Caliente

I ride alot in the country and it seems about once every couple of weeks i've got to do the BIG sprint to get away from a chasing dog. For the most part these dogs are probably territorial and just chase along there property line but, i don't want to take any more chances.
Either they're going to get hit by a car or cause me to wreck or worse!

What do you do for dogs? spray,ballbat,small handgun

powerhouse

I often ride in the country and have also been chased by dogs occaisionally. I have been chased by dogs and came close to being attacked by them. Today, my bicycle is equipped with a small air horn which can be bought at various boat supply or marine stores. Its blasts are loud enough to discourage Fido from wanting to chase or attack me. If the air horn not work, I blow a whistle that I keep clipped to my jersey or jacket. These have reduced my problems with dogs by at least 90%.

However, I think I'd be in trouble if I were chased by a pit bull.

gcl8a

A squirt from the water bottle right in the face has never failed me.

If they're particularly aggressive, call Animal Control, not that the owner of an aggressive dog is probably going to listen...

Sledbikes

slide 90 and use the back wheel as a weapon

DogBoy

I ask them...are you going to bite me? and if they say yes...I shoot them

Speedo

Trying to outrun a chasing dog is asking for trouble. It just excites the dog more.

I have tried, with varying degrees of success:

1) In the days of full sized frame pumps, using the pump like a cavalry sabre while riding. The good? Very effective when you make contact. The bad? Swinging the pump into my rear wheel. OBE because I use only mini-pumps now.

2) Squirt from a water bottle.

3) Yelling "Go Home!" as loud as I can.

4) Stopping the bike and saying "Good doggie!" in a high pitched voice until the dog calms down.

2 and 3 usually go together, and they often, but not always, work.

I'm finding 4 to be my favorite these days. If the owner is in view it is the most likely to elicit a positive (and helpful) response from them. In my most recent dog encounter I did the "good doggie" thing. The owner came on the scene and was very apologetic and took control of the dog. It may have taken me a few extra minutes, but incidents which end with a "Hey, see ya. Have a nice ride!" always leave me with a better feeling about the whole thing.

Speedo

Az B

+1.

Dogs are smart, and completely trainable. By sprinting away, you are simply teaching the dog that the game is a fun one. By using any of the above methods, or any other positive or negative reinforcement approaches, you can train the dog to stop it's conduct. This benefits you on future rides on that area, and it also benefits other riders who may ride through the area later.

I would add one thing to #4. When you stop, always place the bike between you and the dog until you can determine it's friendliness. If the dog still appears to be aggresive. Call 911.

Also, be very careful around groups of dogs... they can be a little more unpredictable.

Az

nova

Know what i find with most every chaseing dog? They have one of a few things on their mind the biggest 2 are Play time!! and the other is pure curiosity. Take a good look at your self on a bike i mean a really good look. We do not look like a person at all. Thanks to out helmet our heads are huge and misshapen our body is to big in out lower portion from waste down front to back. Thats how dogs see us. We send very confusing signals to dogs. We smell like a human but look nothing like a human. We move with out moving our shape is wrong. Thats how dogs see us. I was chased by a rotty i know very very well he acted very agressive towards me. Knowing the dog i stepped of my bike took off my helmet and set my bike down. The instant i did so his tail stub went to wagging his entire posture changed and he came up full lick me till soaked mode. Some doggy attitude is breed based. Scent hounds like blood hounds and the like will tend to not react much different to us while site hounds like the retreiver lines will react very differently from their meet and greet a new person norm.

This is not to say some dogs are not dangerous fact is some will be. Even my best budy a 5 month old dingo nearly caused me to crash trying to jump in to my arms while still in motion on the bike heh. Some may want to tare you a new one and others may simply get clummsy and stupid around bikes and knock you flat or cut you off.

In my entire time riding bikes i have never had to do a dog harm or even come close to needing to. Yelling or simply telling the dog to go home has always worked.

Its funny and sort of sad but so many cyclists treat dogs the same way so many drivers treat us.

buzzman

I have a neighbor on the lonely country road where I have house out in the woods. He lives on a steep uphill section about 1/2 mile from my house. We call this guy's place "The Clampetts". His house is surrounded by cars in various states of disrepair, has Christmas decorations up year round and we once woke up to helicopters and state trooper SWAT teams descending on his house when he'd locked himself in his bathroom with a rifle. He has two dogs usually chained but with some kind of makeshift chain/rope that invariably breaks once or twice a season. Needless to say (call me a wuss) I have chosen to not talk to him about his dogs.

The dogs are hunting dogs and when I come up the hill they start howling and yanking hard on the "chains" that bind them. I always "talk" to the dogs as I go by, I tell them what good dogs they are, how nice it is to see them chained up like that. But every once in a while SNAP and the hunt is on!

