hate calling the police for something like that but if it gets bad I will. never seen the beast before this past year hope he's lost. I didn't even have time to unclip he was that fast out of the bushes..

I'm going to try and contact the local animal control/sheriff there after getting some research done some of which is where in the world I even was when it happened since it was somewhere on a 45 mile road. Each town has it's own ordinances and of course lots of these places aren't towns so it should be interesting.

The funny ending to my story is this... one of our neighbors called the police to complain about the pack of feral dogs. The police department told her that they weren't in the business of taking in strays, that she should take them out to the country and dump them and proceeded to give them directions to OUR area! :eek:

This neighbor of mine, being the spitfire that she was, loaded up at least a half a dozen of these wild dogs and dumped them in front of the police station. :roflmao2:

The dogs were not a problem after that. :thumb:

Dare i ask if anyone actually enjoy dogs, or even riding with them? I have been mentally designing a safe-release rig so my dog and I can wear each other out. She would be a great riding buddy, if she could stop running into my front wheel.

Let's keep the gun posts out of the "dog chased me" threads, thanks. They just stir up trouble and wind up with the thread being either closed or moved to P&R.

Thanks, guys and gals.

Oppressing the cultures of other people at bikeforums.net are we? Slippery slope there Tom. Don't let the pain meds run things.

A frame pump over the head can be as lethal as 70 grams of hardened steel shot.

Dare i ask if anyone actually enjoy dogs, or even riding with them? I have been mentally designing a safe-release rig so my dog and I can wear each other out. She would be a great riding buddy, if she could stop running into my front wheel.


If your dog has been trained to heel and will keep on a loose leash, then it doesn't take long to get them to heel next to the bike. I ride down the road with my Bulldog on a leash all the time. (don't attach it to the bike hold it in your hand). I would love to take her out on trails, but all the parks have leash laws and I don't think riding single track mountain bike trails while having to hold a leash would end well.

I always talk to dogs on my rides. Recognition of a human voice seems to do the trick. A stern "No" often will stop them but some just want to figure out what you are. Ones that like to run along because it seems the thing to do often get encouragement from me. Nothing pisses off a dog owner more than seeing their dog run off down the road after a cyclist who is intentionally egging the dog on down the line. If they get mad at me I ask why the let their dog run loose.

As for aggressive dogs. The ones whose only desire is to attack. Call animal control. They have to look into the complaint once you notify them of an aggressive dog running loose. If they don't and the dog ever hurts someone, then they can be held culpable? Liable? for not dealing with the complaint.

As for aggressive dogs. The ones whose only desire is to attack. Call animal control. They have to look into the complaint once you notify them of an aggressive dog running loose. If they don't and the dog ever hurts someone, then they can be held culpable? Liable? for not dealing with the complaint.

I think that is a good thing to try. I was looking through the TX State Laws on Animal Control last night, ok I was talking to someone who was, and the default appears to be dogs and cats can roam free. Drill down into counties and towns and they may enact stricter ordinances or the optional ones but there is no reason they have to.

As far as culpubale/liable I'd think all the Sherrif or Animal Control has to do is give a call or hang a door tag and they did their due diligence. The dog who was "aggressive" to you as you were riding your bike is sure to be super nice to the authorities or else they would probably be contained and not chasing you down the road. Some counties only have an animal control officer so it could be hours or days before they can do anything anyhow and hopefully the dog will have stopped chasing you before then ;)

One thing it will hopefully do is create a file on the dog/owner. Then they may get another complaint and another and if/when it does injure or cause a problem it has a history. If it never had a history and then broke some ordinance or caused injury it would be a first offence and most likely nothing would come of it. Having a history of running loose and endangering cyclists, walkers, drivers or what have you hopefully means they might be able to do something like tell the people to keep it contained.

Now short term when that aggressive dog is running up inches from your face (or calf for you upright riders) barking with drool streaming down you gotta do what you gotta do. If your property, family, live stock or you yourself are in fear of your life ...

Dare i ask if anyone actually enjoy dogs, or even riding with them? I have been mentally designing a safe-release rig so my dog and I can wear each other out. She would be a great riding buddy, if she could stop running into my front wheel.

I've been working with my dog to keep her from edging in on my front wheel. She's pretty good about it after getting her nose nipped by a tire when I was working on my bike in the workstand one evening. I take her out on a 2 mile loop around our neighbourhood where we can stay on the sidewalk or the bike path the entire time. She gets to run until she's worn out, and I don't have to run at all: Win/win, IMO.

I found out this weekend an opened on the go frosted flakes bag thrown at the lead dog works wonders for stopping a pack of chasing dogs in their tracks. Of course it is a waste of 80 calories of sugery goodness it is better then the alternative.

Just keep in mind what your behavior teaches the dogs: when they chase cyclists, they get rewarded with tasty human food! Is that really the message you want to send?

Just keep in mind what your behavior teaches the dogs: when they chase cyclists, they get rewarded with tasty human food! Is that really the message you want to send?

Since all other options were exhausted safety comes first and everyone needs to be prepared for that. It's us against them out there get ready for war! :roflmao2:
Ok I know it's someones puppy and I have my own at home. I'd be upset possibly outraged if they were pepper sprayed or worse but I'd hopefully realize I'm more upset and outraged that I let it happen and put my pup in harms way then at what the person did to protect themself from any danger they saw.

