Dog Repellents - Yeah or Nay?

[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..... ?

[grey]

There's a fellow who rides with our group who is known to turn around and chase the dogs back home, YELLING at them the whole way. He's heavyset, and usually pretty serious, so picture this older guy turning around and yelling "GIT ON YOU DOGS! AAAAAAAAARRRR!" and chasing the bewildered critters back down the road. I almost fell off my bike the first time I saw him do it, I was laughing so hard.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

There's a fellow who rides with our group who is known to turn around and chase the dogs back home, YELLING at them the whole way. He's heavyset, and usually pretty serious, so picture this older guy turning around and yelling "GIT ON YOU DOGS! AAAAAAAAARRRR!" and chasing the bewildered critters back down the road. I almost fell off my bike the first time I saw him do it, I was laughing so hard.

I did that a couple of times... a border shepherd type thought he could start chasing me down a suburban street barking aggressively, this was a family neighborhood with children and strollers who use that road. I screeched to a halt, got off my bike and started bellowing and shouting at him and chased him back to his lawn while his owner watched silently from her lawn. I made a HUGE scene yelling at the dog and chasing him back to his property, passing cars had stopped to watched and one driver asked me if I was ok, all concerned like. I didn't talk to the owner but she watched me hollering for the dog to STOP CHASING PEOPLE on the road, to STAY HOME, BAD DOG, the whole 9 yds at the top of my lungs. I made so much of a scene that I haven't seen her dog loose again, and I bike down that road very often.

Another time a beagle came down the road after me barking up a storm on a back farm road with no one around. I stopped and came storming after him, walking my bike with me and bellowing and he got really scared and ran off. A month later he tried it again but when I stopped my bike and started yelling he put his tail between his legs and ran back home- he remembered me and I didn't even need to start coming after him.

Not sure any of this would work for Rottweillers or pit bulls, etc. Usually does work for other types though. Really turns the tables on them!

[kenyonchris]

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

Well, I was only commenting on the possibility of contaminating yourself with pepper spray that may/may not work anyway.

If I am on my personal bike, I carry a little handful of pebbles. I have never had to use them because I do the aggressive yell/growl and have never had a dog come close enough to threaten me. However, I don't stop. Everyone has had good suggestions about that, certainly as effective as mine.

On the patrol bike (much slower) or on patrol (where I am much more likely to get bitten because I encounter dogs on their own turf, they are protecting their home, doing their job, it is unfortunate that my job makes us at odds) I have much more at my disposal....my spray (which I would try first...I am pretty good with it, as I use it fairly regularly on people) and my baton would be my first line of defense, but if my life were in danger, I have my gun. I can't imagine having to shoot a dog, but I would if it were him or me.

No one out on a road bike (including me) has such a line of defense, which is why the suggestions given here are great ones. But, in terms of spray, I would suggest that one checks the wind before deploying it, and be aware that some dogs may not react to it.