Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Recumbent
Reload this Page >

Dealing with Aggressive Dogs on Your Ride?

Notices
Recumbent What IS that thing?! Recumbents may be odd looking, but they have many advantages over a "wedgie" bicycle. Discuss the in's and out's recumbent lifestyle in the recumbent forum.

Dealing with Aggressive Dogs on Your Ride?

Old 08-25-22, 07:26 AM
  #1  
newbert
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Queensbury, NY
Posts: 177
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 47 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 17 Times in 16 Posts
Dealing with Aggressive Dogs on Your Ride?

I've occasionally encountered aggressive dogs on my recumbent e-trike ride (I live in a rural area.). Until now, I've been able to quickly scoot away by gunning the throttle. However I recently switched to a Bosch e-motor that does not have a throttle, and I know that I won't be able to accelerate away fast enough on my own during any future encounters.

So, I recently purchased this dog repellant. But now I need suggestions on where to carry or mount on my trike for quick access (and I do mean quick). It comes with a clip attached that's designed for a mail carrier to carry on their pocket. But that isn't practical when riding a tadpole trike.

So can anyone offer any suggestions on how to have this "at-the-ready" in case of emergency? Or any alternative ideas to deal with aggressive dogs on your recumbent rides?

Thanks!
newbert is offline  
Old 08-25-22, 07:39 AM
  #2  
GhostRider62
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2021
Posts: 4,083
Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2332 Post(s)
Liked 2,094 Times in 1,311 Posts
I used double sided velco to attach it to the stem steerer thingie on my bent. Pretty hard to deploy quickly enough. I generally dismount and use the bike as a shield walking

On an upright the dog gets your leg, on my bent the dog's teeth and my face are at eye level and it is terrifying to be honest. A Rotweiler almost got me as did a Pit. I did not have time to do anything other than swerve into traffic and across the road with the Rotweiler. Owner says, "Oops, sorry"
GhostRider62 is offline  
Old 08-25-22, 11:53 AM
  #3  
cat0020
Ride more, eat less
 
cat0020's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Philla PA, Hoboken NJ, Brooklyn NY
Posts: 2,069

Bikes: Too many but never enough.

Mentioned: 8 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 713 Post(s)
Liked 726 Times in 448 Posts
Most dogs are barks but no bite.
I usually slow down before the encounter and accelerate quickly when dog is about 10 ft. away,
surprise acceleration and sustained speed, usually dog would lose interest when it can't catch up quickly.
A good squirt from water bottle is usually a good deterrent, aiming can be difficult if you have weird steering arrangement.
cat0020 is offline  
Old 08-25-22, 01:52 PM
  #4  
GhostRider62
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2021
Posts: 4,083
Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2332 Post(s)
Liked 2,094 Times in 1,311 Posts
Originally Posted by cat0020
Most dogs are barks but no bite.
I usually slow down before the encounter and accelerate quickly when dog is about 10 ft. away,
surprise acceleration and sustained speed, usually dog would lose interest when it can't catch up quickly.
A good squirt from water bottle is usually a good deterrent, aiming can be difficult if you have weird steering arrangement.
You can outsprint a dog with a mere 10 foot lead.

HaHa.

Very ridiculous post you made there.
GhostRider62 is offline  
Likes For GhostRider62:
Old 08-25-22, 02:01 PM
  #5  
Inusuit
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2020
Location: SE Wyoming
Posts: 607

Bikes: 1995 Specialized Rockhopper,1989 Specialized Rock Combo, 2013 Specialized Tarmac Elite

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 213 Post(s)
Liked 588 Times in 278 Posts
The dogs I encounter are faster than that and sometimes need two shots of pepper spray to break off the chase. Water doesn't do it.
Inusuit is offline  
Old 08-25-22, 02:17 PM
  #6  
cat0020
Ride more, eat less
 
cat0020's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Philla PA, Hoboken NJ, Brooklyn NY
Posts: 2,069

Bikes: Too many but never enough.

Mentioned: 8 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 713 Post(s)
Liked 726 Times in 448 Posts
You failed to read the part about slowing down before the encounter.

Originally Posted by GhostRider62
You can outsprint a dog with a mere 10 foot lead.

HaHa.