BTW I did have to make a big swerve when the frosted flakes went flying. The dog was a few seconds from having a 53 tooth aero chainring deterrent.

And yes if it is the decision is between potentially having my wife bitten, crash or swerve and get hit by a passing vehicle vs her treating some dogs that chase every single bike they see ride on the road i'll dodge the frosted flakes every time.

I was riding this weekend and I got chased by some dogs. Not once, but twice! What do people do about dogs. I am not looking for someone to say I should hit them with my bike pump because I have a mini, not a frame pump.

Quit pedaling, point your finger at the dog and yell NO as loudly as you can.

Quit pedaling, point your finger at the dog and yell NO as loudly as you can.

That has not worked on all but one dog that chased me over the last few years. That one dog had a collar and was with one other dog. The other dog kept coming.

Fortunately, the only dog that chases me understands it's just a game. He's a really nice German Shepherd who absolutely loves racing me. If I quit before the property line, he just stops and comes back, tail wagging and looking at me like "come on, Dude, HTFU! Let's get some of that windsprint workout in!"

He's known locally as "Coach" amongst the roadies. He'll slow down just a little if you aren't as fast as him and woof at you, looking back at ya, and if you can outrun him, he loves that even more. We train him and he trains us! He's careful to stay about 6' to the side, too, so there's never a worry about getting tangled up with him.

And yes if it is the decision is between potentially having my wife bitten, crash or swerve and get hit by a passing vehicle vs her treating some dogs that chase every single bike they see ride on the road i'll dodge the frosted flakes every time.

I'm not saying you shouldn't be safe.

What I am saying is that by giving the dog a treat, in the form of human food, you are encouraging the very behavior you dislike. If you like being chased by dogs, then by all means keep feeding the frosted flakes. Heck, you might want to upgrade to hot dogs or steak!

If you don't want the dog to chase you, then I would suggest using a different "deterrent". A bottle of ice water dumped on the dog's head, an angry yell, a discussion with the dog's owner (or the local Animal Control department), or a shot of pepper spray might all work better than a free meal...

Dare i ask if anyone actually enjoy dogs, or even riding with them? I have been mentally designing a safe-release rig so my dog and I can wear each other out. She would be a great riding buddy, if she could stop running into my front wheel.Yes! My dog runs alongside my bike every night (he'll do about 5 miles in 20 minutes). As mentioned above, proper leash training is important. NEVER let the dog get past your pedals... a firm yank back and a verbal command (back, etc.) may be required. Also, the more subservient dogs will do better initially (they will let the bike lead instead of wanting to lead). Definitely start SLOW until your dog figures things out. I use a 4ft leash and have some slack in my hand to let out if he lunges after something. If he really takes off I would let go of the leash (do NOT have the leash around your wrist unless you want to eat the pavement). As a rider, you will need to know your dog... what makes them chase after something. When you see something coming (another dog, squirrel, etc.), slow down and give the dog frequent verbal and leash commands so they know who is in charge. A firm lead on the leash will help prevent issues. Finally, learn how to turn to the right without running over your dog (it should be on your right hand side, away from traffic). My dog responds to a firm leash lead... yours may respond to some other form of command.

There are a few dog / bike products out there. One is the "Springer" which will yank the dog back if he lunges after something. Review (http://bikejor.blogspot.com/2008/03/product-review-springer-dog-bicycle.html). The other is a bar with a leash attached to it (to the seatpost)... I don't know what that product is called. IMO, the Springer looks the safest and most likely to work. Also, if the dog takes off it will pull at your rear wheel and not at your handle bars... you will have a greater chance of controlling the bike during an 'incident'.

Totally agree with sstorkel... do NOT feed the dogs! Strongly staring into the dogs eyes or a loud voice command should turn off a dogs prey response. Yes, some dogs have not been raised properly (trained to attack, etc.) and will not respond well to a challenge. For those cases some form of deterrent (kick, pepper spray, etc.) should be used. Also, contact the local animal control about the animal's atypical behavior.

Totally agree with sstorkel... do NOT feed the dogs! Strongly staring into the dogs eyes or a loud voice command should turn off a dogs prey response. Yes, some dogs have not been raised properly (trained to attack, etc.) and will not respond well to a challenge. For those cases some form of deterrent (kick, pepper spray, etc.) should be used. Also, contact the local animal control about the animal's atypical behavior.

All that has been said regarding food is that it works if nothing else will it isn't the first option. I don't recall suggesting carrying a bag of open doggie treat and throwing it to all the dogs although it would work a lot better than pepper spray or a kick on a dog properly trained to attack who is going to attack.

I've done a few things, water squirt usally ends it, yelling has worked, getting off and putting bike between myself and dog on one occasion, and I had to give one a kick to the head. Don't get all mad at me put this dog or should I say owner had no concern for my well being. Everytime I'd go buy and the guy was outside he'd send the dog out, last time it happened dog came running out I unclipped smacked it in the head. Never bothered me again, nor any other rider. It was a notorious chaser in our parts.

Dare i ask if anyone actually enjoy dogs, or even riding with them? I have been mentally designing a safe-release rig so my dog and I can wear each other out. She would be a great riding buddy, if she could stop running into my front wheel.

Check this out: http://www.thedogoutdoors.com/walkydog-dog-bike-leash.html?gclid=CJOXoJHXo5gCFQE0xgodRGYr8A

I'm saving up for a pair of them so hubby and I can take ours out. :thumb: