Outran one last year, standing up and sprinting. Then there were two 70+ lbs dogs came charging out barking from the same house which I knew I couldn’t outrun. So I stopped and put the bike between me and them and they just stopped and stopped barking and wagged their tails. Then we had a petting fest. When I came back the same way, I stopped again and they came out to be petted again. Now we are all buddies.

A dog darting in front of your front wheel can take you down. And yes the road rash can be worse than the bite.
In my mixed urban rural NM environs, I would not want to get caught spraying someone's pooch with pepper spray for fear of the owner's side arm.
I also would not want to try to spray it with water from the typical bike bottle I've encountered. No distance, no volume, no good. So . . .
my solution and especially when I was trying to protect both myself but my wife behind me, was to carry a dilute ammonia solution (formula to follow) in a Sriracha hot sauce bottle. You know the one. Nice and soft for pressure, narrow closable top to prevent evaporation but capable of shooting some distance, and the medium size one fits in a bottle cage. The solution is about 1 part ammonia solution (cleaning supply aisle) with 4 parts water. The solution is aromatic and gets the dogs attention even when it does not contact him. It smells enough like animal urine that often the dog will stop and sniff it, and importantly it does not result in permanent damage that might be hard to defend with an angry pooch owner. It also will not be as bad as pepper spray should you end up with it blowing toward you. I've used it over the years on lots of variously motivated dogs and it worked on all so far. The nice thing about the loose formulation is that you can add water to the bottle as you use it producing a more dilute but still better than nothing deterrent. I'm sure some will object but its as good of a middle of the road solution as I can rationalize. Some NM dogs are mean.

I do most of my riding on rural roads and on “rail to trail” MUPs. Both have potential “dog” issues. Folks enjoying “rural life” seem to think that animal restraint ordinances don’t apply to them and most usually allow their dogs to roam their property untethered. I’ve been chased by more than a few and have, most often, easily outrun them. I’ve almost been caught by a couple of them and have actively avoided those routes. I do carry a spray can of Halt but have yet to use it. I’m not sure if it’s a factor or not but it seems that the “clicking” of the rear hub while coasting is the first “alert” for some dogs opposed to actually “seeing” a cyclist. With that in mind, I do try to maintain a “stealth mode” in known dog locations by avoiding coasting. I also try to be in a gear that allows for relatively rapid acceleration if need be.
RE: riding on MUPs, while those in my area are clearly marked “Dogs Must Be Leashed”, many believe that it’s just a “guideline”! Whenever I notice a walker with an animal (leashed or not, it’s sometime hard to tell at distance) on the trail ahead of me, I alert them with a whistle that I always have with me. Most often they get the hint and restrain their dogs. I usually thank those with leashed pets that “reel them in”, as I pass by. For those that had to leash up, I usually scold them. For those that push back, I’ve stopped and reminded them of the legal problems that they would likely encounter if anyone was to be injured by their unleashed dog. I don’t know just how true that is but I would certainly file a suit if I ever suffered injury to myself or damage to my bike resulting from an unrestrained dog.

Sorry, wrote it on my cell phone and between the small keyboard and auto-correct it came out like a train wreck. I should of proofed it before clicking submit.

But it seems I got my point across.

"There one woman with a medium dog that I pass a few times a week and I know to all call out at least 100 years yards before to her so she can hold on to the leash. I'm afraid if she is unaware the dog with drag her to the ground."

I have a handtorch holder on my handlebar and I mounted a stun gun looks like torch on it. Sound and sparks of stun gun is very good to repel stray dogs. It has also torch function, so if my headlight is out of charge, I can use this as spare headlight. It looks like this: https://img.grouponcdn.com/deal/sWA1...Zj-700x420.jpg

But the "100 years before" thing was wayyyyy more interesting! If her dog is a medium, that might make talking to her from the grave work.

This one is a extra large.
https://dogexpress.in/wp-content/upl...al-660x330.jpg

Has anybody tried pointing a strobe light on a dog or turned on a flash from a slr camera?


I remember long ago when we used to use slr cameras, the high pitch sound of the flash charging would make our dog howl.

They'll just look at you with seeming curiosity.