Very ridiculous post you made there.
cat0020 is offline  
Old 08-25-22, 03:02 PM
  #7  
newbert
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Queensbury, NY
Posts: 177
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 47 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 17 Times in 16 Posts
Originally Posted by GhostRider62
I used double sided velco to attach it to the stem steerer thingie on my bent. Pretty hard to deploy quickly enough. I generally dismount and use the bike as a shield walking

On an upright the dog gets your leg, on my bent the dog's teeth and my face are at eye level and it is terrifying to be honest. A Rotweiler almost got me as did a Pit. I did not have time to do anything other than swerve into traffic and across the road with the Rotweiler. Owner says, "Oops, sorry"
Exactly! Thanks for your suggestion!
newbert is offline  
Old 08-25-22, 03:52 PM
  #8  
GhostRider62
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2021
Posts: 4,083
Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2332 Post(s)
Liked 2,094 Times in 1,311 Posts
Originally Posted by cat0020
You failed to read the part about slowing down before the encounter.
No, I read it. Slowing down only makes your post more preposterous. A bent is slow to accelerate whereas a dog is very fast to accelerate. Most dogs top out at 22-25 mph, I can hit 35 mph on my bent and if I am going along at 20+ mph, I am confident to out sprint almost all dogs. If I decide to slow down, it is to dismount and deal with the mutt face to face. Your advice to slow down and then quickly accelerate is stupid.

It sounds like you have very little experience dealing with aggressive dogs.
GhostRider62 is offline  
Likes For GhostRider62:
Old 08-25-22, 04:37 PM
  #9  
cat0020
Ride more, eat less
 
cat0020's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Philla PA, Hoboken NJ, Brooklyn NY
Posts: 2,069

Bikes: Too many but never enough.

Mentioned: 8 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 713 Post(s)
Liked 726 Times in 448 Posts
Originally Posted by GhostRider62
No, I read it. Slowing down only makes your post more preposterous. A bent is slow to accelerate whereas a dog is very fast to accelerate. Most dogs top out at 22-25 mph, I can hit 35 mph on my bent and if I am going along at 20+ mph, I am confident to out sprint almost all dogs. If I decide to slow down, it is to dismount and deal with the mutt face to face. Your advice to slow down and then quickly accelerate is stupid.

It sounds like you have very little experience dealing with aggressive dogs.
LOL, in my 20+ years of riding recumbents, it's the opposite.
How many years have you ridden recumbents and how many times have you encountered aggressive dogs?

When you slow down in front of an aggressive animal, they stop completely to asses the threat approaching.
I never said to slow down completely, you assume too much. Learn to read.
Just because you disagree with my experience, can't imagine how to execute a "slow down then accelerate to evade from aggressive animal" maneuver on your recumbent; doesn't mean that my experience and suggestion is stupid.

Last edited by cat0020; 08-25-22 at 05:06 PM.
cat0020 is offline  
Old 08-25-22, 09:50 PM
  #10  
linberl
Senior Member
 
linberl's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: SF Bay Area
Posts: 3,460

Bikes: Trident Spike 2 recumbent trike w/ e-assist

Mentioned: 25 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1321 Post(s)
Liked 374 Times in 288 Posts
I don't live in a rural area. I was riding along the path next to a local park and two unleashed dogs started chasing me on my trike, one growling. The owners were sitting right there!!!! Fortunately I have a throttle as well as pedal assist on my motor so I was able to blast ahead and the dogs let up. But the stupid entitled owners (and I am a hard core dog lover) acted like it was my fault and were so surprised when I yelled at them to leash their dogs. So I was reading this interested in terms of whether I should carry something to deter dogs. But I"m not sure it wouldn't blow back in my face or just miss them entirely. I've never felt so vulnerable, having recently switched from a DF to a trike, and never had an issue with my 2 wheelers. I do think the trike gets more attention from dogs in general, maybe motion more at their level?
linberl is offline  
Old 09-14-22, 09:12 PM
  #11  
easyupbug 
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 2,652

Bikes: too many sparkly Italians, some sweet Americans and a couple interesting Japanese

Mentioned: 9 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 560 Post(s)
Liked 546 Times in 396 Posts
What state are you in, most states have leash laws and locals need to inforce with what appears to be mixed results. I ride in AZ, OR, and WA which have leash laws and they try to control. In Wy no laws but again people try to be good about it.
easyupbug is offline  
Old 09-14-22, 09:27 PM
  #12  
10 Wheels
Galveston County Texas
 
10 Wheels's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: In The Wind
Posts: 33,220

Bikes: 02 GTO, 2011 Magnum

Mentioned: 18 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1346 Post(s)
Liked 1,235 Times in 616 Posts
Originally Posted by linberl
I don't live in a rural area. I was riding along the path next to a local park and two unleashed dogs started chasing me on my trike, one growling. The owners were sitting right there!!!! Fortunately I have a throttle as well as pedal assist on my motor so I was able to blast ahead and the dogs let up. But the stupid entitled owners (and I am a hard core dog lover) acted like it was my fault and were so surprised when I yelled at them to leash their dogs. So I was reading this interested in terms of whether I should carry something to deter dogs. But I"m not sure it wouldn't blow back in my face or just miss them entirely. I've never felt so vulnerable, having recently switched from a DF to a trike, and never had an issue with my 2 wheelers. I do think the trike gets more attention from dogs in general, maybe motion more at their level?
Get a Marine Air Horn, mount on your Right mirror post.
__________________
Fred "The Real Fred"

