Hi Sky,

I share your fears about being chased by dogs while riding. Although I love dogs and am owned by a wonderful Boston Terrier myself, I was scared of them as a child and think a bit of that fear must still live deep in my psyche as I think I am more worried about being chased by dogs than most of my cycling buddies.

So....I carry Halt when I ride. It's a red pepper spray (available at nashbar.com and possibly your LBS). It won't permanently harm a dog but, if s/he gets close enough where you can aim it at their face, it will almost always send them away to wipe their face in the grass, quickly! That said, I rarely have to use it. Normally, just pointing it at a chasing dog is enough to make them very wary; I guess it's their instinct to be wary of anything pointed at them that might be a weapon. If I am going downhill or on the flats I usually just turn on the speed, and almost always they'll give up fairly quickly once they reach the end of their "territory", but going uphill, I have had to use the Halt a few times now and then.

It's amazing how fast I can sprint when a dog comes running after me. My husband says "Why don't you do that when you're trying to catch up with a paceline?" Hmmm....somehow the adrenaline just isn't the same!

I also YELL. I can have a big, loud voice when I need it, and I have found that shouting "NO" or "GO HOME!" very firmly at them sometimes does the trick. I've never actually had a dog bite me or knock me off my bike using these tactics, and I ride a lot in a rural area where a lot of folks have never heard of the words "leash law" (even though there is one).

Some people shake a bike pump or squirt their water bottle at them, but I'm usually not coordinated enough to manage that. I keep the Halt clipped onto my shorts around the waist so can grab it quite quickly if needed.

There are probably times when it makes sense to get off your bike and walk slowly out of their territory; perhaps if one is cutting you off in front or multiple dogs are charging you at once, but I usually prefer to keep going if at all possible, since I don't always know if they will be friendly even when I'm off my bike.

Good luck, and I hope these tips help a bit!

Emily