mazpr

I have been searching on different stores to buy some pepper spray. I have heard some of those sprays are not that effective or do not work at all...


What kind would you recommend?

Anything compact, light but with a powerful punch to stop the damn dogs...

I have had a few encounters with pit-bulls, although I get a good workout it is not the proper way to do my max out routine...

10 Wheels

Get one that shoots a Stream.
You can adjust your aim when you use it.

Porter20

When I see a dog wandering, I usually grab my water bottle & open it up. I typically will spray at a dog if he starts chasing me. Not sure if it would stop a pit bull; I would think you would need a bike pump or something. On a funnier note, I was riding the other day on my normal route & for some reason, there was a host of dogs out & about. So at some point, I get chased by this little ankle biter who had just been to dog dresser, complete with a pink bow & looking snazzy for Christmas. So she started chasing, I grab the water bottle & yell at her; she still was chasing me & shot a stream of orange cytomax right between the eyes. Dog stopped in her tracks. And I sure her owner will wish she had kept the dog on a leash or in a fenched in yard; cause I am sure she was a sticky mess when she got home.

5kdad

I use "Halt" that I find at most bike shops. Did run across one pit bull once, that took a pretty good amount to slow him down.
I'm a firm believer in using some sort of pepper spray to stop a dog, hopefully break his bad habit. There was a dog that used to run out and chase me when I rode to work. I could always out-run him, and he didn't seem too vicious. Well, one day I was biking to work (going to work, the house was on the other side of the highway) and he started to run out after me. There was a vehicle parked in the drive way, and he darted out from behind it to chase me, but there was a car coming from the other direction, that hit the dog and killed it.
I figure that I'm doing the dog owner a big favor by using pepper spray to hopefully break his habit, and maybe save his life.
Funny thing, after you squirt a dog a time or two, you don't ever need to grab your spray, you just extend your arm at the dog, and he thinks he's about to get it!

JanMM

Halt! is pretty widely available. Never used mine but I feel better when I have it on rides where doggies might be. Wouldn't hesitate to use it if appropriate. Pepper spray is less injurious to 'em than the dilute ammonia I carried while riding in rural Monroe County, IN 30+ years ago.

Panthers007

Most postal carriers have Halt, and we all know about dogs v. postman. So that's good advertising in my book. But, of course, there are the postal-people we never hear about again...

Pocko

Thank you so much for this thread guys! I'll see if I can find something similar over here.

There is a lovely scenic route that I have since avoided because of a vicious dog. This thing chases me from inside the house fence (large front lawn, farming lifestyle block) but it's got a real ferocious mauling bark that frightens the heck out of me... in case it gets out into the road. I've never quite figured how to deal with something like that until now.

Cheers!

.

jcm

I've only been ambushed a few times. Two of them seemed like I was going to be bitten, but they always stopped just short. In any event, I would not have had enough time to do anything unless I knew those dogs would be on patrol.

In all cases, the rushes ended abruptly by stopping the bike and either yelling at the dogs or just pretending to rummage thru my bag - not being interested in the dogs at all. They'd just circle me a couple times, look at each other like they were saying, "guess we showed him" the trotted away to piss on a car tire...

Retro Grouch 

OK, Dog story time.

My best one happened during the late 70's in SW Michigan. I was trailing my Bill, my buddy by about 30' when a medium sized dog started barking and running full speed down a long hill at us. Bill looked at the dog and firmly yelled "Sit". The dog immediately planted all four paws but his momentum caused him to summersault a couple of times down the hill eventually coming to rest in a perfect sit position. A well trained dog.

mazpr

LOl, that is funny...

Here in Jacksonville, kind of red-neck area, where even grannies have a shot-gun on a wheelchair, do not follow at all the leash law. Sometimes I even call the dog-pound and it ends up a waste of time. I have been followed by a few pit-bulls, cars coming from the other direction have helped me escape.

Its kind of true, a few times I scream at them or even turn back toward them and the dogs quit the chase and all of a sudden do not like to be the victim, but the pit-bulls I prefer to hammer it and evade them at all cost.

The water bottle technique has helped me a few times, I will go and buy the Halt spray, thanks a lot.

Retro Grouch 

More dog stories:

My wife and I ride a tandem together a lot. She talks baby talk to the dogs: "Hello, baby, how 'ya doing bowser? Isn't this a nice day?" So far the most vicious acting dogs have switched to jogging along side us until we ride out of their territory.

The same thing happened with my son and me on the tandem. We were riding with a group on single bikes when a pack of about 5 dogs came out to say "Hello". All of the single bike riders reached for their weapon of choice: frame pump, water bottles, one woman had some high tech electronic thingie. As the situation unfolded, each of the single bike riders had a dog barking at their feet while my son and I, who did absolutely nothing, rode alone with no dog harrassing us. I'm thinking there's a lesson there somewhere.

Several years back my wife and I were riding with another tandem couple in rural Mississippi. As a largish dog came running at us from the side the other stoker reached for a high tech thingie that emitted a high frequency "beep". One short beep is all it took. The dog stopped like he had run into an invisible wall, turned around and walked back home. If I could find one of those beepers conveniently I'd buy it but I'm not motivated enough to seek one out.

Pat

I knew a postal worker. He used Halt. He said that it had never failed to stop a dog. So I guess that is a pretty good recommendation.

