# Encounter with a dog...



## cdsmith (Apr 13, 2008)

Went for a short ride Sunday - had to race away from a dog that seemed to want to do me harm! I've been by this place a bunch of times without seeing a dog, so I was rather surprised!

So the question is... Does anyone have a suggestion for deterring a dog from chasing you? 

cd


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## Spart (May 27, 2008)

Dogs just piss me off when riding! I'd be interested in some replies also.


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## eyezlee (Nov 28, 2009)

I just shift to a smaller ring out back stand up and stomp till I'm clear. I ride out in the country so I'm always looking for the dog that sprinting from the front porch.


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## roscoe (Mar 9, 2010)

dogs don't understand changing speeds, if you slow or speed up by a large enough amount you'll make it really hard for them to chase you

ideally you slow (the dog will change attack angle to get you at slow speed), then hammer it and you'll be clear


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## dougcripplcrkman30 (May 19, 2010)

*Dog Encounter*

Not An Animal Cruleity Man-but A Good Shot Of "pepper Spray"
Works Pretty Well, Believe Me And It Has No Lasting Damage To The
Dog, Guarantee If He Sees You Again He Will Think About What Happened Last Time He Chased You. I Use To Deliver Mail-the Spray Worked For Me
Most Of The Time. :d


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## roscoe (Mar 9, 2010)

dougcripplcrkman30 said:


> Not An Animal Cruleity Man-but A Good Shot Of "pepper Spray"
> Works Pretty Well, Believe Me And It Has No Lasting Damage To The
> Dog, Guarantee If He Sees You Again He Will Think About What Happened Last Time He Chased You. I Use To Deliver Mail-the Spray Worked For Me
> Most Of The Time. :d



that looks like it was hard to do


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## AZ.MTNS (Jun 29, 2009)

Quick shot of water from water bottle .


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## TheMarz (Jul 9, 2009)

If heard a few different things from stopping and putting your bike between you and the dog to slapping it with a frame pump. Use your best judgement at the time


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## Jerry-rigged (Jul 24, 2009)

AZ.MTNS said:


> Quick shot of water from water bottle .


^^^ this works better than most people believe. Wait till they are about 6' out and hit them in the face, they will stop dead in thier tracks...  

As a plus, it won't piss off the owner you didn't see sitting on the porch, as would pepper spray, or a wack with a frame pump. As for not wanting to piss of the owner, angry ******** driving pickups on country back roads scare me when I am on my bike. :mad2:


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## d365 (Sep 17, 2008)

*yell NO or squirt with waterbottle*

I encounter dogs on almost all my rides. Most dogs just want to chase for the fun of the chase. Some just to warn you away from their territory, and a very, very few actually want to bite you. - I can usually tell by the bark, what kind of dog I'm dealing with. Chasing with no barking = watch out, and be ready.

Most of the time, I just keep riding, and pay them no attention, but other times....
I swerve toward them, yelling an aggressive NO. 98% of the time, this is all it takes. If they continue to chase, I squirt them with my waterbottle. This works 99.999% of the time, and I don't have to do it very often. On my newest route, I had a couple of dogs that I had to squirt with the bottle, but after that, just grabbing the bottle would be enough. Now they don't even get off the porch anymore.

If all else fails, or you really feel threatened - stop, and put the bike between you and the dog. Show no fear. At this point, if they don't quickly get bored and give up, or continue to come at you - use your bike or something as a weapon... cause it's on. 

I've been cycling for 30+ years, and have had countless dog encounters, and I've only had to get off my bike twice.... and only once, did I actually feel the need to defend myself by throwing rocks, and I never had a problem with that dog again. The other dog, that I got off my bike for, I ended up petting before I left. I still haven't encountered the dog that is just hell bent on attacking me, and will stop at nothing - I think most dogs of this attacking nature are kept in confinement by their owners, for fear of being sued, etc..

Just dogs being dogs for the most part. I'm a dog person, though, so I don't get easily flustered by them, and have an understanding of their body language, etc. Some people are just scared of dogs, even if they're not aggressive. I've seen people on my group ride totally freak out about a dog running along and barking, while staying 10 feet away.... I think they're silly.


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## Ridgetop (Mar 1, 2005)

Twelve gauge mossberg defender. Alternating rounds of 4 buck and sabot slugs.




Of course you can always just squirt with a water bottle or dismount and put the bike between you and the dog screaming at 'em. That works too.


