You and the dog(s) have to come to an understanding.

I had a similar problem as I started riding again a couple of years ago at the age of 37. There are about 8 or 10 places between my house and town with dogs that would chase me, everything from a vicious pack of wiener dogs to a house with three large rottweilers. One dog that still gives me a problem has been pepper sprayed 3 times, kicked, and even punched in the head (chases me running too).

In my area there is a cultural thing: dogs run loose because tying up a dog is mean. It is illegal -- "dog at large" -- but short of forcing the issue via law enforcement these people are not going to change their minds. And doing that could cause more serious problems than dogs chasing.

So that leaves the problem between me and the dogs.

The reason that I am a dog magnet is that I go riding down the road in bright colors at the perfect speed for them to chase, 15 to 25 mph. Forget about outrunning anything over 30 lbs at that speed.

Luckily the dogs and I speak the same language, both being top predators.

You have to get across to the dog that you are not prey, that you are a predator too, and won't tolerate any monkey business from them. If you act like prey, you will get chased, maybe even bitten and pulled down.

At first blush it seems to a lot of people like outrunning the dog is best. But the problems are 1) no way I can outrun a motivated pit bull or rottweiler, and 2) that sends the wrong message to the dog and makes the problem worse. At a minimum I have to stop, dismount, and put the bike between me and the dog.

The only thing that has worked well for me is to get really aggressive with the dog. I turn around and chase them, yell at them, and if I can, spray them. The spray helps, but probably a water bottle would be reasonably effective too. I have a steel baton, but would not try that while riding as I'd probably fall.

After about 6 months of "discussions" with various dogs the only one that still chases is the idiot dog I have punched. That is my next-door neighbor, so I'm not enthusiastic about calling in law enforcement. If it wasn't the neighbor, that would be the solution.

In speaking with people about their dogs, I let them know first off that I hate to spray their sweet, innocent companion, but I cannot outrun their dog and can be knocked down during a bit, and MOST IMPORTANTLY that chasing me is a huge hazard to their loving little sweety. I've had several dogs run out to chase me in front of traffic, almost getting hit.