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.

[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.

[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

[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. 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!