bikebreak

https://www.slate.com/articles/sports...s_.single.html

nothing to do with cycling, but points out that dogs cannot outrun human joggers since dogs overheat after a mile and cannot pant and run at the same time.

The implication for cyclists is that a good dog avoidance strategy is distance, assuming the dog is not coming at you head on.

Booger1

Humans that can outrun dogs.....I'd pay to see that....

You ain't going to outrun any REAL dog.....Maybe a little rat dog.

You would be lucky to outrun one on your bike if it really wants you.

KonAaron Snake 

The key there was the distance involved...it might not be able to go faster than you over the course of 2km, but it can sprint to catch you well before that's relevant.

turbo1889

Apparently the writer of the article and the poster who posted it here has never seen what a good long distance running hunting dog can do. I'm talking about the kind of dogs they use up here in my state to hunt Mountain Lions. Sometimes the dogs will have to chase the mountain lion for ten miles or more after they get on the scent of the trail before they tree it.

What a load of &*#%^@$^@$ @!^^&@ !%$^ @&%*&2 @$^@6 Q!$TR@#Y@ &^#*#^& !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I especially like the authors article referencing how far wild dogs will chase prey. What a stupid comparison, wild dogs who are hunting for food are smart enough to make the easy kills.

phoebeisis

What BS- claiming horses can only do 20 km/d 12 miles a day-similar BS for dogs
According to the below horses do 100 miles(160 km) IN 10 HOURS with some lard butt human on board! Besides what would happen to those 42 km running humans if they wasn't at LEAST 15 lbs of CLEAN water available? We pay a price for dumping that heat load-water LOTS of water has to be available- Humans hunt with "smarts" meaning organization and tools-running a animal to exhaustion-not an energy or water efficient strategy-stupid strategy-ambush animal follow-(walking)- blood trail-exactly the way humans-all humans-hunt now!! Ambush wound wait follow blood trail(walking)

Endurance riding is an equestrian sport based on controlled long-distance races. It is one of the international competitions recognized by the FEI. There are endurance rides worldwide.
There are two main types of long-distance riding, competitive trail riding and endurance rides. In an endurance ride, discussed in this article, the winning horse is the first one to cross the finish line while stopping periodically to pass a veterinary check that deems the animal in good health and fit to continue. In the United States, most endurance rides are either 50 or 100 miles (160 km) long. Shorter rides, called Limited Distance Competition, are organized for new riders to the sport or young horses being trained. There are also a few longer, usually multi-day, rides run as well. As with human marathon running, many riders will participate to improve their horse's personal best performance and consider finishing the distance with a proper vet completion record to be a "win". In the USA, the American Endurance Ride Conference (AERC) sanctions endurance rides. In the UK, Endurance GB is the governing body. Winning riders complete 100-mile (160 km) rides in 10–12 hours.

phoebeisis

Beagles-25 lbs dogs-run for hours-
Tiny JACK Russels- Hussain Bolt sprint fast- and they can run rest run rest miles and miles hour after hour.
Sled dogs drag sleds and fat ass humans 50 miles day-through snow drifts soft snow-gaining 1000's of feet of altitude -for 10 days in a row.
use 5000 calories a day weighing just 40 lbs or so

How far fast do camels go?? Long way-loaded-I think-without much water-humans-if they ran a marathon a day-no water for 3 days-they would die -pretty sure camels can do 80 miles in 3 days-no water

david58

Sorry, but the "rat dog" that lives at my house would eat half your calf if you tried to run from him, and only quit eating because he was full. Or, if you stopped and offered to scratch his ear or toss his ball, he'd be your friend for life.

Maybe my active dogs are scientific anomalies, but both can run and pant, or run and bark, or if they have to, run and bite. And I don't think they are really that unusual - you'd better be fast...

loneviking61

Darn right you'd better be fast! My black and tan menace (Doberman cross) has run down and caught Jackrabbits. I run her almost every day on a bike and she can pant and run with no problem at all---mile after mile.

Now, if you have a fast bike, you're in shape, and it's a fat yard dog trying to catch you, most of those give up within a hundred yards or so. But a dog that's in shape and loves to run, you're dead meat!

Jimi77

That has to be the stupidest and most clearly flawed article I've ever read - as anybody who has ever jogged with their dog can confirm dogs are great long distance runners.

enigmaT120

I have, but when I was training for an ultra, I had to leave my dog at home. Anything over 10 miles and she couldn't keep up.

david58

You just didn't have the right shoes for her....

turbo1889

I don't doubt for a moment that your telling the truth, Your dog vs. You at 10-miles your endurance exceeds that of your dog.


But to use that to claim that any person can just start running when attacked by a vicious dangerous dog and they should be able to outrun the dog. Something the OP is at least suggesting is ludicrous. On a bicycle (which generally allows greater speed then on foot) with some dogs, yes that strategy can work, but there are no guarantees of that.