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## kykr13 (Apr 12, 2008)

You could just avoid that road. I know a few troublemakers and sometimes will avoid a road just because of that, but it's not always an option. Yelling "no" or "stay" has almost always worked for me. You can try to sprint, but some dogs are surprisingly fast. Water bottle is a good one I'll probably need some day.

As far as pepper spray, I'm just not going to do that. Sure, I'm a dog lover so take that for what it's worth - but think about wind direction, seeing as you won't want to spray this stuff in _your_ face. Can you get it out, aim, shoot and not get any on _you_ while you're riding and your adreneline surges because a dog is 3' away? I don't think I could. If it comes to that kind of situation, I'll be off the bike with it between me and the dog.


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## d365 (Sep 17, 2008)

kykr13 said:


> As far as pepper spray, I'm just not going to do that. Sure, I'm a dog lover so take that for what it's worth - but think about wind direction, seeing as you won't want to spray this stuff in _your_ face. Can you get it out, aim, shoot and not get any on _you_ while you're riding and your adreneline surges because a dog is 3' away? I don't think I could. If it comes to that kind of situation, I'll be off the bike with it between me and the dog.


A couple of weeks ago, we had a couple of new guys show up to a weekly group ride. We were coming up to a place that sometimes has these 2 yapper dogs that run out. So somebody warned the new guys....and one of them pulls out his can of pepper spray.:yikes: 

I was like holly s#*t, I'm about to get maced. I could just see this kid blinding the whole group. Everybody started yelling "no, no, no, no" WTF. Luckily, no dogs came out.


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## JimT (Jul 18, 2007)

I normally just talk to the dogs in a nice voice asking them not to eat me and they haven't yet. I just think like was said before they are just protecting their territory and wont bit if they dont perceive a threat.


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## d26818 (Jun 8, 2010)

*dogs*

a frame pump is a great second line of defense if a squirt from your water bottls dosen't stop them  oh wait..... PETA will sue me!


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## Danger Mouse (Apr 8, 2010)

Just a word about pepper spray like the others mentioned. It can blow back your face. A police officer told us why she doesn't like using pepper spray, because of that reason. She prefers a taser.

Most other bikers told me spraying the dogs with water works just fine. I know a many people ride with some snacks or food on their bike. You could always throw that at the dog, when it goes to eat it you ride off while it's distracted.


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## COtri (Jun 11, 2010)

I've encountered dogs both when running and biking. whenever they aproach barking, i just back off, with my hands held high, most dogs wont go onto the road. but if they do, try yelling or shouting "NO!" because chances are, unless its a pug, you wont be able to outrun them


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## dougcripplcrkman30 (May 19, 2010)

*Bike Pump part, air stem*

Where can I get a air stem that attaches to the air hose at the end of the supply
line of an air pump?? Mine broke.


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## djetelina (Oct 9, 2007)

dougcripplcrkman30 said:


> Where can I get a air stem that attaches to the air hose at the end of the supply
> line of an air pump?? Mine broke.


Here: http://www.biketiresdirect.com/prod...gn=products&utm_source=google&utm_medium=base 
(out of stock at present, must be a run on them for stocking stuffers)


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## Ventruck (Mar 9, 2009)

My take is you're gonna in be the dog house unless you get it together. GTFOutta there, and use that watter bottle for you to recover afterwards.

My big issue with dogs is if they're oncoming. I really don't know if I'm going to sacrifice myself for a dog belonging to someone who apparently is careless with it. I am concerned about the dog's well-being more than how it's been raised, but will I really take a fall for it? I did once, and I was mad as hell, with the owner saying "Did my dog scare you?"


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## AtlantaR6 (Sep 9, 2010)

I have 2 waterbottles, one with water for drinking and one with draino for dogs. It blinds them for life, but luckily I've never had to use it.


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## AZ.MTNS (Jun 29, 2009)

AtlantaR6 said:


> I have 2 waterbottles, one with water for drinking and one with draino for dogs. It blinds them for life, but luckily I've never had to use it.






I really hope that you post in jest , otherwise I can only hope that you never use it .


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## frpax (Feb 13, 2010)

AtlantaR6 said:


> I have 2 waterbottles, one with water for drinking and one with draino for dogs. It blinds them for life, but luckily I've never had to use it.


That would totally suck if you got your bottles confused...:cryin: 

Also, it seems like quite an extreme measure to take, as does the shotgun mentioned earlier (in jest, I'm presuming) and the aforementioned taser. Besides, carrying around a taser just for the off chance of meeting a dog seems like a waste. 

If you cannot sprint away, and yelling at the dog doesn't do it, a squirt with a water bottle will do it nearly every time. 

