JCB

I live in rural Arkansas and as a new rider, I am learning that when I go out for a decent ride it is common to interact with various varities of canines. Other than noticing they are big, fast, and have enormous teeth, I can't say I've paid too much attention to their particular heritage except to note they seem to be of a hound variety.

So far the adreneline rush and good luck has kept me out of harms way, but I know it is only a matter of time until I get into trouble.

I've thought of air horns, pepper spray, and even a bb pistol. What do you more experienced guys and gals recomend?

ppc

Gel pepper spray, preferably the high CS concentration type. I keep a can on the frame at all time (held with a mini-pump clamp screwed under the bottle cage) , and it saved my butt more than once. They can be expensive, and they only last about 2 years before the chemical inside degrades and loses its properties, but you'll be glad to have it next time a stupid dog starts running after you. Don't bother with weak pepper spray, it only makes the dog madder. And don't bother with non-gel (gas) sprays either, you run the risk of getting a blast in your own face if the wind is unfavorable.

Other riders I know have had luck with ultrasound emitters, and some say the best defence if the pooch is too fast to be outran is to let yourself fall and use the bike itself as a barrier between you and the dog. I have my doubts about that last one, especially with a bent.

Finally, if you're on an upright, a good defense is to let the dog slowly reach your rear wheel and give it a good whack on the nose with your heel. This works very well, but I don't know if you can do that with a bent. With a BikeE perhaps...

aikigreg

I just let them get close and yell oudly. Spooks em for a half second, which lets you rocket past and they can't catch up.

Tempted to mount a damn mini baseball bat on my boom tube though!

erik forsgren

[QUOTE=JCB]I live in rural Arkansas and as a new rider, I am learning that when I go out for a decent ride it is common to interact with various varities of canines. Other than noticing they are big, fast, and have enormous teeth, I can't say I've paid too much attention to their particular heritage except to note they seem to be of a hound variety.

So far the adreneline rush and good luck has kept me out of harms way, but I know it is only a matter of time until I get into trouble.

I've thought of air horns, pepper spray, and even a bb pistol. What do you more experienced guys and gals recomend?[/Q Dogs are always excited by cyclist and recumbentists in particular. What arouse their hunting instinct is the pedalling mouvement of your feet. While pedalling you are simply a game to the dog What you should do instead of kicking using pepperspray and so on is to step off the bike stand still call for the dog give him a titbit and tell him he is a good boy, which of course isn't true. But this procedure will calm the dog so that you can ride away without a problem I have met many angry dogs that wanted to attack me while riding my recumbent. But we, the dogs and I part as friends after a titbit or two.

JCB

Ain't no way Eric....NO WAY.

ppc

You must have well-behaved dogs in your area, that conveniently bark before running after you. My experience has always been that barking dogs are the ones that can see you pass but can't get off the owner's property to come tear you to piece. Those that are able to launch at you do so quietly, and the only thing you can hear is the beast running and puffing behind you, sometimes accompanied by a trailing leash noise and a loud "Rex! Come back here!" shout far behind. Those don't bark, they're just running a spring to get you, and there's no time or desire on the dog's part to get to know you better, because the only thing it wants at that point is to sink its teeth in your behind.

erik forsgren

You must have had a very bad experience of dogs and so have I before I understood how primitive a dog actually is and how to handle aggressive dogs. In our country there was a criminal who became famous for his ability to handle police-dogs. He made friends with them without kicking them or using pepper or anything of the sort and then they were under his command. It was useless to send an attack-dog to grab him, because he was in controll of any dog. I did not however learn my lesson from him, but from a hunter who possessed an extremely aggressive german pointer. When I met that dog alone for the first time it kept me under surveillance for 3 hours growling and sniffing at my back before the owner discouvered that his dog was missing. As he was the oncle of my wife and lived nearby he suggested I gave the dog a lesson and taught it who was the boss the dog or I. This time I was ready for the dog to attack me and as the dog came towards me I simply ordered it to stay or I would lift it by its ears. The dog surrendered and from that moment we were friends.

ppc

You guessed correctly. I was mauled by a dog when I was a kid, and I have scars on my hand to remind me every day that a good dog is a dead dog. At any rate, whenever I encounter a dog, any dog, I am scared out of my wits of it, so no amount of faking will convince the dog that I am in control of the situation. That damn thing just known I'm scared and always starts getting aggressive. The only exception is guide dogs for the blind: those are invariably trained to be calm and placid, so I can't say I'm too worried around them.

