Dogs?

[Ann G]

Does anybody have any good strategies for dealing with dogs who chase you as you ride? I have a favorite route, and there's a farmyard with 3 dogs who bark and chase me. My usual strategy is to stop about 1/2 mile before I get there is to catch my breath after climbing a hill in case I need to outrun them. I also mentally prepare myself to grab a water bottle and get ready to squirt, thinking that the surprise might buy me a couple of seconds. I know that dogs are territorial and maybe they are just protecting their territory, but it makes me nervous. Since a dog's reaction to something that's moving fast is to chase it, I've thought of peddling by very slowly, but then I'd feel like an easier target. Any ideas?

[Biciclista]

if a dog is threatening i will get off my bike put my bike between me and the dog and tell him to go home.
If this is somewhere you go often, carry rocks (or golf balls) and throw them at the dog.
you have to change from prey to master; by standing and yelling at him he can't chase you any more.
It has also been said not to make direct eye contact with an aggressive dog, but i have done that and won, doesn't mean you will.

[tulip]

squirt it in the face with your waterbottle.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Here are some previous helpful threads on dogs vs. bikes, chock full of excellent information for you:
http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=29980
http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=31204
http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=12053
http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=741

I found them using the "Search" function on the top banner of every page. ;)

[GLC1968]

Are they actually chasing you, or are they just running in parallel with you on their property?

If they are just running with you (barking or not), there isn't much you can do if they don't leave the property. If they aren't in the road or following you past the end of their yard, I wouldn't worry about it. It might be nerve wracking, but it's not like you can fault them for barking from their own territory.

Now, if they are coming after YOU, then yes, protect yourself. A stiff "go home" often works wonders, but it'll depend on the dog. My husband swears by the "oh, what a cute doggie" in a cutesy voice catches them off guard and disarms them. And yes, water in the face will often deter a dog, too. If the dog is getting super agressive, then getting off your bike and putting the bike between you and them to protect yourself is probably a good idea. Alternatively, if it's a dog that you think you can outrun on the bike, then by all means, do so!


Aside: We live out in the country and we have dogs. They are often out with us and the main part of our property is not fenced (we never leave them out unattended). They don't chase bikes (we see TONS of cyclists on our road) and they rarely even go close to the road. One day, out of the blue, one of our dogs took off right in the middle of playing with us, to chase a cyclist. We were stunned and then terribly embarassed. :o He's a golden mix, so not scary looking or anything, but he's part hound and has an aggressive sounding bark. Luckily, he's lame, so he can't really chase for too far and he came back pretty quickly. He's never done it since then, either. We have NO idea why he chose that cyclist to go after and I could just imagine that our dog was a contributor to someone on some forum somehwere complaining about country folk and loose dogs! :o

[channlluv]

My first thought was pepper spray, then maybe an air horn (which would alert the owner, too, I hope that her dogs are running loose), and then I thought, what if you tossed them a Milk-bone? Give them something to chew and they'll be your buddy. Just a thought. I've never actually tried to tame a barking dog with a biscuit. The golf balls would probably work, too, but that could get expensive.

Roxy

[Biciclista]

golf balls are "road kill" we find them along side golf ranges and golf courses. I would never be throwing them at dogs if I'd paid for them!

[MartianDestiny]

and then I thought, what if you tossed them a Milk-bone? Give them something to chew and they'll be your buddy. Just a thought. I've never actually tried to tame a barking dog with a biscuit.


Please don't. This is a REWARD. A reward for bad behavior. It would teach and reinforce quite a few bad habits that can quickly escalate or be deadly to the dog.

1) It teaches them it's good to chase (cyclists, runners, cars...)
2) It teaches them it's ok to be territorial and aggressive (barking, growling, giving chase...)
3) It teaches them the road is a good place to be and that it's ok to leave their property

1 is bad because it's not ok and the next cyclist might not be so lucky or nice. 2 is bad because it's something that can escalate into real aggression and attacking behavior. 3 is bad because it's likely to get the dog killed (run over) or a cyclist (or other road user) hurt (what happens when the dog approaches a peloton for a biscuit and they either a) hit him or b) slam on the brakes and cause a major wreck).

Ignore them, yell at them, confront them, squirt/spray/hit them, charge them, out run them, report them, but don't reward/feed them.

[Andrea]

If it's a spot that you ride by all the time, then my first choice would be go and approach the owner. Is there a leash law in your area? If there is, then the owner is in violation of this.

If that doesn't work, then I'd go for pepper spray. I usually only go to that as a total last resort, but it would probably make them stop chasing you for good.