Also, check your local laws. Most of the time, an owner allowing a dog loose is punishable with a fine of some sort. A visit by the local law, even if the owner is not cited, can be very effective.

Common saying, "there are no bad dogs, only bad owners". Not sure I agree with that 100%, but I think that, by and large, it is true.


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## AtlantaR6 (Sep 9, 2010)

The pink bottle has the Draino, the white one has the water. Been fine so far, and I would think that after the first sip I'd still have time to spit it out before it went down the throat. Surely you can taste the difference as soon as it hits your mouth?

It's actually safer than carrying a gun as that can go off it you fall, Draino is not illegal and can be used for dogs, muggers, etc. If you get pulled over with it all you have to do is tell the cops that you use it to clean your chain.


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## Kerry Irons (Feb 25, 2002)

*Spitting it out*



AtlantaR6 said:


> The pink bottle has the Draino, the white one has the water. Been fine so far, and I would think that after the first sip I'd still have time to spit it out before it went down the throat. Surely you can taste the difference as soon as it hits your mouth?


It may be considered completely pointless to argue with someone who rides their bike with a bottle full of concentrated sodium hydroxide, but the problem with high pH solutions is that even if you can spit it out quickly, it is so "slippery" that it is quite difficult to actually get rid of it. As an example, it is far worse to get caustic in your eyes than acid, because the acid can be so much more easily rinsed out.

What you are doing, assuming you are actually doing it, is almost unimagineable to me. The chances of you getting the caustic on yourself, your bike, your riding companions, and who knows what else is so out of line with any effect you might have on the dog it's just preposterous.


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## frpax (Feb 13, 2010)

Kerry Irons said:


> What you are doing, assuming you are actually doing it, is almost unimaginable to me. The chances of you getting the caustic on yourself, your bike, your riding companions, and who knows what else is so out of line with any effect you might have on the dog it's just preposterous.


My sentiments too... I mean, hey! It's your bike, your ride, your choice... but to permanently blind a dog for chasing you seems like the punishment doesn't fit the crime.
Plus you occupy one whole water bottle (that you cold be using for yourself) on the off chance that you have a dog encounter, AND you haven't even used the Drano (your words).

Takes all kinds to make the world go 'round, I always say...

Where I live (Phoenix, Arizona area), several of the routes out of town go through Native American Reservations. I have dog encounters on occasion when riding through the "Rez" (as we locals say), and a short squirt of water is very effective, and non-lethal. After a couple of encounters with the same dog, they get the idea and don't chase any more. Calling the cops is pointless, because they have no jurisdiction on the Rez.


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## CaliforniaPI (Sep 25, 2005)

*Pepper Spray*

A year ago I was at the end of a 60+ mile ride, I was in the cruising zone and a pit-bull shot out from a yard and started giving chase. The dog got to me as I was just starting up-hill (I know), so I sprinted up the hill, away from the dog but that night I found out what patela tenonditis felt like. It literally stopped me from riding and I was barely able to walk for a month. I didn't know if I would ever be able to ride again. Anyway I slowly healed and bought some pepper spray which I attached to my handlebars. The dog is still on my route, so I avoided the route for a while until one day I happened to ride past. Out came the dog again, one quick spray and he stopped in his tracks, he even tried to rub his face on the road. Now when I go past the dog just looks at me, he remembers, and I probably saved his life too. So as a long time cop, use the pepper spray, it also works on 2 legged predators too, and if you use it right it won't blow back on you. 

I have also used it when kids have "buzzed me" with their windows open, yelling to make me jump. The last laugh is on me, and if they stop, then the driver will be on his way to jail. They never stop, and I laugh the rest of the way home. Got to have a mirror though so you can see the AH's coming.

I am the militant cyclist (so my wife says), I got to be defensive and make them leave me and other cyclists alone.


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## qatarbhoy (Aug 17, 2009)

I was chased a week or two ago by two stray dogs while out MTBing in the desert - we get packs of strays here when people abandon pets in the wild and they are no joke.

I was too surprised and alarmed to think much but whereas I would usually hop off and put the bike between me and them, this time I rode at a gentle pace (I knew they could outrun me, they were saloukis), talked to the dogs as they ran after me ("Hello boy! Nice dog!" - very lame). I was browning my shorts but they just barked once or twice then found something else to catch their attention. They looked in good condition for strays which gave me pause as well (paws, geddit?).

It turned out they were a colleague's dogs going for walkies and he'd seen them chase me and called them back. They were just curious about this strange fast-moving (and probably smelly) object. I was glad I didn't shoot/mace/smack/blind them after that.


