Dog Repellents - Yeah or Nay?

[msincredible]

Somewhere I read(don't remember where) that the best thing to do when a dog is chasing is to vary your speed because it will throw the dog's speed off and they will give up, they can't adapt to a slow-fast, etc... Don't know how true this is.

It's true (you slow down, then suddenly accelerate) but works best on a motorcycle, you can't always out-accelerate a dog on a bicycle.

[Crankin]

Last summer, when I had my dog incident, I did the stop, put the bike between the dog and I thing, and yelled. I *think* I squirted it with my water bottle, but about then, the dog lost interest. When the same dog chased my husband about a month ago, he was going the opposite direction, in the same spot, and was going about 30 or more down a little hill. Nothing would have worked, but his outstanding bike handling skills, which did save him.
I am not sure if I could get the pepper spray or even my water bottle out quickly enough to use if I was actually still on the bike. But I have no qualms about using anything to protect myself. I honestly admit I don't like dogs under any circumstances, but in this case (and most) it's the stupidity of the owners that cause the problem. In my old town, there was a leash law and most people had invisible fences. Here, even the owners think they "own" the road, walking 2-4 abreast and not getting over into single file when a bike or runner is approaching, with warning. More than once I have let loose a string of expletives when these women look at me like I am the one who is crazy when they don't move or call their dog.

[tulip]

I bet an air horn would work.

I like the strategy of stopping and getting off the bike. Most injuries from dog-bike interaction are due to the collision of the dog and bike, not from bites. Just ask arielmoon (I hope you're feeling better!). But my instinct is to get out of the way fast. It's counter intuitive to stop and face the danger--on the bike as in life in general.

[Chicken Little]

The bike is a barrier if you are off of it- kinda like the lion tamer and the chair at the circus. But I can just see myself trying to slow, clip out, balance on the cleats, get the bike between me and the dog, not realize which way the nozzle is pointing, spray myself in the eyes, stagger off into a ditch, fall, and get knocked out. Then I get bit, for sure.

Now I'm worried. I am riding on the trainer in the garage tonight.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

HALT pepper spray has a nozzle that prevents accidentally aiming it at yourself.

[Chicken Little]

Doesn't matter, I'm double jointed.

[kenyonchris]

If the wind is up, even the pepper spray "gel" can a) miss its target, or b) contaminate you (if not get you in your face, get on your gloves or whatever, that eventually works its way to your eyes....
And, for some reason, some dogs don't react to it. I am in a lot of backyards or homes on alarms, open doors, whatever and often encounter angry dogs. Our OC is a whole lot stronger than average dog spray (it is designed to turn an angry, violent person into a slobbering mess. We were sprayed in training and it is the worst pain I have ever experienced) and is our preferred dog repellant, but on some dogs it just doesn't work. Bad day when that happens.

[JMM77]

Thanks everyone for your advice! I guess in retrospect I should have stopped and yelled at the dog instead or trying to outrun her. She didn't attack me (thank goodness) so maybe a loud "No" and some arm waving would have scared her away.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

If the wind is up, even the pepper spray "gel" can a) miss its target, or b) contaminate you (if not get you in your face, get on your gloves or whatever, that eventually works its way to your eyes....
And, for some reason, some dogs don't react to it. I am in a lot of backyards or homes on alarms, open doors, whatever and often encounter angry dogs. Our OC is a whole lot stronger than average dog spray (it is designed to turn an angry, violent person into a slobbering mess. We were sprayed in training and it is the worst pain I have ever experienced) and is our preferred dog repellant, but on some dogs it just doesn't work. Bad day when that happens.

And so your recommendation for dealing with a dog that's coming at you and looks like it's going to attack/bite is..... ?

[arielmoon]

In my particular dog incident there was no time for anything. The dog came at me at an almost 90 degree angle and I didnt see him until he was only a few feet from me. Between my speed and his miss-judged angle it was quite a collision when he slammed into my front tire. Up until that very moment, I had never considered being hit by a dog.

Anyway, as I prepare to start riding again I will probably be thinking about ways to deter any dogs that I come across. Maybe if we had been able to scare the dog more when he half heartedly chased us three weeks before he wouldnt have been quite so game when he saw us again.

[Tuckervill]

A friend in our cycling club had the exact same accident about 3 weeks ago, Ariel. He was in ICU for a while, had lots of broken ribs, etc. They were going downhill at about 35 mph when the dog came out of nowhere at the bottom of the hill. Nothing could be done to avoid the dog. If it had not been him, it would have been another rider that was with him.

I'm just so angry that people don't care about their dogs or other people enough keep their dogs penned up. This accident was in the county, so no leash law...but I'll bet there is something about nuisances. We have an attorney in our club, so maybe something good will come out of it.

Karen

[sundial]

I bet an air horn would work.

Hubby uses one that he picked up from an O'Reilly's auto store. And yes, it does deter most dogs. A dog's hearing is much more acute than a human's so it is a painful blast of sound.