I've outrun a few dogs on a pedal only bicycle myself a few times, usually either dogs with short legs or fat lazy dogs, and it rarely was uphill. I just dont' count on being able to do so and if the dog is a good runner I don't try because that only encourages them and increases their aggressiveness even further since you are that point prey that is running faster trying to get away. Unless I can tell that I have a very good chance of quickly outrunning the dog I don't try too. I'd much rather have a head on face off with my feet firmly planted on the ground and the bike between me and the dog as a shield and other alternatives ready to go if things get really serious then by pounced on and crash at speed and be tangled up in the bike and down with the dog on top chewing on me. BEEN THERE DONE THAT, having a doctor try to patch up mangled flesh and commenting on the teeth marks that are actually dug in deep enough to leave marks in the bones of your vertebrae at the back of your neck is not a situation I care to repeat. That along with trying to keep my chin tucked in tight to my chest to protect the front of my neck from a snarling biting dog trying to force its snot in to get a bite there and getting teeth and scratch marks on the face and chin from the dog trying to pry the head up to get at the front of the throat and having to literally kill a dog with my bare hands by clamping its body between my legs and twisting its head the opposite direction with both arms with every ounce of strength and adrenaline I have.

No thanks, I'm not getting taken down at speed from a flanking lunge side pounce just like a wolf takes down a deer that puts me at the bottom of the fight from the get-go. I'll stop and stand my ground and start the fight if there is going to be one on top rather then on bottom ~ thank you very much. And, oh yes, if a fight does start I much prefer significantly better fighting options then just my bare hands and where-ever and when-ever legal I'll be equipped accordingly where there is a chance of getting attacked by a dog while cycling. If the only thing I can legally use is a freeking survival camping knife but one that is tough enough and a non-folder to do the job, the kind with the hollow handle that holds matches and a compass built into the back end of the handle and one side of the blade a cutting edge and the other side a wood hand saw edge like when I took a ride up north into Canada, yes I'll at least have that. Never again, that's how I feel about being taken down by a dog while cycling and getting all chewed up and having to fight my way back up from being crashed on the pavement at speed with the dog on top.

Northwestrider

LOL out run a dog LOL

phoebeisis

If anyone calls say a jack Russell-a RAT DOG-
Hmmm-those little suckers-accelerate like dragsters-much faster than a bike-and I'm pretty sure they can hit very close to 30 mph
aggressive too
In the right weather-many canines and wolves coyotes too- could out endure human runners
Horses camels-same story
Some bears can cover lots of distance too. Deer like animals also.
Only in very narrow envelope-hot humid climate WITH PLENTY of potable water-could humans out endure animals-and probably never out endure camels
Of course only STUPID humans would use this strategy over-ambush-wound-follow(walking)-which is how humans ALWAYS hunt and hunted.

enigmaT120

Oh yeah, I forgot about that part of this thread. Dogs don't give you a hundred yard head start. I can't outsprint most dogs even on my bike either. Probably none, on foot.

ItsJustMe

You can outrun a dog long distance. But you're not going to ever get the chance if the dog has intent to harm you. It only has to close the distance once.

Also assumes that the weather is warm enough that the dog will overheat. For months out of the year around here a dog could run all day without overheating.

phoebeisis

Right-even to out endure a dog-requires pretty narrow temp range
Last 100,000 plus year we have been in and out of ice ages-probably not terribly hot even in Africa(other than day time in deserts close to equator)

The usual claim of these "endurance hunting" folks is it happened when we were evolving in AFRICA-warm usually
but by this time we-humans- were using tools-meaning pointed rocks sticks etc-so only idiots would try running a deer to exhaustion-when they could use culture(weapons and organization) to ambush injure follow trail-sooo much more efficient in terms of energy and water requirement. Not as if there is gallons of nice clean water available every mile or so in those temps-you need maybe 1/2 to one lb of water per mile run.
Plus maybe 100 calories EXTRA per mile run-
Only people who have never given hunting a thought would think early humans would be THAT STUPID.
-stupid inefficient(calories and water) strategy

Flying Merkel

My greyhounds will run you down in 50 yards without trying. A Borzoi can run along side a horse for 10 miles, then take off & catch a wolf.

Most dogs just want you out of their territory

danmc

I rarely ever get chased by dogs. Only a couple of times a year. But yesterday I was finishing my ride on a pretty busy road, when a little pipsqueak dog came bolting out of a yard across the road. The owner started freaking out and screaming at the top of her lungs. I looked back and this little dog was trucking it right behind me. I didn't want to see the dog get hit, so decided to stop so the dog would quit the chase. The little dog came up to me and I reached down to see if I could keep it out of the road until the owner came to retrieve it (yes, I am stupid) and it bit at me. I had gloves on and the bite wasn't much so it didn't really do anything, but then I realized my stupidity and said "F*** it dog, you're on your own" and continued on.