[Ann G]

There were some good ideas here. I also read some of the previous threads on this topic after somebody posted some links. These dogs are outside of city limits, so I don't think any lease laws apply here. So far, dogs have chased me but I haven't been attacked, and they usually turn around after being some distance away from the house. I like the idea of slowing down and shouting at them. I'll try that, and if I have to, I can try squirting or the pebble idea.

[channlluv]

Please don't. This is a REWARD. A reward for bad behavior. It would teach and reinforce quite a few bad habits that can quickly escalate or be deadly to the dog.

1) It teaches them it's good to chase (cyclists, runners, cars...)
2) It teaches them it's ok to be territorial and aggressive (barking, growling, giving chase...)
3) It teaches them the road is a good place to be and that it's ok to leave their property

1 is bad because it's not ok and the next cyclist might not be so lucky or nice. 2 is bad because it's something that can escalate into real aggression and attacking behavior. 3 is bad because it's likely to get the dog killed (run over) or a cyclist (or other road user) hurt (what happens when the dog approaches a peloton for a biscuit and they either a) hit him or b) slam on the brakes and cause a major wreck).

Ignore them, yell at them, confront them, squirt/spray/hit them, charge them, out run them, report them, but don't reward/feed them.


Golly, good points every one. Scrap that biscuit suggestion. Back to the squirt bottle idea.

Roxy

[lo123]

I do at least one ride a week in a rural area with lots of dogs... Here's my experience:

For the most part, a firm deep voice saying "no" or "go home" works. Make your voice as deep and loud as you can. The deeper your voice, the better they respond in my experience (worked on training my dogs as well). This typically works on the bored/yappy dog, not the aggressive dog.

There's one pit bull mix that doesn't get the message and has bitten more than one cyclist in our local club (lucky for us, the cyclist is also a lawyer and has written some letters... the dog's been absent the last few rides). For those dogs, I carry pepper spray designed for runners/cyclists (I got mine at Academy Sports & Outdoors--just fyi since it took me awhile to find it). It has a range of 12-15' and a clip. Clip it up under my shorts or put it in my bento box. I haven't needed it so far, but several folks I ride with use theirs before I got to the dog.

[Trek420]

If it's a spot that you ride by all the time, then my first choice would be go and approach the owner. Is there a leash law in your area? If there is, then the owner is in violation of this.

If it is a spot you ride by often "cookies" help. :) There used to be a dog on my commute, fenced but did bark. I brought "cookies" and soon the bark changed from aggressive to friendly. :)

They moved so the pooch is no longer there.

But even that you should ask the owner. :o

[kermit]

I am out in the country right now and just had an encounter with a big lab/pit mix. I was riding as he shot our of his yard and came charging at me. I stopped, yelled NO, called him over and he was the sweetest thing in the world. Two minutes later, he went home and I continued my ride. In my area, these dogs get used to chasing cars and you are just another chase object to them. If you talk and personalize yourself, they lose interest. This may not work all the time, there are always the aggressive dogs, I got lucky. I choose this option instead of getting knocked over by this moose.

[kenyonchris]

A few pebbles in my Bento Box....I pop them with a spray of little rocks. Have never had it NOT work, but there is always a first time.

[TrekTheKaty]

A few pebbles in my Bento Box....I pop them with a spray of little rocks. Have never had it NOT work, but there is always a first time.

Good idea. Gonna need a bigger box!

[tctrek]

I just ride like h*ll... has anyone here not been able to outrun a dog? I am absolutely terrified of dogs both on and off the bike and when one chases me on the bike I just hammer down and take off. My DH frequently slows down and tells them "no" and stuff, but I am G-O-N-E!

[channlluv]

Oh, good, so you don't need to outrun the dog, you just need to outride your husband. Ha!

Roxy

[Andrea]

Just consider it to be "training with Eddy!"

(there's a naughty word at the beginning of this... if you have virgin ears, you should not watch it)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gfv2diohUXE

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I just ride like h*ll... has anyone here not been able to outrun a dog?

The only dogs I would be able to outrun on my bike would have to be about the size of mice.

[Biciclista]

has anyone here not been able to outrun a dog?
doesn't always work. Ever try to outrun a dog uphill? I don't think you can. They love to chase.
Of course, if you have a big head start, that's different, but dogs can run really fast!

[tctrek]

Yeah - there's a dog on one of our regular routes who comes running from way out in a field. As I'm approaching the field, I can see that he sees us and that he's charging out to the road. There's a moderate hill right there and I sprint up it out of the saddle with my heart rate pegged at about 180. DH is back there yelling at me not to run and telling the dog "no". It's my own personal interval.

