Well, I've now been bitten. No fun at all.

I've been off my trike for about two months now with the cold weather and snow. I'm not in real good shape so I've been pedaling a shorter loop. Well, I decided to take my regular loop after a couple of shorter rides. I thought about taking the Halt, but it wasn't easily to access. The Air Zound I just bought hasn't been put on the trike yet. I saw the dog in the yard of his regular place. Normally, I just outrun him. But I was getting slower due to the strong head wind and he jumped over a snow band and over a muddy ditch and before I knew it he was right next to me and he sounded mean. Then he bite my arm, twice.
The good thing is the dog was current on his rabies shot and I recently had a tetnus shot. I called the cops. The guy said he used to run and was always being bothered by dogs. He also said the dog always barked at cyclists. My question is, if he used to be bothered by dogs and his dog always barks at cyclists, why isn't the dog tied up the first place? I guess that's why I'd rather use the Halt on the dog owner.

I hope you are pursuing charges. Under Wisconsin law, the owner is responsible for damages. Moreover, if the dog has previously injured someone 'without cause' then you are due double damages and can start proceedings to have the dog destroyed. That may not sound very compassionate, but I have no tolerance for animals that attack humans.

After a couple of days, the wounds are healing pretty well. I'm really not after anything, but keeping the dog tied up. I also told him his neighbor should keep his dog tied up as well(I'm hoping he'll tell him). The only thing the bite really did to me is to be more ready for the next encounter. There are at least 5 other dogs on that loop that are uncontrolled.

Stopping and getting off the bike works even better if you attack the dog. Once the dog learns to associate getting the crap kicked out of him with bikes, he'll quit. Pavlov rules. bk

The last dog that bite me got bite back, the last I heard he never bite anybody since then and that was about 5 years ago.

Well, I got chased again today(boy, this is getting old). This time it was a large German Shepard. I outran this one, so I'm not sure how serious a chase it was, but I was doing over 20 mph to do it. The problem is by the time I realize I'm being chased the dog is in what seems to be serious pursuit and how do you stop quickly, dismount and confront a big dog from a very low position?

So my next problem will be the next time I ride by this place again. My experience tells me once I'm chased the dog continues to chase me until something intervenes.

Part of it is that they're low and look small. Part of it is that the movement is more twitchy than a DF. And part may be the fearful reaction of the triker since the teeth come in at eye level.

Although I don't think outsprinting dogs is a good idea even if you are capable (it trains the dog to chase you the next time it sees you), it sure is fun on a trike. Border collies are my favorite since they are fast but not big enough to do any real damage However, a shep or dobie is most likely to inspire the best performance.

I also have a velokit (shown in my avatar), so I once let a lab mix catch me to see what it would do. It took the dog about 1 second to figure out that the bottom was open so I had a dog in the cockpit in no time flat. Fortunately, he was just excited so no one got bitten.

Speaking of horns, Walmart carries a version of the old party horn or Marine handheld horn in with their party supplies!

I wonder what happens if you throw a small object softly at an incoming dog, say, a scotch bonnet or habanero pepper... would the dog try to catch it like a treat?

So far I've never had any dog troubles. Knock on pavement............Hopefully not!!
The "chain guns" that are used defensively on ships like aircraft carriers originally got their name from small defensive guns that were made in Europe back in the 1800's for use from bicycles, horseback and buggy's. The French word for dog is "Chein" (?spelling?) so to this day defensive guns are still called chain guns.

My wife runs marathons and once we were up fishing in Northern Canada near an Indian reservation filled with packs of half wild dogs. She would train in the mornings with a big can of bear spray, and sure enough one morning a couple of dogs came running out with hackles up and teeth bared so she spun around and shot from the hip (they are made to be able to be instantly shot from the hip without even removing them from the holster) Those dogs instantly spun around and went the other way, yipping and whining with one even rolling in the dirt! I still kid her that her Indian name up there will forever be "Skunk Lady!"

I was riding with a group in Richardson and had a lab mix take off after me, this was at the end of a very hilly ride (at least for a trike). I simply stopped and yelled sit. The dog stopped and looked at me, did his sit and then went home.

I ride past the dog park here in Plano and have all kinds of dogs come up to me. Since I am at there level most just come up and look at the strange beast. I had a large Shepard come up to me last week that got away from his owner, she was screaming thinking the dog would attach. The dog came up to me quickly and licked me across the face, as I rubbed it's ears. Now that doesn't always work, but being a dog person, I rarely have an issue.