I have used a number of techniques to avoid dogs. One is to simply out run them. Another one is to pull out a water bottle and squirt at them when they get close, nearly all dogs will slow and dodge to avoid a spray of water. Another method, if the dog is up ahead and in ambush mode, is to stop, get off, get the bike between you and the dog and fake picking up rocks and throwing them at the dog. The dog will dodge imaginary rocks. Of course, you can use real ones.

sknhgy 

Many dogs are not even phased by a squirt in the face at close range from the water bottle. I carry Halt but have yet to use it. I've yet to encounter a dog that wanted to bite me. However, I did have a collision with one last August which caused me to get a metal plate installed in my shoulder. That dog emerged directly in my path from some tall roadside weeds. All he really wanted to do was play. I've since petted him.

It is difficult to defend against an ambush.

paxtonm

Some folks have luck with ammonia in a laundry squirt bottle, but it seems kind of cruel. I've had good luck shouting in a basso profundo, "BAD DOG!"

Years ago, I used to ride every week with the mechanic at the LBS. Once, cresting a loong hill, two dogs jumped us from a culvert. The rest of us took off, but the mechanic disappeared. When he rejoined us, he was smiling. He'd emptied a full can of HALT! into the dogs' faces, with the idea that he was training them against further risky behavior. Other posters have already said it. One or two doses is all it takes and the dogs know better. Another riding buddy who is terrified of dogs was menaced daily on his commute -- right in the middle of a long hill. He HALT!ed the dog once, and that beast watched him from the porch for about six months before daring another attack. All Lou did was raise his hand, as if he had a can in it, and the dog ran off yelping.

tntyz

Mid-1970's I was out on my first "10-speed" with my buddy, searching for big hills to speend down. He would call out the speed from his old mechanical spedometer. One time he got the jump on me at the top of the hill, but I was really gaining on him fast. A dog jumped out to chase him and stopped pretty quick when he realized that he'd never catch him. Then the dog looked up and saw me barelling straight for him! I was lucky that the dog tucked tail and ran or we'd both be in a world of hurt. Other times down that hill and the dog was just happy to sit and watch.

Oh, and my buddy said his spedometer was pegged at 35 mph at the time.

Big M

I think the lesson is that the dogs prefer to go after the smaller prey.

Keith99

Only once has a dog gotten close to me without me letting them. That was an ambush and if he had continued there was little I could have done. (At least in time to stop him from biting me). Ironically the time I let dogs get close was on the same route, 3 really big dogs, who had me cut off. But wagging tails were the give away.

I've never seen the same dog twice. These days if I did and considered it a problem my first action would be to call animal control. If I took more action it would be to take the puppies for a walk! (They are fit and trim right now, so the two of them total about 210 lbs). But here I would not expect to have to take a second action, animal control does it's job. Very nice and polite if the owner is also. Quite willing to escalate otherwise.

1bluetrek

Went out the other day to scout one of my favorite roads, this time farther than I normally ride. I decided a good place to turn around is an old farm up the road. Sure nuff, here comes an Akita out to greet me. I'm gonna need a pretty good head of steam built up when I ride by there!

fearfeasog

i was riding in Ireland las sumer, on the Dingle peninsula. theres alot of sheepdogs there, and as i was riding one day down a back road a couple border collies came out and tried to herd me!

downtube42

I've carried Halt for years and used it a few times. It's very effective if you make a direct hit in the nose/eyes. The name is appropriate.

Two things to know about dogs:
1. They are territorial. You don't have to outrun them necessarily, just get out of their territory before they get to you. There are exceptions, of course

2. Two or more dogs are much worse than one - they feed on each-other's agression and will often break rule 1.

Actually I like dogs, but I also understand how they can behave when a stranger enters their territory.

TromboneAl

In addition to territorial behavior, I think that sometimes it's a herding thing, sometimes a chase reflex thing, and sometimes the dog wants to play. When running, I've seen an Australian sheep dog lie down very low and still until I go by, and then dart out at me. I've seen them to the same thing when herding sheep.

Has anyone gotten off the bike, with the bike between them and the dog, and still been attacked?

Retro Grouch 

I don't know about that because I've never tried it.

I do believe that dogs can pick out and consequently attack the riders who are most afraid of dogs. I think that we put out a scent the dogs can smell. Even if that's true, however, it's not very useful. How do you convince yourself, especially in the heat of the moment, that you're not afraid of dogs so that you can avoid emitting the scent?

My biggest concern about dogs is hitting them. I've T-boned a couple who ran out to chase a bicycling partner but was never injured nor seriously injured the dog as far as I could tell. Years ago there was a pack of around 5 minerature collies who roamed a road that I frequently bicycled. I was always afraid that one of them would stick his pointy nose into my front wheel.

Big M

What about dog lovers who get attacked? I'm super friendly and playful whenever I see a dog. But the ones that chase me on my bike don't know that and don't care.

I've never ridden in a group, though. I'd imagine that in a group ride, any dogs would target the smallest, slowest riders who seem to act the weakest. Not necessarily the most scared, just the most eratic, easiest to separated from the herd.

Retro Grouch 

No research. That's just what I think. YMMV.

dit

East central Indiana must be dog haven. I have had several nasty confrontations while riding and have been bitten on two occassions. Many years ago I started carrying Ammonia and it works wonders and yes it is mean but it is better than wrecking an expensive bike and a more expensive human body. A pack of dogs is normally worse than a singe dog but a single can be big trouble as well. Yes, I am a dog lover too and have had best friends all my life. I have not had any dog problems here in middle TN yet and currently do not carry any protection but you better have it in some areas of Indiana and probably other areas.