When you have a dog-phobia, it's an irrational fear and you can talk all you want about doing something different, but when confronted by the fear you just can't seem to find your way into doing something different, other than run. I'm the same way off the bike and have had this phobia since I was a little girl.

Guess I need a shrink, although I don't think you can teach this old-dog any new tricks :(

[txred9876]

I normally stop (now...learned my lesson after falling with my new clips several months ago...and still have scars) and just yell at them in a mean sturn voice. I am not afraid of most dogs...I have had many and currently have 4. If a dog knows you are afraid they will probably attack. I get tired of stopping through, and if it continues I just call the sheriffs dept. and report it. NORMALLY that gets the owners attention enough to keep their dog contained. Most of the trouble dogs have fences where the owners are to lazy to close them!

ANyway....thats my two cents on it....

[Trek420]

Just consider it to be "training with Eddy!"

(there's a naughty word at the beginning of this... if you have virgin ears, you should not watch it)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gfv2diohUXE

Thanks for reminding me. :) Ah, nostalgia. The music, the mushroom helmets, the steel racing bikes with downtube shifters , the huge team cars, all in a big film made for a USA that obviously knew nothing about cycling ....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_cmolFXIaQ&feature=related

[Ann G]

After reading the posts here, my new strategy for dogs is to ride by the houses where there are dogs in the yard very slowly, so I don't give them anything interesting to chase. For the most part I know where the dogs are and this has worked really well. :)

[kenyonchris]

I meant to post this to this thread a bit ago but forgot...I was running a new (and, hoped shadier) route and a GIGANTIC dog came flying off the front porch at me. I didn't even have my bento box with my little rocks (which this particularly large canine would have laughed at)....it was going to be hand to paw combat for sure. He was doing that bark/growl/snarl thing as he flew toward me...I spent the last few moments of my thinking of the very little time I had with my new bike....
and then the beast stopped dead. A mere foot in front of me. I opened my squinched up eyes, relaxed my clenched fists, tried to unkink my body that was braced for impact and stood face to face with the snarling beast. He was growling menacingly at me, but made no move to come further. Then I noticed his collar and recognized it as an invisible fence collar. I thumped myself on the chest a time or two to restart my heart, and jogged on.
There should be some sort of warning system for pedestrians, cyclists, and joggers passing houses with these things. That was just WRONG.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

That really IS wrong. SO wrong. I would talk to the police about whether the owners can be made to put up a big sign for invisible fence at the very least. I see signs like that up here and there.

[tulip]

I've found that dogs in invisible fence yards are pretty aggressive. It's way better to actually train your dog than to just zap it with an invisible fence. I swear they are more aggressive for some reason.

[KSH]

I just ride like h*ll... has anyone here not been able to outrun a dog? I am absolutely terrified of dogs both on and off the bike and when one chases me on the bike I just hammer down and take off. My DH frequently slows down and tells them "no" and stuff, but I am G-O-N-E!

My friend tried to. The dog all of a sudden swerved inwards and went under his front wheel. Sent him flying into a ditch and having to call for help since he couldn't ride home.

Dogs are DANGEROUS even if they are just chasing or playing around. A dog under the wheel could cause a serious wreck and cause you an serious injury and damange your bike.

[Becky]

I've found that dogs in invisible fence yards are pretty aggressive. It's way better to actually train your dog than to just zap it with an invisible fence. I swear they are more aggressive for some reason.

Absolutely! If you got zapped every time you approached a jogger or a cyclist, you'd learn pretty quickly to hate joggers and cyclists. When I was volunteering at the shelter, we saw some pretty screwed-up pups who had learned to hate or fear things that they associated with the fence zap.

And then there were the super-smart ones who figured out how to defeat it....

[Tuckervill]

I had a Jack Russell Terror who became convinced that chasing the squirrel or cat 2 acres away was worth the shock. She'd just get to running at top speed and LEAP over the place where she got shocked. But it was never worth it to come back in!

She ended up in a chain-link area, with an actual electric fence wired up, to keep her from digging out and climbing over.

Karen

[IFjane]

Dogs are DANGEROUS even if they are just chasing or playing around. A dog under the wheel could cause a serious wreck and cause you an serious injury and damange your bike.

+++

A very good friend of mine is currently recuperating from an accident involving a dog. He was cycling a few weeks ago on a country road. A man was walking his two dogs in the opposite direction and as my friend approached one dog ran toward him. The dog was not approaching aggressively. It was more like he was running to greet him so my friend kept riding. Just as the dog got to him he (the dog) turned right in front of my friend. Friend hit the dog, came to an abrupt stop, fell on his right side and broke his femoral neck.

