Dogs as trainers?

[Catrin]

I went out for a sweet and cool 20 mile ride tonight, and finally got chased by 2 dogs. I've been waiting for that to happen...but the scary thing was that the first dog did not bark as he ran up behind me until he was almost at my rear wheel! I found out how fast I can shift and accelerate - faster than I thought!

The second dog came as I was slowing down after the first canine "training session". He behaved more normally though and I heard/say him coming from about .5 acre away so had plenty of time to get out of his territory.

That first one was scary though...

[indysteel]

You know how much I hate loose dogs! They're awful, especially the stealth ones. I'm glad you escaped both of them!

[Tri Girl]

I can't even say anything about loose dogs that won't make me sound like an awful person (and I *love* dogs). Grrr....
Glad you were able to escape unscathed. Yeah, I guess they are good for interval training.
I always just turn on my "teacher voice" and scream at them go 'go home.' Usually that works... usually.

[MommyBird]

I love all dogs except the ones with square heads.
All the bike chasing country dogs I encounter seem to be of this variety.

On my favorite ride there is a road that Tees at a slight up hill stop sign. The road is only about a quarter mile long and I used to stop for a drink at this stop sign but then one day a group of dogs started barking behind the heavily tree lined fence across from the sign. I was with my husband the first time this happened. We started sprinting down the road from a dead stop. He impeded my progress by trying to protect me. We would have been safer with an every-man-for-himself approach.
Well, the pack of square head dogs ran just ahead of us along the fence for about an 8th mile and then just as we were overtaking them one slipped through a hole in the fence. He was hitting the pavement just as we shot past him into safety.

Now I stop at the other end of the short road, drink and reserve my energy for the coming chase. I watch for traffic as I approach the stop sign and hope I don't have to stop for a car. I roll through the stop sign, staying to the middle of the road and if I hear the dog I quickly shift and break into a sprint. It is slightly down hill so that helps. Once the chase ends I hit a nice long (for my area) descent and get a rest before a long (for my area) climb.

The dogs have never made it to the hole in the fence before me since that first encounter. It is so scary because the foliage is so thick you just get a glimpse of them here and there. It is hard to tell where they are along the fence.

[OakLeaf]

The most effective thing I yell at dogs is "Get a job!"

The content reminds me to tinge my voice with contempt, not anxiety or anger - and the dogs respond to my assertion of superiority. I think that's why it works, anyway.

[Zen]

Square head dogs

[loopybunny]

I love all dogs except the ones with square heads.
All the bike chasing country dogs I encounter seem to be of this variety.

That's hilarious!

On a drastically less humorous note: My biggest fear is being chased by a dog and having it get hit by a car as it runs out into the road. I would be seriously scarred for life, square head or otherwise.

[badger]

I think the square head varieties are an extension of the owners who have that type of dog for whatever mistaken ideals they have. It's usually bad owners, not bad dogs.

[beccaB]

There's a lot of square heads around where I live.

[tiva]

Square heads?

If you mean pit bulls and bully breeds, please don't generalize. We have 2 pit bull rescues, and they're among the world's most wonderful dogs. They're far less likely to show human aggression than guarding breeds, and far less likely to chase than a herding breed. Any dog can be a brat if its owners are clueless--and I agree that idiotic owners that let dogs roam free on rural roads are a menace.

If a loose dog catches up to you, spray them with your water bottle, or better, with citronella spray (sprayshield is the standard brand). Citronella spray doesn't hurt their eyes or sting, but it smells bad to them and they'll turn away. Plus, if the bugs get bad, it makes a decent bug spray.

[badger]

Square heads?

If you mean pit bulls and bully breeds, please don't generalize. We have 2 pit bull rescues, and they're among the world's most wonderful dogs. They're far less likely to show human aggression than guarding breeds, and far less likely to chase than a herding breed. Any dog can be a brat if its owners are clueless--and I agree that idiotic owners that let dogs roam free on rural roads are a menace.

If a loose dog catches up to you, spray them with your water bottle, or better, with citronella spray (sprayshield is the standard brand). Citronella spray doesn't hurt their eyes or sting, but it smells bad to them and they'll turn away. Plus, if the bugs get bad, it makes a decent bug spray.

It's amazing what a "good" job the media has done to make these wonderful dogs so hated. I fostered a pit bull puppy not long ago and even my father was saying "pit bull!? but they're so dangerous!"

The general public really does fear them, and it's such a horrible shame because, like you say, they are such wonderful dogs. It's the stupid, irresponsible owners who give the breed a bad name.

[arielmoon]

*meep*

It seems like almost every ride for me now has a dog incident. I am the canine alarmist during group rides.

ETA: Not one of them has been a Pittie.

[badger]

I'm sure I'll jinx myself by saying this, but I've yet to encounter a loose dog on my bike. Ever.

[MommyBird]

The statistics for injury and fatalities by dog bite do not look good for Pitt Bull breeds.
All breeds are unpredictable and capable of turning. I never let my guard down when my sweet tempered Jack Russell is around a child.
I am sure there are responsible PB owners but these dogs have physical characteristics that make them more dangerous. They do require extra attention and not all PB owners are capable or responsible. Some are down right criminal in how they care for these animals.
If you were riding or running down the country roads that I do and you saw a snarling square head dog bearing down on you, you would not pause to consider how responsible its owner might be. You would fear for your well being and assume that this animal intends to do you harm.
This is my reality all too often.

[badger]

I had a whack of statistical data in a long post, but it's a pointless argument because you've already got your mind made up. Which is sad, but c'est la vie.