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## AtlantaR6 (Sep 9, 2010)

Nah, just trolling you guys. I actually wear a camelback when I ride and rely on my pedaling prowess to escape adversaries. 

Ps-I have 2 Shih Tzus and am a big dog fan.


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## ZoSoSwiM (Mar 7, 2008)

I've always had success yelling NO. I've sprayed water a few times as well.
I have had to kick a few dogs in the face though.. Carbon fiber shoes really make them think again before chasing. I wouldn't try kicking a really mean dog though.. Knowing my luck the dog would maul me. 

There have been a few dogs on various routes I've rode that always chased me. I ended up confronting the owner of one of the dogs. Pretty much told him if his dog wrecked me I'd be calling my lawyer asap and would ruin him. Considering he thought it was funny his dog was chasing me I felt it was a good statement. I was furious at the time.


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## PJ352 (Dec 5, 2007)

AtlantaR6 said:


> Nah, just trolling you guys. I actually wear a camelback when I ride and* rely on my pedaling prowess to escape adversaries. *
> 
> Ps-I have 2 Shih Tzus and am a big dog fan.


Generally speaking and IMO/E this is the best advice. Just when it's best to have both hands on the bars, many advise to grab for water bottles, sprayers, pumps.... 

In my 25+ years of road riding I've had more close encounters with four legged critters than I can recall, and in all but two instances evasive maneuvers were all it took to avoid them. In one, a Lab literally ran _into _me at a 90* angle and in another a Great Dane _outran_ me.


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## Lou3000 (Aug 25, 2010)

Dogs are the rural bike ride version of a pro cycling coach yelling at you to do an interval workout. Just imagine that pit bull is Johan Bruyneel.

I've never had to actually fight back or squirt a water bottle, just step on the cranks and go. Though, I guess in the perfect scenario the dog has a good attack angle, and I've always heard that a squirt to the face may deter them.

If the situation is super dangerous, call the police and/or notify the property owners that the dog tried to attack you. That way the owner is on notice if the dog really does hurt someone.


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## BostonG (Apr 13, 2010)

Americans use pepper spray, the English use water  

I carry a samurai sword. It stops a dog AND has the added benefit of being helpful in cases where my honor has been besmirched.

I've seen a bunch of unleashed dogs on my rides but thankfully, have never been chased. The water bottle thing sounds like the best idea. I'm a dog lover (not fighter) so I would hate to harm one of those little (or big) furry bundles - especailly the ugly ones.


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## CaliforniaPI (Sep 25, 2005)

*I agree*

I'm a dog lover too, and I don't want to do any permanent harm, nor do I want to see the dog get run over as it tries to chase me. Pepper spray seems a pretty good deterant, and it is shocking enough for the dog that they seem to remember.


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## Zipp0 (Aug 19, 2008)

I yelled "NO!" at a huge dog that came onto the road to chase me. He only growled louder, and seemed fully intent on ripping my throat out. Lucky for me I have a good sprint and all but maybe a greyhound can't hang.  

Now I carry pepper spray.


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## chocostove (Jan 31, 2007)

One command I didn't see listed here and works pretty often is "go lay down"
Also if you live in a bilingual neighborhood, it doesn't hurt to know dog commands in both languages. As for the really big, fast, scary ones, well you just gotta find your sprinting legs!


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## Tlaloc (May 12, 2005)

*Sabre Defense Spray*



chocostove said:


> ..."go lay down"...


A guy in my town bought a really smart retriever. First he taught it to set, then he taught it to lay down, then he taught it to speak and it said: "You idiot, don't you know it's "sit" and "lie".

But seriously, I used to call the sheriff, who was very helpful, but the ******* morons that have the aggressive dogs are used to being talked to by law enforcement officers and don't care. Getting hassled by dogs while riding is a danger to you and you shouldn't have to tolerate it. Trying to outrun the dogs only encourages them because you're acting like a prey animal. The dog will respect you more if you stop with your bike between you and the animal and act aggressive. I always carry a can of Sabre defense Spray:

http://www.sabrered.com

It contains both capsaicin and CS gas. It's available in a small canister that's convenient to carry on your bike. Every time I get hassled by a dog I stop and attempt to give it a face full of this stuff. It stops them as if they were hit by lightening. After one dose, the dog runs away at the sight of you or at most barks apathetically from about a hundred yards away. It's rumored to be very effective against the owners as well. It's widely available at your local gun shop.


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## TomH (Oct 6, 2008)

Carry a water bottle for the dog, and the can of mace for the ******* owner!


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