We yell "Go home" and it has worked on most dogs. "Stay" or "Stop" works for the rest.

I've considered this. I think that I would need 6 to 7 cats. That's a lot of cats to feed along the way. I'll probably just pick up strays.

I wrote an article on this topic a while back. Here it is for reference, I still think it holds true today:

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/DealingWithDogs

I like pepper spray, in particular Fox Labs (stream, 2oz) because it is very effective, and doesn't permanently harm the dog. It also serves to train the dog to not chase bicycles (I've observed this myself). Pepper spray is also incidentally potentially useful as a defense for dealing with humans who are threatening you with bodily harm. Fox Labs is widely considered to be the hottest formulation on the market, there are many funny videos on youtube of people trying it out on each other. I like the stream as opposed to the fog because it is less prone to wind shear when on the bike. As long as you get it somewhere on the chasing dog's face, nose, eyes etc, I guarantee that they will immediately lose all interest in chasing you. But, they will recover and be fine in about a half hour or so (during which time their main focus will be rubbing their face in the grass). The 2oz size is legal to carry in many places, in the USA at least. The cans have a shelf life of about three years from manufacture. Fox Labs stamps the manufacture date on the can. I use expiring units for practice (in a field, on a calm day, no wind preferably to avoid blowback - you'll feel even the smallest speck of this stuff if it gets on your face, so be careful).

Ammonia has the risk of permantently blinding the dog. Use of other types of physical weapon, including anything that involves swinging, has a large risk of crashing the bike, not to mention really injuring the dog. I'm surprised that there are so many people here who seem to have no issue with permanently injuring dogs. I don't like being chased any more than anyone else, but I like dogs, and I don't want to hurt them. It's often very difficult to tell what the true intent of a chasing dog is until it is too late; by time it is close enough to swing at with a weapon, it may be too late. Not to mention, at that point you're most likely swerving into traffic and putting your own life in much greater danger in the process. Pepper spray is a stand-off weapon, which allows you to deal with the dog without physically coming into direct contact with it. Wait until the dog is positioned somewhere behind the bike, maybe within 5-10 feet, and then give it short, half-second bursts. This helps you to refine your aim, while saving the spray. I always carry two cans on my handlebars, so that when I run out, I always have a spare at the ready. And when are you going to run out? When you need it! So you better have that spare on hand. I secure mine on Halt! Holders that used to be made by Nashbar, but have sadly been discontinued. It's important that the pepper spray be close at hand, not in a bag or pocket, because situations usually develop in a matter of seconds. You won't have time to go rooting around in a handlebar bag. If you can't get the Halt! Holder, then you may need to improvise some sort of clip, but it does have to be quick release, otherwise it's no good.

It's been a long time since I actually had to spray a dog; generally, I can recognise that most of them are not out to actually bite me. But I was actually attacked by a pitbull back in rural Kentucky, during my 1998 tour. It went for my leg but I sped up at the last second and it tore a hole in one of my rear Ortlieb panniers instead. That is what spurred me to start carrying pepper spray. Up to that point I had no defense against the feral dog packs that would occasionally come out after me; but after I got some spray, I had a response that was both satisfying and effective.

It's worth noting that shouting "No!", "Bad dog!", "Go home!" etc is only effective on dogs that have had some training from their owner. Many rural farm/yard dogs have had no such training; or, even worse, the owner has actually encouraged them to go out and be aggressive. I have seen the owner standing on his porch laughing as his dogs took off after me. So this is not a reliable deterrent. I would warrant that the dogs it works on probably wouldn't have been much of an actual danger anyway.

The Dazer (reviewed in my article above) is not effective. It does work on some dogs, but not all, and so it cannot be depended upon.

Hope that helps,

Neil

You are a better person than most.

As a dog chased me I witnessed the owner laughing.
Ever since then I have a recurring fantasy of beating a dog to death in front of it's owner.

Keep in mind that there is a portion of the population that don't like dogs. We have an even bigger dislike of dog owners that think everyone should love their dog.

And you would then be doing your part to control the massive feral cat population that is your area, wherever you may live.

And since we are on the topic of cats, how about this atrocity?

Haven't had too many problems with dogs, but I find just stopping and petting the dog to be the best course of action. Unless its an aggresive small dog that can be silenced in one swift boot :)

Another thing I've learned about pepper spray: You don't really have to spray the dog. Just spray some on the road in front of him/her and as soon as the smell reaches it's nose that'll be the end of the chase.

Did that once, when a dog burst out of a hedge and bit at my leg, no bark no warning. Just broke the skin, ripped my pants. There were several shocked people on the other side of the bushes as I burst screaming through trying to swing a fifty pound loaded tourer at a pit/mix. I was told that the owner was not around, and that if he was he would shoot me for messing with his dog.
Called the sheriff, and was told that the dog had had its shots, they knew cause it had bitten a kid in the trailer park a few months before!(Note, nothing against trailer parks, every one needs to live somewhere, but it did strike me as a bit funny)
Love the south.

You don't have to outrun the dogs. You just have to outrun your partner

I'm evolving towards just getting off my bike, But I still carry my Bear Spray while on tour.