The worst issue I had was on my old wedgie with a rather aggressive Shepard. I stopped got off the bike with my hand on my pump just in case. The dog turned out to be pretty friendly once I was off the bike, once I got on the bike it turned into cujo again.

Yup, in every situation I've ever been in, getting off the bike stops the dog immediately. It probably wouldn't work on a dog taught to attack and made intentionally agressive, like some pit bulls are, but it's worked on every local and rural dog I've ever encountered. Most of the time I still give them a little chase - the dogs round here need the exercise.

Mark Matcalf, RAAM competitor, got serious injuries trying to avoid a dog last year and had to drop out of RAAM 2 weeks before the start. He sustained those injuries at about 6 mph. I just don't want to risk going through what he went through. I'll stop the bike.

That's what's been happening with me(only on my trike). The dog doesn't leave. Then gets really nasty when I try to get back on the trike. I road ride in a smaller area cause there are interstates on three sides of town. So I pretty much have to deal with this animal.

Did YOU bite the dog back?
 

Please give brief description of dog, how you aprehended it, how you immobilized it, where you bit it, and how hard (draw any blood?).

Have to admit I am curious too, how do you bite a dog....with all that hair/fur... peace

This is pretty funny. I just got my bike and let my son ride it. His very first trip up the block...a neighbor dog ran out to him. It was a friendly dog but still. Hope that doesn't mean my bike is jinxed. The tadpole is so low to the ground that I imagine it could be bad. That dogs teeth are right on level with your face.

I have worked really hard to train my own dog so she doesn't react negatively in such situations. What it comes down to is three things. One, if you run, the dog's instincts are to follow/chase. Two, if it runs out from it's own house, it is "protecting" its own property, by reminding you that you are not wanted here. It's the mailman syndrome. Dogs bark and act vicious to the mailman because in their mind IT WORKS. They bark and bark and bark and then he goes away. So Mr. Doggy thinks he made the big bad mailman go away. Could be the same bluff between dog and bike rider. So if you just keep going, he should stop following you after a few houses. And three, the dog may not have been properly socialized and what you are seeing is fear, and a fearful dog is a dangerous dog. In the first few years, dogs need to be in all kinds of situations, including having experience with bikes, wheelchairs, scooters, and so forth. Standing up and away from *that thing* helps him to see that, "Oh this is just a human. I know humans. Humans are good (we hope)." So there's my dog psychology for the day.

I don't really know what the answer is unless there is a course in doggy-mind-reading. I just hope all the dogs stay on their leashes and in their doggy houses when I go out for a ride!

writerrider

I happened to ride with a guy yesterday that's been seriously bitten twice. He carries Halt too. He's been chased by the same dog I have been, but like me doesn't always see the dog each time by. Then I talked to another cyclist that heard about me being bit over the scanner. Says he has problems with dogs too.
I guess it just boils down to is that there are getting so many people riding around dogs can't be left running loose anymore. Yeah, right, like that's gonna happen.

Hey don't you guys know who this dog belongs to, this dog shouldn't be allowerd to run lose if he/she gonna bite people. Around here if a dog bites just once the person that got bit can have it put down.

I guess I lead a charmed life with regards to dog. i've been chased by well known dogs that put fear into other cyclists and they don't bother me. Eye contact, taking charge of the situation... I am human, you are dog, you go home NOW.

It is my theory from years of dog observation that the chase is the thing, not the attack. STOP PEDALING, the motion of your feet excites in inner, subconcious beast. If you continue the pedalling motion, it looks like natural prey running, you might as well be a squirrel. It is all the same to them. Stop pedalling, coast, shout at them while making eye contact. Be the agressor, if tey come along sinde, steer into their path, or equally as well, stop, get off and make friends, some report even taking dog treats for such occasions.

Oddly, I am much happier with dog interaction on my trike than I am from the higher vantage of the DF. I've had a situation where the teeth baring dog was with his children playing in the street, I kept and held his attention and herded him into his driveway while my riding companions passed. The body language change from agressor to the hunted was striking. He started after me, i was just moving at a crawl, when I passed the driveway I had herded him into. Eye contact and a stern warning changed his mind and I passed uneventfuly.

Sorry you got bit.

That is true about taking control. Dogs really do know who is the alpha in the situation. Also many dogs have been trained but their instincts take over. I was walking my dog at the park when a very large dog came barreling toward us...off leash, no owner around... I remembered something I'd seen on TV and yelled, "Go on! Go home!" at the top of my lungs. To my surprise the dog turned around and ran the other way.

writerrider

velomobiles,

http://youtube.com/watch?v=igVH1repnhw

wave at them through the window