Bentimes2

Today I took my first ride of the season on a route starting from home and following a local biking route. The route comes right by the street I live on and continues for a pretty good way through the town I live in. Now I automatically assumed since signs are posted designating the said route that I would not have to deal with chasing dogs. For the most part this was true except for one area where I had 2 dogs try to get me. I have actually encountered these same 2 dogs before while walking but had never been bothered by them. This is something that really makes me furious and its mainly because the other people who have dogs keep them put up. I don't know for sure if they would bite me or if it's the bike they really want to get their teeth in either way I am already fed up with the idea of having to deal with these two mutts every time I go out. So I ask you guys, and please be serious, what can I do? Is there some kind of dog repellent I can get that will make them think twice about coming after me. My wife says, "just take a big stick with you and whack em one good time." I would probably fall off my bike trying to do that then they would eat my butt up for sure after I made em mad. Tell me what you guys do to remedy this kind of problem.

Chris L

Don't. 'Designated biking routes' aren't necessarily better than any other routes. I know this from experience. Never assume anything.

Normally if I'm being chased by a dog I find a squirt of the water bottle to be effective in giving me enough time to get away from them and make them lose interest in the chase. If they get too close to you and are a threat to you, get off the bike and put it between yourself and the dogs. That is a short term solution.

For long term answers, you could talk to the owner and get them to do something about it. Failing that, call the cops. If not, you might need to get used to dealing with these guys every time you use that route.

jatkins679

Dogs by their nature will chase; so I think it's best to stop and I do. And I try to keep the bike between me and the dog. But I also pull my bike pump off the bike and get ready to swing it at the melon of the first one that decides to get too close if he's a medium or larger dog (large enough for its bite to do some damage).

I love dogs, I really do. But I've already been on the business end of a someone's dog that was allowed to get loose and decided to chase cyclists. I'm not going to let another one bite me. If someone's dog gets aggressive with me, that dog's going to end up wishing he hadn't and the owner is going to end up with a hefty vet bill.

I know that sounds really violent and it probably is. But people's aggressive dogs on the loose is the one thing in my life that I makes me that angry. It's just so needless and so dangerous to everyone.

ngateguy

Sometimes a firm "Go home" works, but only sometimes I like both Of Chris L suggestions

Inkwolf

These days, I'm finding that slowing way down and talking to the dogs in a cheerful, relaxed tone defuses all but the most hostile pooches. Of course, if you're scared of them this probably won't work.....

tokus

Pepper spray works great if you don't think it is too harsh. Eventually the dogs will learn and simply taking out the black spray can will scare them away. Me an my dad have "trained" a lot of the dogs along our usual routes :angel:

Chris L

On the other hand, not all dogs are aggressive by nature. I've been chased by dogs that ultimately turned out to be very friendly in the past, too.

SamDaBikinMan

Shoot em'

Just kidding I use chasing dogs as an opportunuty to sprint with a little extra motivation.

crucifixion12

Well I've been bitten by a couple of dogs on the road that I have to pass everyday to get to my house. I unclip the foot that's closest to the dog, and if it gets close enough, I kick it in the face. I know it sounds harsh, but I've got a scar on the back of my leg from one of these, so I don't play games anymore. And their owners won't do anything to improve the situation.

jatkins679

I'd rather not do that. Mace/pepper spray is just not something I want to carry around. It happens infrequently enough that no dog that harasses me is going to be 'trained' by me and, frankly, it isn't worth taking any one route on a regular basis if I'm going to run into the same punk dog each time. I'd rather just take a detour if that's the case and leave the 'training' or problems with the dog owner to the people who live in that neighborhood.

jatkins679

I had to do that once when I was a teenager. Just hauled off and stomped the dog in the face as he charged up to me. He collapsed like a ton of bricks and eventually staggered away.

I felt horrible because like I said, I actually love dogs. But I'm not going to mess around with an aggressive dog. You can't reason with a dog and if he chases you, you really don't have too much of a choice but to confront the dog since he does chase.

Stor Mand

Sometimes if you are able to muster up a good dog bark of your own, it freaks them out a little and is kind of funny when they shy away from the barking human.

dazco

Man did you find my pet peeve !! I love dogs, and i hate dogs. I especially hate thier owners.......the inconsiderate ones. Last week i was coming down my favorite fireroad......the one i always mention that is very steep. Almost 100% of the time i'm on my toes because i'm moving rather fast (for me at least) and the road is a rutted obstacle course that will take you out if you blink at speed. Anyway, i come around this sweeper fast only to find two guys walking up with a dog. The dog immediatly starts running at me barking. I damn near lost it which angered me big time. I yealled LOUD, "g@d d@mn it !!! All the 2 a-holes did was laugh !
I swear, at that moment i could have shot those jerks. The word anger doesn't even describe how i felt. That wasn't nearly my 1st dog incident, nor my worse. But owners that put thier dogs in a position to bite someone are bad enough........those who chuckle at someone's near disaster due to thier total and utter lack of consideration should be drawn and quartered !!!

