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. 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!

[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.

[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.