Your method of canine conning wouldn't work for me, because the dog would never take me seriously. Therefore, pepper spray (and my telescopic cosh to finish it off if it gives me half a chance after being sprayed) is a very good solution for me on the bike, so I think I'll stick to that :-)

erik forsgren

I see what you mean, because I was bitten by our own german sheperd when I was a child and from that day until I met that dreadful greman pointer I hated dogs to the extent that I would kill any potential canine aggressor. After the experience with the german pointer I got myself the most vicious dobermann that money could buy in order to get over the early frustration I had experienced during my childhood. I have now over forty years of canine experience and I have never met a mad dog of your description. I have met hundreds of neurotic vicious dogs that were ready to attack, but noone was totally mad. They only tested your gutts.

doglhunt

The thing I usually do is simply out run the stupid mutts.Many times they are just guarding their turf and will only chase a short distance.If I see a dog that is not acting aggressive I usually speak to dog in a nice voice;no problems.If the dog is snarling in front of me I snarl back and let him know i'll fight.If attacked........Beat his friggen ass with a bicycle.

BlazingPedals

Erik, I don't want to train the dogs to come out to the road looking for a treat. I want them to cower on their porches. I want them to run to mommy when they see me coming. Giving them a treat is definitely sending the wrong message. If you're going to use treats, use one to lure them in, then suddenly kick their @ss, scaring them half to death. That way you're teaching them that people on bikes are unpredictable and dangerous.

megaman

Unfortunately, the only way to do that is to hurt them. I don't want to hurt them just because their owner is too stupid to put them on a cable. Dogs do chase things and the feet going around on pedals are prime targets.

sch

Defensive measures involving clubs or sprays or kicking are hazardous enough on DF bikes that it is easy for a rider who is paying attention to the dog and trying to spray one and avoid the dog(s) at the same time to lose control and fall. One a bent with its even more marginal stability problems it is true folly. I have to really concentrate just to reach for the water bottle and take a slug, much less fish out a pepper spray and try to spray a dog with the shoulder range of motion restrictions most bent seats impose-you can't rotate your torso to point backwards at the dog. Most dogs won't chase more than 50-100yds on the road, they keep track of their turf and prefer to stay close to it. If you are on a 10% grade and can't accelerate (a bent accelerate?)
then drop to as low a gear as possible and spin like crazy, it is harder to bite a moving target, if the dog is really aggressive a stop and exit to side opposite is often enough to let the dog get a good laugh and trot home. No advice if chased by a pack of mastiffs, just the old one about not outrunning the dog, just don't be the hindmost
cyclist. Steve

erik forsgren

Ok, Blazing pedals you have a point, there is no reason for learning a dog to run around in a trafficated area for a titbit. But what I meant was that in the normal case you only have to show firmness and kindness and prove to the dog that you are the strongest of you two and that the dog has to respect you. I don't like to kick a dog because in that way you might harm it or make it even more aggressive than it was before. If you have to do with a totally mad dog you will have to strangle it I,m afraid in order to save your own life. Most of the time it is sufficient to scare the hell out of them by ordering them to stay or go home.

Mooky

When I ride across state on my ReBike I carry a bag with some chicken scraps. When the dogs chase I throw them chicken bits and they stop to eat the chicken instead of me.

Mooky

ram

Now that I'm living in the City I haven't had to worry much about dogs, but a friend of mine once taught me a great trick when I was younger and still living in the country. Apparently once a dog gives chase it gauges your speed and distance and chooses a curved angle of attack that will ensure that it "meets" you at a certain point, and going in the same direction (smart buggers). If you have a set route, and know where to expect the dog, then one way to beat the dog's system is to move towards the centre of the road as you approach the area then, once the dog has started its chase, move back towards the curb. Admittedly this won't seem intuitive, since you will actually be moving towards the dog. However, the dog won't be able to tighten its turn to meet you without slowing down, so it will either keep its speed up and "miss" behind you, or fall behind as it tries to change direction. Of course, I was doing this on a country road with virtually no other traffic to worry about, and a lot of road to work with as a result. Not such a good approach if you end up getting run over by a car.