Next time that dog comes at you, i say do whatever it takes to avoid being bitten, then call the cops and let the jackass owners know about it personally, telling them in no uncertain terms what a-holes they are !! Harsh you say? I don't think so..........i've been bitten before, and as much as i like dogs, this is the stuff that makes me go off big time. I will not tolerate this and neither should you !

jatkins679

I hear ya there. I absolutely love dogs. But their owners? Too many of them shouldn't have dogs, they're too irresponsible.

I don't understand why or how owners let their dogs off leash where it's posted that it isn't allowed so often. Dogs will wander out in front of cyclists and cause accidents. They go up to/run up to people whom the owners have no idea like dogs or are terrified of them. They dig away, which can be a HUGE problem in parks. And they often chase wildlife. Yeah, it might only be a squirrel, but it's still not OK.

I tell you what, the next time a loose dog causes me to crash, that owner won't be getting that dog back until the cops show up and take custody of it. Last time, the prick made off before I could stop him. Not gonna happen again.

N_C

First of all there is no such thing as a bad dog, just bad dog owners. Second, dogs by their very nature will chase. It is one of their instincts. Third, dogs do not show or are intent on being angry or show any animosity toward most people, especially if you do nothing to provoke it. (riding past a dogs house on the public street is not provoking it)

Now even though the dog may percieve you as a threat it is not out of anger toward you. But it will do what it thinks it needs to do to defend its territory.

And there are a lot of dogs that just want to run along with you just for fun.

What you need to do when rover gives chase is determine what the dog's intentions are. You may have only a few seconds at the most to do this.

If the dog is snarling, growling, or barking in a menacing or defensive manner it is obvious what it wants to do to you.

If it is barking in a happy or excited tone it probably wants nothing more then to be your new friend. Most if us that have dogs or have been around them can tell the differance between these kinds of barks.

The dog's body language is also a factor. Is the fur on the nap of its neck up? If it has a long enoungh tail, what is its position, straight out behind it, up in the air, down?

You also need to be aware of where the dog is running when it gives chase. Is it making a beeline for you? Or is it running along side of you? Does it start running at you before you even ride by its home?

And there is one more factor as well. What is the owner doing, if they are aware that the dog is chasing you? Is the owner trying to call the dog back? Is the owner encouraging the dog to continue the chase? Did the owner send to dog out after you in the first place?

All of these factors are things you need to be aware of when encountering a dog while riding. Then you decide what if any action you need to take.

I do recommend having and using if needed a can of pepper spray. I've tried water, yelling and waving a frame pump, none worked for me, but pepper spray has. In fact the dogs that live along my favorite bike routes now know that if they chase they will be sprayed. So they stay on their property. I have only ever sprayed the dogs that I know are a physical threat to me.

There are also dogs I have never sprayed and never will. These dogs just want to run with me while I ride and I'm sure thye'd love it if I stopped and gave them some attention. In fact more often then not I have to turn around so the dog will follow me back to its home.

I'm always afraid of any dog that chases me getting hit by a car, no matter if it is a threat to me or not. That is the last thing I want to see happen.

Most of the owners also know enough now to keep their dogs under better control, especially the dogs I have had to use pepper spray on.

Using the pepper spray is always the last thing I do though. I attempt to out run the dog and wait and see if the owner will call the dog back. If the owner makes no such move and I can not out run rover and the dog is a threat I then use the spray.

But there is one time I had to use law enforcement and have a owner arrested for using his dog as a weapon. I was riding on a route I had never taken before so I knew nothing about it. About halfway through I here the loud "get him boy" from someones front yard. I turn and look and big dog is giving chase. I try to out run him. That didn't work the dog was gaining ground on me. While I was trying to spray it with the pepper spray I lost control and crashed. And I still hear the owner encouraging the dog to attack me. The dog catches up with me as I am picking myself up off the ground. The dog stops in front of me and just looks at me wagging its tail. So I let him sniff me, (I knew at this point the dog was not going to bit me). He was a very friendly dog. All this time the owner never leaves his yard and is still trying to get the dog to attack. Other people heard and saw this so there were witnesses. I was really pissed at the owner for this. I felt he had tried to use his dog as a weapon, thus resulting in my crash. So I called the police. I explain the the officer what happened and the witnesses back me up on it, of course the owner deny's it. Well he is arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon. The dog is taken to the pound to be quarantined and checked over. Guess the is procedure even though the dog never bit me. The owner never got the dog back but I did make sure it was not destroyed. I found it a good home and it was adopted. (The dog was also found to be in bad health and abused by its owner so that added to his charges).