Emergency surgery that afternoon to reattach (three LONG screws) & hope to get blood flowing to the "ball" once again. He will know next Friday if it worked. If not, he will have to have hip replacement. Meanwhile, he cannot put any weight on it and has only just started therapy. It will be at least 3 months before he can get on a bike again.

Be careful around dogs!

[kenyonchris]

That really IS wrong. SO wrong. I would talk to the police about whether the owners can be made to put up a big sign for invisible fence at the very least. I see signs like that up here and there.

LOL. I don't have to go far to talk to the police....that's me! No city ordinance requires an invisible fence sign, but I know that invisible fence puts up a little sign when they install their fences....like a security system sign. Also, there are usually little survey flags. I didn't notice them in the melee. Apparently once the dog is used to the shock, the flags can be taken down.
My mom lives in montana where the rock is so close to the surface it makes fencebuilding pretty labor intensive. Her dogs have an invisible fence, but it keeps them close to the house, rather than running all the way to the road. And, being bulldogs and of very little brain, I guess it works.
My mastiff is no rocket scientist, but I know if I shocked him with anything, he would cry for a week and refuse to ever go outside again.

[Biciclista]

my dog trainer friend does not like dealing with dogs (training) who have been kept with invisible fence. If they're not in their own yard, they are always hesitant, looking for where YOUR fence might be. but from the non dog owners perspective, they are better than no fence at all!

[arielmoon]

I just ride like h*ll... has anyone here not been able to outrun a dog? I am absolutely terrified of dogs both on and off the bike and when one chases me on the bike I just hammer down and take off. My DH frequently slows down and tells them "no" and stuff, but I am G-O-N-E!



I thought the same thing until I learned the hard way that chasing is not the only way to get in a bad situation with a dog.

The dog that cause me to break my pelvis and sacrum ran out and hit my front tire almost a 90 degree angle. There was no out running him. He had miss-judged his speed, my speed and his angle of intersection.

Something to think about.

[emily_in_nc]

I thought the same thing until I learned the hard way that chasing is not the only way to get in a bad situation with a dog.

The dog that cause me to break my pelvis and sacrum ran out and hit my front tire almost a 90 degree angle. There was no out running him. He had miss-judged his speed, my speed and his angle of intersection.

Something to think about.

+1. I fractured my pelvis in three places (including a doozy from the outside of my ilium to my sacrum requiring a 6" plate and 4 pins to put back together) when two dogs ran out at me from a 90 degree angle. They did not hit my bike because I sped up out of instinct before they got to me, but my DH (who was a little ways in front of me -- a few feet at least) slowed down, and I plowed right into his rear wheel at speed. Scared the dogs right away, but by then the damage was done.

So...if you're going to try to outrun dogs, make absolutely sure there is no one in front of you who might react differently.

I should also mention that I was reaching for my Halt (pepper spray) right before I crashed -- it was right there in a handlebar holster but couldn't keep me safe in this instance! :(

[tctrek]

OK.. this thread has successfully made me more terrified of dogs than I was before. Must not read this thread anymore....

[tulip]

OK.. this thread has successfully made me more terrified of dogs than I was before. Must not read this thread anymore....

I've never had any collisions with dogs (knock knock). I am aware of them, and it certainly could happen, but so far, so good. I have squirted some with my Gatorade and that always stops them. Alot of times, though, I just yell at them (NO! or STAY! or BAD DOG!) and that tends to distract them.

So while alot of people here have had very bad experiences, there are alot more who have not.

I can't help you if you are frightened of dogs off the bike, though. No advice there, except that if it really gets in the way of your life, I'm sure there are resources that you can use to get over your fears.

[Flybye]

I always always always always STOP - dogs see things moving and want to chase them - it is instinctual. No movement = not prey = no fun.

[beccaB]

I'll never forget that dog that went in the road to greet me and got literally ran over by a car. I saw it in slow motion frames. I still see it in my mind. It was not a very nice thing to have happen on my birthday. The dog survived, but the car didn't stop.

[arielmoon]

+1. I fractured my pelvis in three places (including a doozy from the outside of my ilium to my sacrum requiring a 6" plate and 4 pins to put back together) when two dogs ran out at me from a 90 degree angle. They did not hit my bike because I sped up out of instinct before they got to me, but my DH (who was a little ways in front of me -- a few feet at least) slowed down, and I plowed right into his rear wheel at speed. Scared the dogs right away, but by then the damage was done.

So...if you're going to try to outrun dogs, make absolutely sure there is no one in front of you who might react differently.

