Dog behavior is largely determined by its breeding and compounded by the owner. A hunting dog is going to be more likely to chase down a cyclist than a sheepdog and then there are the breeds like the Chow that were bred to be guard dogs and have not contact with people. Few people have a clue about how to train a dog and too many let them run loose.
My neighbor's dog is good natured and a dachshund mix but it is not street savy and the owner did not bother to put on the collar that jolts the dog when it crosses the boundary wire my wife put in place for the neighbor. The dog ran out into the street in front of me and I crashed and tore up both knees and an elbow and I have not been doing any riding for the past 3 weeks. Approaching a dog at 15 mph and saying "good dog" is not going to accomplish anything unless the dog has the right temperment and training, and most do not as a result of negligent owners.
When as a young teen I was collecting for my paper route I was bitten twice by dogs. One time the owner opened the front door and the dog charged out and grabbed my ankle. I was trying to shake the dog loose and the owner berated me for "kicking his dog". The classis is when people say that their dog does not bite as though a dog that does not bite them, the hand that feeds the dog, is therefore not going to bite a stranger.
Last edited by Calsun; 09-19-21 at 04:38 PM.