Howdy -

There's a forum topic on this subject over at crazyguyonabike.

As to my views - which run counter to the prevailing wisdom -

Why do we have to use chemicals to grow our food, to arrange our hair, to peel our skin, to cure our colds, to scrub our floors, and to keep Fido away? For those that want the security of Halt! - fine - but I am of the opinion that it is better to know how to deal with dogs - then use spray at the last resort - if at all.

I say this as someone with close to 100,000 miles touring experience. I've dealt with my share of dogs. Something about moving wheels triggers a dog's chase instinct - just like a shoestring wiggled across the floor will get a cat to pounce. Plus dogs have strong territorial instincts about their yard. So most dogs will be all bark and no bite.

I ain't no fool either - there are some mean dogs out there - their owners always say something like - "Oh, he won't bite" - while the dog attaches itself to your calf. So you need to utilize the third dog instinct - the alpha dog. YOU have to be the alpha. This may be hard if you have a profound fear of dogs - but if you just have the normal desire not to get bitten - then make sure the dog knows that you are boss.

I don't even pay attention if dogs stay in their yard. If they start out into the road I yell, "Get back in your yard!" More than once if necessary. The key word here is YELL - and it shoud be as loud and mean as possible. That takes care of 99 1/2% of all dogs. For the very few problem dogs you will need to dismount.

Despite what others say - I always dismount TOWARDS the dog and head straight at him. Also, you need to bellow as harshly as possible. If you are scrupulous about your language it might be, "Oh, you naughty, naughty dog!" But I usually yell something like, "Get back in your ****ing yard or I'll kill you." As soon as his ears drop, he is toast. He may start up again as you get back on the bike - but a quick spin on your heels will get him to cower.

Remember that you are larger than the dog - plus you are coming from an elevated position on the bike. I think the male voice may be more effective given the lower pitch - but my Mom used to have some powerful lungs, too. The point is - make sure the dog knows you will shred him into confetti. If you can't do this - then you may need Halt! - but I believe any adult can. I've yelled down dobermans and rottweilers. The time one sprung out of some nearby bushes, I was hoarse for a couple of days afterwards - but he backed down.

As to geographical distribution - dogs are worst in the rural South - absolutely. The Midwest is mixed - the further south you are - i.e. southern Indiana, Ohio - the worse it is. They only have poodles in the Northeast - oops! And dogs in the interior West are mainly working dogs so are too busy to worry about you. Also herd dogs absolutely cannot leave their herds - they may look at you cycling by, but only from a perspective of protecting the herd. On the Navajo Reservation there is no control of the dog population. There are probably thousands of strays, but they are all malnourished and beaten - it's tough to see. California dogs are too stoned to bother you.

So that's my take - even if you do carry Halt! - use the above techniques first.

Best - J