Dogs--yet again

[Laguna]

A good blast of water from your bottle will deter most dogs...but not all. It helps if you have a few seconds to prepare in advance and of course you have to be comfortable doing it without weaving all over the road. Out sprinting the dog works sometimes as most dogs give up once you are beyond "their" property line.

Most bike shops carry a spray just for this purpose but again, you have to be comfortable doing this while on the bike and your aim has to be pretty good.

I had a very vicious dog run across the road to chase me several times and it almost caused an accident with an oncoming car. I went back and got the street address and called the police and county animal control. That did it..the dog disappeared and I didn't ask any questions.

[grey]

I live in a very rural area, lots of loose dogs.

Most dogs are not bad dogs, and provided they are trying to run alongside, I let them be. Some are even fun, we had a lab mix we called "Rocky" who would run with us for a good mile before going back home. He never barked or threatened - just wanted to run where we were "running" - big grin splitting his face the whole time.

There are others, though, that are not so okay - getting in front of the bike or trying to nip heels or tire. I've had a few nasty dogs come at me and I really hate it - those I call animal control about, most times once someone from there shows up, either the dog proves itself nasty or the owner confines it.

I've never gotten off the bike. I yell NO! in varying degrees of intensity depending on the dog. I have dogs of my own, I get foster dogs all the time, so I get a bead on them pretty quick as far as what their intent is. Most times, the "NO!" is enough - most dogs know what that word means and it at least slows them if not stops them.

I also have my water bottle in hand to squirt them - it's a good deterrent also.

I unclip on whichever side the dog is on, in case I need to kick (and have). I've heard of people falling from the bike while trying to kick before - I've been a martial artist for years and years and the only kick I try on a dog is all heel. I "chamber" so my leg on the side of the incoming dog is up high, think knee-to-chest. The kick itself is straight down - sort of like you are stamping down, with your toes pulled up. It's a last resort - after numerous, nasty-sounding NO-hollers have been to no effect, the bottle is ignored, and I'm about to be unseated by a dog. I aim for the head - not the snout.

I tried the sprays but decided against them. First, it's hard to get a good hit. Second, I fear it might make them really hate cyclists and want to chase us more, with greater intent.

On a funnier note - last year my little group was resting at the top of a hill and a group of five dogs from the last farm were still barking at us from the bottom of the hill. Not chasing, just barking to hear themselves. We were discussing our route, I didn't even realize how much the barking was bugging me until I turned around to look at the dogs and yelled "Knock it off!" - just the way I bark at mine.

Would you believe they did? All five of them turned around and walked back home. I've been called the Dog Whisperer ever since.

I sure would have felt like an idiot if they had kept barking though...

[beccaB]

One thing I would NOT do is give a dog treats when he comes out into the road. That would most likely teach him that it is appropriate behavior. There are animal protection laws everywhere in the US and it is no longer ok to have unsupervised dogs running around. Maybe some communities don't have the resources to deal with it, and being a dog lover myself I'd have a hard time turning somebody in to animal control. Ours here is extremely overzealous. What I might do if the opportunity arises is to talk to the owner from the perspective of a dog lover who has witnessed a dog getting run over by a car as he was coming out to meet me in the road. I've also gone up to the front door of a dog owner whose dog came out into the road and bit my husband, leaving a bruise. He was unaware of his dog being out there chasing us. I think it's just a matter of helping people see the light, especially since I am familiar with being investigated by animal control myself, and I had to work very hard to get out of trouble there, but that's another story.

[goldfinch]

One thing I would NOT do is give a dog treats when he comes out into the road. That would most likely teach him that it is appropriate behavior. .

I strongly disagree. I have done this and the dogs I was "training" quit chasing. Instead they wait expectantly. I was taught to do this by an animal behaviorist.

Sometimes it is far easier to train a dog than an owner. Where I am from people rarely confine their dogs and in the rural area I am not aware of any law that requires them to be confined.

[beccaB]

I strongly disagree. I have done this and the dogs I was "training" quit chasing. Instead they wait expectantly. I was taught to do this by an animal behaviorist.

Sometimes it is far easier to train a dog than an owner. Where I am from people rarely confine their dogs and in the rural area I am not aware of any law that requires them to be confined.

It does seem like there should be some freedoms from city rules in the rural areas, and I do observe people being more free with their dogs on their property in those areas. I don't necessarily agree with imposing strict animal control laws in the rural areas, but according to the way the law is written in surrounding areas here, there is no delineation. I have become somewhat of a student of this subject because my dog and I got into a situation that I had to spend a large amount of time in a courthouse to get the outcome that was fair to the situation. I participate in an online dog forum and this subject has come up numerous times. Many of the professional dog trainers discouraged people from using treats to keep loose dogs at bay. I have had some lengthy debates with our dog obedience trainer about how the expectations in communities have evolved. As a dog owner and a cyclist, I know I am being responsible with MY dog, but I would also have a hard time being on the receiving end of a dog attack and having to make a case of it with animal control.

[tiva]

Really interesting discussion--thanks for all the replies. I expect I'll continue to hop off the bike, because the neighboring dogs are all curious, not vicious. I do clicker training with my pit bulls, so who knows--maybe I'll bring hot dogs and a clicker along on my next ride and start training the one dog in particular who is bothering me. Or maybe I'll knock on the door and tell the owner how dangerous for the dog it is when the dog runs into the road.

[tulip]

The ones I worry about are the ones that don't bark. They're the ones who want to get close enough to bite and might get tangled up in the bike.

The barkers usually respond when I yell SIT! or NO! The non-barkers are not as common. I have successfully fended a few off with a well-aimed squirt from a water bottle; however, I have been cycling for decades and am very comfortable with my bike handling skills. Another person might not be comfortable doing that.

I've wondered if an air horn would work.

[Catrin]

The ones I worry about are the ones that don't bark. They're the ones who want to get close enough to bite and might get tangled up in the bike.

The barkers usually respond when I yell SIT! or NO! The non-barkers are not as common. I have successfully fended a few off with a well-aimed squirt from a water bottle; however, I have been cycling for decades and am very comfortable with my bike handling skills. Another person might not be comfortable doing that.

I've wondered if an air horn would work.

Yep, the one who took a bite out of my calf last April was a non-barker. Those air horns are huge, I've looked at them. I will go that route if I start having problems with dogs once I start bike-commuting to work.