You are missing the point. The actual words you yell at the dog mean next to nothing. Dogs aren't wolves or other wild canines. They have a very long history with humans and have been selected by us to be controllable. Even feral dogs haven't lost that controllability. All of them understand the dominance of humans because we have taken 10,000 or 20,000 years to teach them that lesson. Yelling anything in a commanding voice works to slow them down or stop them dead in their tracks. Short words work best and are most effective. You could do the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet but that's harder to make sound "commanding".

Rural dogs probably understand the dominance of humans far better than a Pekinese in a city ever will. A rural dog has been kicked, beaten or otherwise abused at some point in its life. They aren't pampered animals.

You also have to understand predatory behavior when dealing with dogs. Dogs are predators and, as such, don't want to work too hard for their prey. No predator does. Predators of all stripes, except humans, don't take down the strongest prey animals. They prey on the weak and they take animals by surprise rather than by frontal assault. Yelling something at the dog in a commanding voice makes them realize that they are dealing with a strong animal that is just too much bother to mess with. You should also keep direct eye contact with the animal at all times and never let it get behind you. Yelling and charging them works to send them packing.

Finally, dogs love the chase. They may not want to actually bite (and eat) you but you are something that is grand fun to run after. If you stop, all the fun goes out of chasing you.

cyccommute, you are right about dogs loving the chase but I'm 100% certain I'll not be stopping when being chased by a pit bull! As soon as I spot one the pepper spray magically jumps into my hand and if that don't work then the .45 ACP is the next option!

A pit bull still a dog. Somewhere in its life it is subservient to a human. You can take advantage of that because it's unlikely that you can out run a dog on a flat road with a loaded touring bike. If the road is uphill, well...

I was blessed with a very aggressive and loud shout that seems to work most of the times. I always carry a pocket knife in case my life depended on it and sometimes carry a stun gun along with me.

I have used bear spray on dogs six times over the last ten years: two pits, two rottweilers, one boxer and one big yellow mutt.

In every case the occasion was I was walking my dogs through the big city where I live. In every case too the dog was in full inbound charge mode aimed at my dogs, ignoring my posturing and shouted NO!. Almost always, in probably a couple of hundred events now, the dog stops when you make yourself tall and shout loudly. Six times they did not, coming on to try and fight my dogs.

Every time but one of these six events I inavertently shot low, the last time I conciously aimed above the dog tail. Didn't seem to matter whether I hit or not, in every case the dog turned on a dime and left, startled by the sudden 30ft blast.

Havent had the need yet to deploy it on a bike. Stopping immediately, standing tall and yelling out NO! or GO HOME! has worked every time (maybe twenty times now?).

Mike

Sharpshin, you've had a LOT of dog encounters!! I haven't had that many and I'm almost 71 years old!

Thought I would post a pic of my finished "Dog Deterrent". I had the name of our tour "Undaunted Perseverance-Across America 2014" laser engraved on it! A local guy did it for $10.http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=370835

Hey, lower-income West Side :lol: I stopped and yelled at pursuing dogs three times this morning riding in, expect the about same number going back on a twenty-five mile round trip commute. That makes six per day, thirty per week.

Do the same dogs day after day still count?

Mike

I think they'd just about have to!

Ride with a Lawyer with a camera , and It could be your house , soon..

Sounds good, you never know whether the next person he runs after is going to be a kid on a Barbie bike.

Beating the owner in front of his dog often sounds appealing too.

Re: shooting from a bicycle. I`ve tried it. In six passes to shoot at a gallon paint can hanging in a bush right next to the road, the best I can say is that I never managed to hit any part of myself (and only barely succeded at that). The paint can is probably still laughing. In fact, my aim was SO pathetic that by the time you add a menacing dog to the mix, I can`t even imagine trying the aerosol version of that sport. If anybody is seriously contemplating shooting from a moving bicycle, I suggest trying it before going through the trouble of rigging up a gun mount.

Swinging anything also sounds pretty iffy to me, but I guess if you can pull it off, go for it. I think I`ll look more closely into the throwing cats idea.

Boat Horn
 

I carry the Alert and my wife carries a 100 decible miniature boat air horn, both handle bar mounted and easily accessible (horn can be blown without taking it from the mount). Shortly after we got the horn a neighbors dog decided to take a dump in my yard while I happened to have the horn handy. Dog was about 30 yards away just beginning to unload when I gave him a 5 second burst. Horn is similiar to one in photo.

Reaction was like a cartoon senario. Dog jumped about 5 feet in the air and took off running with more than his tail trailing behind him (thinking of the term scared shxxless?--not this animal) and he has never been back.

Don't know how it would work on vicious animals, but I suspect it would at the very least deter one long enough for me to get my alert, or in worst case senario, my leagally carried semi auto into action.

This (minus saddle) makes an excellent, long, well-balanced baton:

PostPump? 2.0 Seatpost | BioLogic Bicycle Accessories and Bike Gear

Bike-mounted cat racks are becoming popular here in New York. Many riders now carry two or more cats for protection and distraction strategies against a variety of aggressors, including dogs, mega-rats and politicians. This is a growing industry with many opportunities for mobile applications and social networking. Recent insiders point to cat support R&D work by major vendors of cycling hardware and clothing, including Campy and Rapha's forays into the high-end cat carrying market, with carrier prices expected to exceed 600 USD for the titanium SL versions. Cinnelli is rumored to be working on a high modulus CF launching device that will be fully compatible with their CF handlebars, code named Catapult, with an electronic shifting version to follow in early 2015.