10 Wheels is offline  
Likes For 10 Wheels:
Old 09-14-22, 09:47 PM
  #13  
linberl
Senior Member
 
linberl's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: SF Bay Area
Posts: 3,460

Bikes: Trident Spike 2 recumbent trike w/ e-assist

Mentioned: 25 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1321 Post(s)
Liked 374 Times in 288 Posts
I don't understand how an air horn will help, I have an Airzhound which is loud and while it calls attention, I don't see it stopping a dog charging at you. Is there something else that one does besides make a loud noise?
linberl is offline  
Old 09-14-22, 09:53 PM
  #14  
10 Wheels
Galveston County Texas
 
10 Wheels's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: In The Wind
Posts: 33,220

Bikes: 02 GTO, 2011 Magnum

Mentioned: 18 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1346 Post(s)
Liked 1,235 Times in 616 Posts
Originally Posted by linberl
I don't understand how an air horn will help, I have an Airzhound which is loud and while it calls attention, I don't see it stopping a dog charging at you. Is there something else that one does besides make a loud noise?
It will Stop Them. Wait till they get Close and Blast the Horn.
__________________
Fred "The Real Fred"

10 Wheels is offline  
Old 09-14-22, 11:06 PM
  #15  
linberl
Senior Member
 
linberl's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: SF Bay Area
Posts: 3,460

Bikes: Trident Spike 2 recumbent trike w/ e-assist

Mentioned: 25 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1321 Post(s)
Liked 374 Times in 288 Posts
I have to admit I am looking for a solution to keep them from getting that close. Being low down on a recumbent trike, I'm an easy target for a charging dog. And I don't want to discover the horn won't stop a charging Pittie or Dobie, etc.
linberl is offline  
Old 09-15-22, 06:00 AM
  #16  
Kai Winters
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Northern NY...Brownville
Posts: 2,556

Bikes: Specialized Aethos, Specialized Diverge Comp E5

Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 234 Post(s)
Liked 444 Times in 257 Posts
I use a bit of electric wire, the in wall kind, that is bent into a hook and dangles from my h'bars. I just grab and pull. The wire straightens and pulls right off for a quick blast.

Last edited by Trsnrtr; 09-15-22 at 02:11 PM. Reason: Deleted spraying owner comment. Sorry.
Kai Winters is offline  
Old 09-16-22, 06:56 PM
  #17  
DeadGrandpa
Senior Member
 
DeadGrandpa's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Carolina
Posts: 1,209

Bikes: Too many, yet not enough.

Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 491 Post(s)
Liked 307 Times in 198 Posts
Bear spray. The fog is easy to aim and effective at 15 feet or more. A half second blast is more than enough to stop a dog in his tracks. None that I've sprayed have ever chased me again. I recommend carrying on a cross body strap.
DeadGrandpa is offline  
Likes For DeadGrandpa:
Old 09-16-22, 08:14 PM
  #18  
newbert
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Queensbury, NY
Posts: 177
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 47 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 17 Times in 16 Posts
Originally Posted by DeadGrandpa
Bear spray. The fog is easy to aim and effective at 15 feet or more. A half second blast is more than enough to stop a dog in his tracks. None that I've sprayed have ever chased me again. I recommend carrying on a cross body strap.
I'd love to try Bear Spray. Unfortunately, it seems to be illegal in NY State, and Amazon won't ship it here...... (I don't understand that since we definitely do have bears around here....)
newbert is offline  
Old 09-16-22, 08:37 PM
  #19  
jon c. 
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Tallahassee, FL
Posts: 4,812
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1591 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1,015 Times in 570 Posts
The bears in NY have a strong lobby.
jon c. is offline  
Old 09-16-22, 10:58 PM
  #20  
linberl
Senior Member
 
linberl's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: SF Bay Area
Posts: 3,460

Bikes: Trident Spike 2 recumbent trike w/ e-assist

Mentioned: 25 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1321 Post(s)
Liked 374 Times in 288 Posts
Originally Posted by DeadGrandpa
Bear spray. The fog is easy to aim and effective at 15 feet or more. A half second blast is more than enough to stop a dog in his tracks. None that I've sprayed have ever chased me again. I recommend carrying on a cross body strap.
if it's really windy can it blow back on you and if so will it hurt the person spraying? It's often quite windy where I ride and I worry about blow back.
linberl is offline  
Old 09-17-22, 04:47 AM
  #21  
DeadGrandpa
Senior Member
 
DeadGrandpa's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Carolina
Posts: 1,209

Bikes: Too many, yet not enough.

Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 491 Post(s)
Liked 307 Times in 198 Posts
Originally Posted by linberl
if it's really windy can it blow back on you and if so will it hurt the person spraying? It's often quite windy where I ride and I worry about blow back.
It does deploy as a fog, not a stream. Wind definitely will blow it and even a tiny bit is extremely unpleasant and probably incapacitating. If other people are nearby, they will likely be affected. In populated sections of an MUP, I would not recommend using it at all. The person who sprays the chemical bears full responsibility for every droplet coming out of the can. You should only use it when NO other people are nearby. Usually dog owners on an MUP use leashes. You shouldn't spray a leashed dog.

My personal use has been in very rural areas. In those cases, my policy is that a dog chasing me but staying on the shoulder is not a threat. If it comes onto the pavement within a certain distance, it is a threat.
​​​​​​
It's not going to blow back into your face.unless you spray it directly into the wind. Plus, I assume you would be in motion at the time of use. Really, it sprays a fog to a distance of 15-20 feet, with approximately a two foot diameter of the fog. The wind will disperse it, so you would want to keep moving away from that area. If you get a whiff of it, you'll find out why it's so effective against dogs and bears, as they are hundreds of times more sensitive to it than we are. If you manage to find a place to buy it, don't be too quick to use it. It's for emergency use only.

Last edited by DeadGrandpa; 09-17-22 at 05:01 AM.
DeadGrandpa is offline  
Old 09-17-22, 09:26 AM
  #22  
linberl
Senior Member
 
linberl's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: SF Bay Area
Posts: 3,460

Bikes: Trident Spike 2 recumbent trike w/ e-assist

Mentioned: 25 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1321 Post(s)
Liked 374 Times in 288 Posts
Originally Posted by DeadGrandpa
It does deploy as a fog, not a stream. Wind definitely will blow it and even a tiny bit is extremely unpleasant and probably incapacitating. If other people are nearby, they will likely be affected. In populated sections of an MUP, I would not recommend using it at all. The person who sprays the chemical bears full responsibility for every droplet coming out of the can. You should only use it when NO other people are nearby. Usually dog owners on an MUP use leashes. You shouldn't spray a leashed dog.

My personal use has been in very rural areas. In those cases, my policy is that a dog chasing me but staying on the shoulder is not a threat. If it comes onto the pavement within a certain distance, it is a threat.
​​​​​​
It's not going to blow back into your face.unless you spray it directly into the wind. Plus, I assume you would be in motion at the time of use. Really, it sprays a fog to a distance of 15-20 feet, with approximately a two foot diameter of the fog. The wind will disperse it, so you would want to keep moving away from that area. If you get a whiff of it, you'll find out why it's so effective against dogs and bears, as they are hundreds of times more sensitive to it than we are. If you manage to find a place to buy it, don't be too quick to use it. It's for emergency use only.
Ahh, well then it won't work for me. My urban bike paths often cross or surround parks where people have dog off-leash (illegally). Too many people around to use something like that. I need to find a different solution for dogs that aren't trained to recall and aren't trained to not chase bikes. Unfortunately many adults have untrained dogs but think if the dog sometimes looks at them when the call their name over and over, they are trained, lol.
linberl is offline  
Old 10-01-22, 09:19 AM
  #23  
BentBug
Newbie
 
Join Date: Oct 2022
Posts: 2
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
After my first rural 'chased by a dog' encounter, I found the Halt pepper spray newbert mentioned and a plastic handle bar clip that looks like 2 letter Cs attached at 90° angles. One C snaps on your handle bar, the other holds the pepper spray can. Quick & easy to remove for dog use & easy to switch bike to bike. I can seem to find the clip anywhere, but perhaps an open (c-shaped, flexible material) flashlight mount would work? Check the fit/diameter, sorry can't post a pic yet.
BentBug is offline  
Old 11-26-22, 04:00 PM
  #24  
dixonge
Newbie
 
dixonge's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: On the road
Posts: 28

Bikes: Schwinn 27.5 AL Comp

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
One thing that we found that worked w/ dogs (upright, not recumbent) is a taser. They can hear the sparking and smell the ozone and they pull up. Never had to actually hit one with it, but nice to have it just in case. Works the same when walking.
dixonge is offline  
Old 11-26-22, 04:50 PM
  #25  
rumrunn6
Senior Member
 
rumrunn6's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: 25 miles northwest of Boston
Posts: 29,527

Bikes: Bottecchia Sprint, GT Timberline 29r, Marin Muirwoods 29er, Trek FX Alpha 7.0

Mentioned: 112 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5218 Post(s)
Liked 3,564 Times in 2,331 Posts
dogs don't have to be aggressive to be a nuisance. if they are unleashed & wildly jumping about, they can wind up like a squirrel in the spokes

rumrunn6 is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.