My reaction is to call them in my nicest owner voice, "C'mon, atta boy, c'mon! Yeah, good dog, c'mon, come chase me you stupid stinkin' rottin' piece of dog flesh. You miserable cur!"

Then just as the dog gets to me I point right at him, look him straight in the eye and say sharply, "NO!" and sometimes, "SIT!" or "STAY!"

If that doesn't work. I have my water bottle at the ready (because it's the end of the ride sometimes I've barely got any water left in it but I tend to save some for the dogs) and I give him a good spray in the face.

If that doesn't work (only once) I keep riding at a moderate pace (pretty slow because it's a big hill) and give him a good slap across the nose if he lunges for my leg.

Actually, my biggest concern is on the downhill portion of my rides. I can hit over 40mph on this downhill and if I hit one of these dogs at that speed it won't be pretty for either of us.

banerjek

This is very true, though many dogs are guarding their territory. Whatever the case, in any dog encounter, you want to keep emotions as under control as possible. You want to avoid triggering a flight or fight mechanism. Getting excited drastically increases your chances of getting bitten unless you're dealing with small dogs that can't do much damage anyway.

Speedo

Hey, is that on Hoosac Street between Adams and Savoy?

noisebeam

Dogs in rural AZ (particularly NE) are often ferral, hungry and run in packs. I haven't encoutered such while on bike.
https://www.hcn.org/servlets/hcn.Arti...ticle_id=17040

Al

nova

Hell the little ones worry me more than he big ones to be hounest. Na seriously ive had dogs all my life and been around every kind of canine imagineable pretty much. Was pettign a wolf last sunday had a dingo for a couple weeks at my sisters til neoghbor lady gave him away after she called the dog catcher on him for killing a cat. Some one shot the cat and he carried it back. Been around rottys pit boulls golden retrievers mastis etc. Seen coyotes on the towpath where i ride as part of a 15 mile loop. So really it takes alot to make me worry about a dog. Im more worried about killing a dog from hitting it than it biting me.

Small dogs do worry me more as they tend to run in and out when biting or snapping or chasing. That makes them more dangerous as they could get in to your spokes and cause you to crash.

Recycle

+1 on the small air horn and whistle.

I prefer the air horns with velcro straps and the single button on top. (Like the Falcon AquaBlast on this page) They strap to the bars, are fast to get at, and very easy to operate.

And I carry a 2oz can of duty grade pepper spray attached to the handle bars for the real nasty ones.

Bikepacker67

Ya sure... but what if it's a lying dog?

ChipSeal

I have witnessed a coach's whistle stop a trio of dogs running full tilt toward us. I was so impressed, I immediately went out and purchased both the Storm and Windstorm whistles. (The Storm is a little bit louder, the Windstorm is is smaller and higher pitched)

www.storm-whistles.com/?gclid=CM2liKTswowCFSY6SgodKS_RYQ

Get a "badge reel" at Wal-mart. It keeps the whistle handy and out of the way when not in use. With a small whistle I would clip it to my glove, but with the larger whistles I clip it to the collar of my jersey.

www.officedepot.com/ddSKU.do?level=SK&id=344344&x=34&Ntt=badge%20reel&y=13&uniqueSearchFlag=true&An=text

My primary defense is to maneuver and sprint. First, accelerate and move across the lane to the furthest point away from the dog as safety allows. I will even cross into oncoming lanes if there is no traffic. Then wait till the dog gets close. (I will wait till his nose is forward of the trailing edge of my wheel.) Then cut sharply into him. Most of the time this will cause him to falter, and the moment they break stride the chase is over.
If they veer away, but continue to chase, now you can have some real fun! I keep pushing them to the side, forcing them into the curb, trash cans, bushes, parked cars or any other obstacle that's handy. They will break stride!

For the scenario you described, you should have turned toward the dog and forced him to the edge of the road: It is hard to bite when you have to run on broken ground, maneuver up and down on a curb or avoid running into obstacles.

While that is effective and fun, it is not a good defense for when you are being chased by multiple dogs. Also, They hate to be called "kitty cat".

Tailwinds.

Machka 

One of the things which has been quite effective for me is to stop and get off the bicycle. When the dog identifies me as a human, and not some sort of strange, fast-moving animal, it usually loses interest in chasing me anymore.

alloutdoors

One addition that works for me is to stop pedaling and coast. It throws the dog off a little bit and they tend to slow down. Or just push all out and make them look slow. (Got chased by a yorkie last week)

sggoodri

If any part of sprinting away from a dog is fun for you, rent the movie American Flyers.

dobber

I worry more about the becoming tangled up in my drivetrain versus being bitten. I've got one of those low slung models (Basset Hound) that come torpedoing out at me every time I run down a particular rode. It's almost comical to watch him, little legs a flying, belly scraping the ground, as he makes a beeline towards me. And he always seems destined to pass right under my cranks.