I should also mention that I was reaching for my Halt (pepper spray) right before I crashed -- it was right there in a handlebar holster but couldn't keep me safe in this instance! :(

YIKES!!!

I think I have scared myself out of this thread too ...LOL

Seriously there are so many ways to get hurt on a bike or whatever. Every time you get in a car there is potential for injury. Just have to think positive and hope for the best!

[Skierchickie]

Last week I was riding on the wide shoulder of a 2-lane highway with a friend. We saw a BIG furry, fierce-looking dog in a yard, who moved like he was coming after us - just as quickly as he charged, he suddenly veered off, and the next moment he was grabbing his big furry bunny toy and standing there looking at us with a goofy look on his face, with bunny arms and legs and ears drooping all over. :D He was pretty cute. We both went "Aaawww".

[emily_in_nc]

YIKES!!!

I think I have scared myself out of this thread too ...LOL

Seriously there are so many ways to get hurt on a bike or whatever. Every time you get in a car there is potential for injury. Just have to think positive and hope for the best!

Absolutely agreed. My father died in a car accident six months after my bike accident mentioned above, and that kept me off the road with serious fears of vulnerability much longer than my own accident did. Horrible, unexpected things can happen at any time. I was determined, ultimately, not to let fear rule my life. I'm really enjoying riding on the road again and am sorry if my posting about my accident scared anyone unduly! I just wanted to point out one of the possible consequences of trying to outrun a determined dog. That said, I still sprint like crazy if one chases me now -- I just make absolutely sure the road ahead is clear! :D

There are risks in everything we do, but in most cases, the rewards of doing something we love outweigh them.

[Crankin]

+1 to what Emily said. If we worried about everything, we wouldn't leave our houses!
But, I still dislike dogs on or off the bike. Sorry, animal lovers, but there is nothing that could make me like them. It's not so much fear (although there's a bit of that when a dog is chasing you on the bike), but rather, a feeling of grossness I get when near a dog. It's smell, touch, slobber, barking, etc. I know this is hard for most people to understand, but I've always had this reaction. I'm not a particularly prissy person, but I actually almost gag if I get near certain dogs.
I don't ever mention this to my animal loving friends, but come to think of it, I only have one close friend who has a pet.

[tulip]

+1 to what Emily said. If we worried about everything, we wouldn't leave our houses!
But, I still dislike dogs on or off the bike. Sorry, animal lovers, but there is nothing that could make me like them. It's not so much fear (although there's a bit of that when a dog is chasing you on the bike), but rather, a feeling of grossness I get when near a dog. It's smell, touch, slobber, barking, etc. I know this is hard for most people to understand, but I've always had this reaction. I'm not a particularly prissy person, but I actually almost gag if I get near certain dogs.
I don't ever mention this to my animal loving friends, but come to think of it, I only have one close friend who has a pet.

I get it, Crankin! I feel the same way, but about children!:eek:

[Tuckervill]

+1 to what Emily said. If we worried about everything, we wouldn't leave our houses!
But, I still dislike dogs on or off the bike. Sorry, animal lovers, but there is nothing that could make me like them. It's not so much fear (although there's a bit of that when a dog is chasing you on the bike), but rather, a feeling of grossness I get when near a dog. It's smell, touch, slobber, barking, etc. I know this is hard for most people to understand, but I've always had this reaction. I'm not a particularly prissy person, but I actually almost gag if I get near certain dogs.
I don't ever mention this to my animal loving friends, but come to think of it, I only have one close friend who has a pet.

I get it. There was a brief period of time in my life when I felt that way, too. It was during about the first year of life of all of my babies. I wasn't a clean freak by any means, but I just couldn't tolerate mixing up the baby-clean with dog stuff. ick.

Karen

[arielmoon]

Absolutely agreed. My father died in a car accident six months after my bike accident mentioned above, and that kept me off the road with serious fears of vulnerability much longer than my own accident did. Horrible, unexpected things can happen at any time. I was determined, ultimately, not to let fear rule my life. I'm really enjoying riding on the road again and am sorry if my posting about my accident scared anyone unduly! I just wanted to point out one of the possible consequences of trying to outrun a determined dog. That said, I still sprint like crazy if one chases me now -- I just make absolutely sure the road ahead is clear! :D

There are risks in everything we do, but in most cases, the rewards of doing something we love outweigh them.

Sorry about your father and I TOTALLY AGREE that the risks are worth it.:)

[Crankin]

Tulip, my very close cycling friend feels the same way. We met about 5 years ago, when my kids were grown!
Truthfully, (OK, this sounds suspiciously like those "bad mom" web sites I've heard about), I liked my kids more and more as they got older...