demo9orgon

The one thing I haven't seen posted here is the most effective possible thing you can do. Simply stop the bike, stand up and yell. Unless you're shorter than the dog they're going to stop and go back to their territory. Yelling also gets the attention of anyone nearby. Witnesses help, and despite their built-in wolf behaviors unless the dog is feral or suffering something like rabies and pretty big you are the one in control. You immediately stop being a target when you stop moving. This has never failed me and I've had to deal with some pretty big dogs too. Sure it's fun to outrun them but then you've actually reinforced the chase behavior at the expense of the next cyclist.

jeff-o

Ha, it's like firing off chaff to confuse a heat-seeking missle. Nice.

pcrx

Cooked I hope......

JCB

I feel like I have solved my problem with dogs to my satisfaction although my solution will not work for all. I carry a baseball bat. A light aluminum variety. Of course, I ride a trike and it was easy to stick a bat in the bag behind my seat where I can reach it with no problem. The results so far have been great. I went out for a 30 mile ride yesterday and was chased twice. I grabbed the bat and merely pointed it toward the dog which did not try to get closer. I felt safe and confident and did not have to harm an animal. True, I couldn't do this on a bike--but it works great for me.

jeff-o

I was looking at a recent Radio Shack (well, now it's "The Source by Circuit City") and saw an interesting product: An ultrasonic dog repellant. They claim it keeps agressive dogs at bay.

This seems like the ideal solution for keeping dogs from attacking - if it works. And that is the question. Does this thing work, or does it just piss them off even more?

Bruce in Texas

I like dogs, I have always owned or been owned by one. I hate some of the dogs around here (West Texas). We have Pit Bulls, Pit Bull's crossed with Rottweillers, Wolf hybrids, you get the picture. Living out in the country and riding down some roads is just about suicidal. These are not the dogs you make friends with and your chances of outrunning them are nil. They are not chasing for fun but to kick your ass. I have seriously thought about exercising my right in Texas to pack heat and just shoot some of the monsters. I have not resorted to that yet, but I do have a "Dog Dazer" electronic device that has worked so far. Sort of wierd pointing it at a dog, pressing a button, and watch the dog slow down and look confused.
Just google "Dog Dazer" and you will come up some hits. It may be the same thing one poster saw at Radio Shack, I have not seen that one.
Bruce

gew0419

THIS REALLY HAPPENED, I CAN'T MAKE THIS STUFF UP!

I was on my way home from work. There is a part of the bike path that runs right along the freeway. A chain link fence divides me from the fast moving "cagers". They're going south I'm going north. At one point I go by one of those metered on ramps....It's on my right.
OK, so, I'm pedeling along when off to my left I see and old lady and her dog, off the path. (I pass them almost every day.) She always has the dog on a leash, but today...for some reason...she is not holding on to the leash. The dog comes racing at me, like he is in attack mode or something...I brake and slow way down, figuring that he can't chase me if I'm not moving...and he runs right past me and over to the fence. He starts barking at some guy who's stopped at the metered on ramp.
The old lady comes after the dog just as I am starting to get my speed back up to move on...she walks right in front of me. I had to slam on the brakes and totally stop to avoid hitting granny and knocking her on her can.
So...now I am stopped and the dog comes running at me again, but this time he is wagging his tail and friendly like. He jumps up on me with his front paws and I give him a little scratch behind the ear. Granny is very embarassed and apologizes like crazy as she finally gets a hold of the leash and pulls him off of me. I say, "no biggie." and go on my way.
I laughed the rest of the way home..."Finally," I think to myself, " a dog who is biker friendly!"

joeprim

Two weeks ago, on the peanut tour, I came over a hill to see three large dogs by the side of the road just ahead. I like dogs, but don't want to crah into one that's chacing me for sport -

I slow up a little to see what's up. The dogs look up at me, put their tails between their legs and run off! I've never seen anything like it. I was so astonished it took a bit to get my speed back up.

Can't predict what they will do.

JOe

erik forsgren

This sudden change in behaviour might be caused by an electrical collar and the owner might have been hidden somewhere so you didn't see him. Or the dogs were trained to come back by means of that collar. As soon as the master blew his soundless pipe the dogs knew of that dreadful electrical pain in the neck if they didn't obey the whistle.