Like I said you may only have a few seconds at best to determine what the dogs intentions are, and then to make a decision on what to do yourself.

Good luck.

Michel Gagnon

Dogs don't read signs and don't know anything about "bike routes".

I remember a trip I took in Maine with a few friends almost 30 years ago and there were quite a few aggressive dogs along the way. We had a couple of expert shooters who shooted dried peas with a straw (just blow it, it works if you know how to aim -- I don't), and that was quite effective.

Another trick: what are leash laws in your community? Next time, record the address and call Animal control officers. A bit drastic, but it works.

Regards,

bikerdave

Dogs make you a good sprinter

I have a route that i use during the summer for hill climbs and there is a dog that comes out every month or so and chases everybody climbing.

...squirk of the water bottle scares them away.......(hill is too steep to sprint away)

bigbadsteve

I have found screaming 'F--- OFF!' at the top of my voice to be quite effective. One must be in touch with one's anger and 'ready to fight' for this to work.

Barking back tends to work better for small dogs, and provides amusement for bystanders.

If a U-bolt lock is carried attached by elastic strap to the pack rack, it can be quickly extracted and used as a weapon if needed - nice and heavy.

Pedalling extra fast when past the dog is good; a lot of dogs aren't expecting a sudden burst of speed and give up.

I was once chased by an escaped guard dog and had to put my feet up on the horizontal bar of the bike to avoid being bitten. It's amazing what powers adrenaline can give you.

mrfix

I find success by fliping them a dog cracker, I have a small bag that I bought from EMS that attaches to my handlebar in front of me. I keep it full of dog crackers, when I get a presistent pooch I flip it a cracker, after about 2 or 3 days he starts to look for me to get a cracker and not chase me for sport. This has worked for me every time. I don't leave home without the crackers.

rhoderhage

I have heard other people say that they carry either slices of bacon or doggy biscuits with them just in case. I guess you toss it to them and hopefully they divert their attention to the goodies. I am not sure if this would work. it did sorta work in the movie THE OUT OF TOWNERS with Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn, LOL.

Da Tinker

I like the idea of dog treats.

I have had good results by being aggresive with dogs. If they look like they are going to chase, I yell, rant, rave & scream at them. Many tuck tail & slink off. Some dogs are chasing just for the fun of it, not wanting to catch or bite, just run. There are several around here like that.

Learn the leash laws in your area and use them. We have a state leash law here & I use it on aggresive dogs that will not learn. I chased a bad pair of dogs on a great route right up to the house and then banged on the door & demanded that the owners control the dogs. I quote chapter & verse of the leash law & invited them to call the sherriff to verify. Haven't had a problem since.

Ah, the wonders of righteous anger & adrenalin.

chewa

If you get a persistent dog, get off the bike. it's normally the noise and movement that stirs them up. If the dog approaches you growling, growl back, or get ready with the pump.

There are no bad dogs, just bad owners but you should also be aware that if you come around a corner too quickly in an area where no leashes are needed (many MTB routes?)you can scare a dog to make it chase. It's all about riding with consideration

KrisA

I love dogs, have one of my own who is very good about not chasing bikers in the park when she is off leash. Perhaps it has something to do with her reluctance to chase balls and bring them back.

Personally when I come up on off leash dogs when I'm riding I slow right down to nothing and extend a hand for them to sniff, give them a pat on the back and continue on my way. If I ever came up on an aggressive dog off leash I'd give it a boot to the nose and keep riding.

ZackJones

- Give 'em a little squirt from the water bottle. By the time they figure out it's just water you'll have enough distance on them that they usually quit chasing.

- Use this time for interval training. If you know where the dogs are likely to be just start a sprint before you get there.

Zack

1oldRoadie

I assume that you have no problem in yelling this near your mothers house********************?

Seriously "most dogs" are only wanting to do what you are doing...get up and run a little while, they do not mean you know harm.

However is they smell FEAR, they just gotta chase you to see what happens!

If they are just someol' lop-eared pups, slow down and enjoy their company, they usually stop where their property ends, 'cause "they ain't suspost-ta leave the yard".