okane

I used one of those pocket air horns on a neighborhood dog that used to crap in my yard. Caught him at mid drop one day and give him a 3 second burst. Took off like a shot with a turd hanging out. He never came back. Carry one of the pocket horns with me now when I ride but haven't had to use it.

echotraveler

A wise rider once told me:

If you encounter

ONE dog, KEEP ON PEDALING and dont make eye contact, they cant seem to get their teeth in on moving target. NEVER EVER STOP!

MULTIPLE dogs are a hassle, almost every time one of the pack will walk to the middle of the road... This is bad!

dissident

loud whistle...

https://www.amazon.com/Fox-40-Officia...ywords=whistle

DropDeadFred

I keep a spare kitten in my jersey to drop at a moments notice....usually keeps the dogs occupied long enough for me to make my escape.

fuel0707

Glock 19?

cyccommute 

No. Dogs like to chase prey. Don't give them the opportunity. If you see one starting to chase you, yell "No!", "Stop!" or anything else at them loudly and in as deep a voice as you can. If they persist, stop and stare them down or even move aggressively towards them. Dogs may like to chase prey but like most predators, they don't like it if the prey chases back. If you run across a dog that won't back down, keep your bike between you and the dog, always face the dog and don't be afraid to whack the dog in the nose with a wheel. That's a very sensitive part and they don't really like it much.

cyccommute 

The wise rider was an idiot. Watch any predator and they are all very, very, very capable of getting their teeth into a 'moving target'. Bambi doesn't usually stop and wait for the predator to bite. If anything, prey that stops and fights back flummoxes the predator. They want something that is easy to kill.

cyccommute 

I don't what any Cesar Milan but I know how to handle aggressive dogs. You handle them by being more aggressive. You do tower over them. You do look them square in the eye. You do what them to perceive you as a threat. Or, more specifically, you want them to perceive you as a superior. Dogs are pack animals and, through selection, we have chosen them to be a submissive part of the pack. A dog that would challenge a human for pack leadership doesn't last long and gets culled out of the pack. You want to be the alpha dog in the dogs mind. All of the things you are saying tell the dog that you aren't the alpha dog but a submissive.

cashmonee

This may work well with smaller dogs, but I fear would be a very bad idea with most of the dogs I run into on country roads. Most of those dogs are rottweilers, pitbulls, and bulldogs. Many of these have been trained to be mean (People around here have a weird fascination with vicious dogs). I don't think I want to stare down any of those breeds. I also don't think I want to try to outrun them either. In fact, I am fortunate that they are almost always behind fences or tied up, but I do not know what I would do if the broke loose.

cyccommute 

It works with every dog I've every run across. I've toured extensively in the US and a loaded touring bike isn't something that you can 'sprint' away from a dog with. I don't look at the breed of the dog but only at the dog. The dog may be trained to be mean but they still are trained to answer to someone higher up the food chain. You just have to establish in the dog's mind where you are in that chain.

spock

You can't "scare off" dogs. They are chasing you because they are already scared.

cashmonee

This is flat out not true. My wife's uncle has a Cão de Fila de São Miguel (Azores Cattle Dog) that is loyal only to the uncle. One morning I was in their kitchen drinking coffee looking out the window when the dog attempted to come through the window because he thought I was intruding. The thing is rather dangerous and would gladly show you who is boss if you tried to stare him down. It would be a very bad idea to try to show dominance. There wouldn't be time. With a dog such as this, I suspect pepper spray would be your best chance. Disable it long enough to get away.

Your suggestions assume the dog will just accept its place. My experience with aggressive dogs is that they will not easily give up the alpha position.

cyccommute 

No dog that is chasing you is 'scared'. They aren't scared when they are chasing rabbits, squirrels, cars or bicyclists. They are chasing prey. If you aren't prey, they won't chase you.

Any dog that doesn't accept its place is a dog that won't last long. I wouldn't put up with a dog that is as aggressive as your wife's uncle's dog nor will most of society. All it takes is one bit and the dog will be put down and your wife's uncle will find himself on the wrong end of legal proceedings...civil and criminal.

And, if the dog is as aggressive as you say, I'd not take my eyes off him for a second. I'd stare him straight in the face and keep my back to something so that he couldn't sneak around behind me. Dogs don't usually make frontal attacks.

cashmonee

I don't disagree that he should not have a dog like that. Many of the friends and family of my wife have these dogs (they are from the Azores) and pretty much without fail, they are loyal to their master and little else. Also, in my area, pitbulls are very popular. Now pitbulls can be wonderful dogs (as can the Azores Cattle Dog), but unfortunately, most people around here do not train them properly, or train them for fighting.

Whether you agree with that practice or not is irrelevant. The fact remains that these animals are out there, and if they get loose while cycling by, they will have to be dealt with. In my experience, trying to show them who's boss is not the best course. The dog will not simply cede to your demands because you tell it to. They are trained for the exact opposite. Guard dogs would be pretty useless if all you had to do was raise your arms and stare them down. I would say either try to take a non-threatening position, or use pepper spray to try to disable them temporarily. The best solution though is to try to be as aware of your surroundings as possible and try to avoid the situation all together.

cocar

Not going to argue with you. This is just simply incorrect. Good luck with your bite wounds.

tagaproject6

And here we go

:

AdamSean

The first thing we do around here is yell, "BAD DOG!!!!" If that doesn't work, I will squirt a water bottle at them and that almost always works. Never try to outrun a dog. It is their natural instinct to chase things and they can cause you to crash horribly. Some guys around here carry dog spray. That always works!

danmc

More importantly, what lube is best for your chain when trying to outrun the dog, and is it better to be wearing shorts or bibs when you're being chased?

cyccommute 

Been riding for 30+ years. Never been bitten. Hardly ever get chased because I stop and defuse the situation.

Yup. I'm amazed at the number of people who can't understand that dogs are well aware of where they stand in the grand scheme of things and act accordingly.

tagaproject6

And did you get that from your LBS or did you order it on line?

spock

No dog is dumb enough to wanna eat a bicycle, let alone a car... If that's what you mean by "pray"... Prey is not the only reason dogs chase after something...

I think it's mostly your fault if dogs chase after you. They are sensitive to certain human emotions... If you attitude is "cool" while riding, no dog will chase after you.

If you see a dog and you think, "OMG, what am I gonna do if it chases me. I am real tense and scared now".. Dog is more than likely to charge in that situation than if you think, "wow, what a cool dog, Hey there sparky". See the difference? You get what you put out, well, most of the time.

danmc

What about a mirror? Should you wear a mirror to track the dog, or is it better to turn your head?

cyccommute 

You don't deal with them by rolling over and exposing your soft underside...which is exactly what you do if you are a submissive member of a dog's pack. And dogs do simply cede to your demands because they have been trained to cede to someone's demands. If you yell loudly at them and in a commanding voice, they become confused as to what your role in their life is. If they won't cede to your demands...and it happens..., you do as I said above...hit them in the nose while keeping your eyes on their every move but do not try to run away from them. They will chase fleeing prey which is what you are when you try to run.

Shimagnolo

Nice theory, but what about the dog you never see, and don't even know he is there until he sinks his teeth into your thigh?
(It happened while running, not cycling).
No barks, no growls, just attacked from behind.

spock

That is an excellent question.