I can usually fake him out by slowing down and then picking up the pace. If it looks like an interception, I'll nail him with a spray of water.

Dogs further up the road have been "taught" their lesson, if they make a play for me, I just need to reach for the bottle and they'll break off.

I've got one massive Mastiff that just loves to play (or so I hope). The owner will keep him on the leash but he's broken away occasionally and will come charging around the house, appearing as if out of no where on my heel. Nothing short of actually bouncing the water bottle off his noggin has stopped his charge.

noisebeam

I found this advice on the net, from the perspective of a pedestrian (so the sprint away option is not available). I don't know if its good advice or not, but it doesn't seem wrong:

https://www.digihitch.com/article1075.html

"No matter where you go, you’re likely to run into dogs, either feral or just loose. Hitchhikers, runaways and anyone who lives on the streets should know how to handle them.

In feral dog cases you will most likely find them in groups. Treat them like you would nuisance coyotes. Feral dogs are often used to human beings and are not afraid of us like wolves, foxes and truly wild coyotes are. Feral dogs often scavenge from humans and are used to being yelled at. They also may see a human as prey.

If there is enough distance from you and the dog(s), avoid eye contact, watch them cautiously while going about your direction and give them a wide birth. NEVER run from dogs. Dogs are pack animals and hunters. Any sudden movement will catch their attention and running will trigger their hunting instinct.

If the dog(s) are close to you, are showing avid interest in you, but not acting aggressive, watch their behavior. Are they skinny? Are their tails high in the air, or stiff behind them? Are their heads up or down? If dogs approach you while sucking their teeth, stick their tongues out slightly, wag their tails and have their ears low, they are usually not a threat and are either looking to you for hand outs or kindness. Give them neither and they will leave you be.

If, however, the dog(s) are following you, heads low, watching your every movement with their tails low or stiff, watch them carefully. Walk diagonally away from them to a place where you can get rid of them, such as into a store. If you cannot get away from them, such as walking a highway with no shelter, start speaking in a clear voice. Sing. Talk about the weather, whatever it takes. Let them know that you are a human, and not an easy meal. Walk with your head high, your hands visible, but above your waist, like gripping your pack straps. Swinging arms make dogs nervous, so do hands in pockets, and you always want to be ready if you need to be.

If you have the misfortune to be attacked by a vicious dog, or group of dogs, remember, don’t run. Just about any dog can outrun a human being. If a dog attacks you, stop walking, pull your hands up to your throat in fists. This protects both your throat and your hands. Stand with your legs slightly parted and keep your balance. Don’t let them knock you down. Often this behavior will detour a slightly aggressive dog as you are giving them no reason to attack you. This works best with growling, snapping dogs.

If, however, the dog(s) are actively biting you, either aggressively or out of hunger, if you have any food, drop it. Again, do NOT let them get you to the ground. Put whatever you can between yourself and the dog(s). Speak loudly in a confident voice, scream, kick, whatever you have to do. Dogs are vulnerable around the nose and eyes. If you have to, give a dog your left arm (if you’re right handed), and defend yourself with the right. Grab the dog’s nostrils with two fingers and pull up toward its face. The canine windpipe is located below the arch of the neck, just above the clavicle where a collar would rest. Pressing two fingers on either side and twisting will cut off a dog’s breath. If you can kick, aim for the lower torso, behind the ribs. If it is a group of dogs, it’s normally easy to tell which dog is the leader. Concentrate your assault on the lead dog. Once the alpha is discouraged, all of them will most likely leave you be. If you are a smaller person, your dog limit is two. If more than two dogs attack you, you’re better off standing in the middle of the road, hoping someone will stop. If you are close to a residence or building or somewhere you can climb out of reach try to get to it. The running rule doesn’t apply with dogs already trying to eat you. If you’re a bigger male, your dog limit is three."

Keith99

^^

Most of it seems OK. With my pair over 90% of people would guess wrong on which was the Alpha dog. Mine are really quite sweet, but they gt loud and scarry when 'defending their turf'. Dogs are territorial and how a dog is can change like night and day depending on where they are.

ivegotabike

i find that my riding partner can normaly keep the dogs at bay, bears too.

zeytoun

Pull a U-turn and chase the dog, growling.

Trek Al

https://www.selfdefenseproducts.com/spray_holders.htm