Most dogs care about is form, movement, and smell. Don't be in a goofy position or motion in a bike, don't smell like you've eaten lots of red meat and you'll be fine with dogs. Watch your diet, form, and technique. Dogs hate it if anything is way off....And yes, I'm serious, this is not a joke!

It’s not the dogs you need to worry about, it’s the horses.

I'm sorry, but that is a joke. No reason to think your diet or posture on the bike have anything to do with this, and it's the basic fact of being on a bike that cues the dogs.

So dogs never chase pros?

No doubt just going after the red meat eaters:

Ok. Does that mean they'll stop chasing you?

I knew a 350 pound fortune teller once, he was a very large medium.

About 4 years ago I was on mile eleventybillion of a gravel race when I came upon a really nice country farm house with a large corner lot. Two dogs were running alongside the fence barking their heads off at me and a couple other cyclists...with a pony trailing right behind the dogs. That pony was all sorts of animated. He apparently thought he was a dog and this is what they do when a bike rides by the house. It was a hilarious image.

I had a little three legged dog chase me once. Didn't seem particularly intent on biting he just wanted to give chase. Little guy outran his pal that also chased .....fast little fella for sure. Also had a big dog run along side me and a friend for MILES. He was lathered up and foaming like a racehorse and looked like he was having the time of his life. We stopped several times and told him to go home. He just sat there panting with a happy look on his face. When we started riding again he started running.

This was in the 80s. I have been fortunate enough to avoid dogs in recent years.

Maybe s/he didn't get walked a lot?

My next door neighbor has a female German shepherd. I was scared for a bit when they first moved in because she'd charge the aluminum fence whenever I was in my back yard and use her Guard Dog voice. Eventually I just shrugged it off and would talk to her because I could tell she was intelligent. One day while I was gardening I felt eyes on me and turned to see her standing there quietly, ears up and eyes bright. I looked down and saw she'd nudged her fetch toy between the slats between me and her. Turns out she was just bored.

She still gives the FedEx and Amazon people hell though. It's like a game or something.

For those that haven’t experienced a “chased by a dog” situation, Search YouTube for- American Flyers dog chase scene - Perhaps a bit theatrical but has most of the essence of what it’s like ! My experience is that it’s NEVER quite as “fun or funny” as the scene makes it seem to be :eek:

Here’s a link for the lazy folks :D

Was there supposed to be a video?

Anyway, horses are easy; stop, get off the bike until they're well past or the rider says it's okay, get back on the bike and resume your ride. Unless you're on a singletrack trail and the poop machines have left you presents all across the width of the trail for several feet.

On MUPs my policy is never startle the dogs; which is one of the reasons I use my bell and call out 'Passing on your left!' at 6mph even when they're well out of my way. Everyone says thanks, and so far the dogs are fine with it.

There is one route where we had loose dogs, but we haven't seen them for a couple of years. The big, 80 lb. lunk would amble out for pets, and the little terror terrier mix would come roaring out like he wanted to take our heads off. No bites, but we were cautious and kept our bikes between us and him.

Riding on a Rails to Trails a couple of years ago, my wife and I spotted a bear up ahead hanging out alongside the path. We stopped dead and waited; he didn't move. We finally lost patience and rode slowly by him. He eyed us pretty carefully, but never moved.

Being taken down by a dog is no fun. Been there.

My strategy now is to dismount and keep the bike between me and the mutt. Riding in certain states with no leash laws or no enforcement, I wear rescue whistle around my neck and blow as loud as possible. Around 50% of dogs will retreat. Spray has to be readily accessible like clipped to a handlebar bag. The two times I had to spray, I felt bad but the only effect was the dog sneezing and rubbing its snout in the grass. Unless I am already moving fast, I get off the bike

hehe awww what a cutie!

Wifey's Cousin & her husband recently acquired 2 large dogs. after only a cpl months she got tangled up with them somehow & went down hard breaking her arm

I'd be remiss if I didn't add this cutie to this thread. didn't really chase me, just ran at me head-on & took a taste, after I thought I was in the clear. cute doesn't mean toothless
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...2650085d65.jpg

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...7cf18b618d.jpg