Lots of good pointers in here... Nothing gets my heart rate up faster then barking.

From experience, a single dog is usually just looking for a playtime buddy, but two or more dogs are more likely to seriously chase. Dogs are pack animals and they need an alpha. As beezaur said, humans and dogs are both top predators.

If you ride by a dogs house, from it's perspective you are on his turf and dog needs to protect it. If chase ensues, the further you get away from his turf, the more it becomes your turf.

All that said, I am still a chicken sh$&. And all forms of logic dissolve as soon as I hear barking or see unfenced dog ahead of me. Crossing to the farthest side of street and pretending to ignore is the most I can conjure up.

Nice to hear I am not the only one with this problem.
The hard part is staying calm and holding ground