Chased by dogs...best strategy?

[duff_duffy]

Cruising along on some back country roads when a huge dog came out of nowhere, tried to outride but got too close for comfort so hopped off and put bike between dog and I. Serious stairdown occurred and thought the dog was going to just jump over bike and eat me. Luckily owner came running out of woods and calmed him down and just said sorry....what does everyone else recommend if this happens? Ride fast? Stop? Throw water bottle? Scream like a baby?

[fa63]

I think what you did was good, to put the bike between you and the dog. I have had to do that a couple times myself. Someone I know tried to outsprint one, and had a chunk of his calf bitten off...

You could carry some dog spray with you if this is a regular occurrence.

[Hindmost]

Frame-fit pump.

[johnmdesigner]

It depends.
I used to get chased by a dog on my regular route when I lived upstate. It was on a downhill and I would see the cruse missle coming from the backyard so I could time my escape properly.
If you are going uphill you have to get off and use your bike as a weapon.
A greasy chainring to the snoot works pretty well.
Most of them just want to chase you and will lose interest when you stop. But if the dog is trained for tactical warfare you don't have much choice except to wound it.
You're both mammals in the wilderness. Embrace your inner caveman.

[FlashUNC]

Blast of water in the face usually does the trick.

[cuda]

milkbone biscuits or whatever the USPS guy carries. Def. dont try to out run/ride the dog that just get them psyched up.
If you cant de-escalate the try squirting it with water after that i dunno - grab a big stick in one hand and wrap your helmet around the other and throw down.

[Ken Robb]

Dogs just LOVE to chase fast-moving things even when they won't know what to do with the thing they are chasing should they catch it. The stop and put the bike between you and the dog is good plan. At that time sometimes a loud, stern NO!! will send the dog on his way.

[soulspinner]

Frame-fit pump.

Ive heard it works on humans too. just sayin......:p

[zap]

"Off the couch"

[makoti]

Blast of water in the face usually does the trick.

This. Works every time. Let the dog get close enough to spray & they stop in their tracks. No one gets hurt.

[mmfs]

On a across the country ride earlier this year I had six separate dog “encounters” in Missouri - typically multiple dogs giving chase at a time.

After trying to outrun the first dogs and realizing that they can run upwards of 25 mph and can’t be outrun (at least by me on a loaded bike).

My next strategy included pepper spray which prove ineffective.

The most effective strategy included slowing somewhat which seemed to deescalate the situation, while yelling a stern “leave it”. A border collie that I tried this on immediately lied down (and is probably still waiting for someone to release it). I kept pepper spray at the ready too.

[93KgBike]

I watched a guy gas himself trying to pepper spray a dog - he crashed and I swear the dog was laughing.

Water bottle squirt has worked for me in the past, but you have to have time to anticipate the dog (or person:eek:).

Dismounting and using the bike as a shield gives you time to grab that bidon and squeeze!

Don't hurt the dogs, please.

[OtayBW]

If one gets too close, I YELL: NO!!!!!
That sometimes effects a reflex reaction with a dog.

[Mzilliox]

yell at them, i usually say "no bad dog" then yell "hey" a bunch of times. i have also squirted water in the face with success.

i have also just hammered

[Vonruden]

The few times I had this happen, a stern, deep voiced yell has always stopped em in their tracks. Nein! or Achtung! works great.

[axel23]

In my experience, squirting the dog in the nose is not effective. It may give them pause (momentarily) but then they redouble their efforts. The same with using the frame pump as a baton.

I've tried pointing at the dog and saying - sternly - NO, which may or may not work. Getting off and using your bike as a shield is a last resort, but probably the best option if it comes to that.

Being chased, however, seems to be much less common than it was years back. Seemed like every ride then was a potential (mis)adventure. Much more broken glass, vicious dogs, enraged motorists. Believe it or not, it's a lot better than it was.

[clyde the point]

Yelling usually surprises them and stops the foolishness. I've kicked a few in the face in my time as well, unclip and "pop". Never have gotten off the bike but I like the dirty chainring idea.

[93KgBike]

The few times I had this happen, a stern, deep voiced yell has always stopped em in their tracks. Nein! or Achtung! works great.

You must be riding in central IA.

[fiamme red]

Being chased, however, seems to be much less common than it was years back.I agree, and I think it's due to the prevalence of electric fences.

[bikinchris]

Good ways I know to deal with a dog are:
1. Outrun the dog. If you are fast enough. Small dogs can't run very fast and all you have to do is leave their "territory." Combined with a loud "NO, BAD DOG! GO HOME!" May help.
2. Stop and place the bike between you and the dog. Back away ubtil you leave their territory.
Other ways involve harming the dog, which is not a good idea legally speaking unless the dog actually bites. Although I once knew someone who had a device that screamed a siren dogs but people could not hear. The dogs would do a cartoon style backpedal before turning and running.

[jemoryl]

For the OP, at least the dog's owner intervened. I had one encounter with a particularly nasty and aggressive dog as the owner sat on her porch and seemed perturbed that I was trying defend myself with a 'he's just playing'!

But yeah, I hardly ever get chased now, but did more often when I was a teen in upstate NY.

[mt2u77]

It’s all about a little mental calculus— terrain, head start, angles, sizing up the dog. If I’ve got a flat open road ahead and the dog is still coming out of the yard as I pass, I’ll absolutely out sprint a dog, usually with a very firm NO yelled out for good measure. Most dogs give up if you pull them too far from home. I’ve done it enough times to know when I can win, so it’s a way of avoiding unnecessary confrontation.

On the other hand, if it’s dicey, it’s better to stop. A dog running fast near your wheels is unpredictable— I’ve seen one get under a wheel in group ride— you want that encounter to be low/no speed. Very firm NO or SIT usually works. The percentage of dogs that will chase you is high, the percentage that will do anything serious to you when they catch you is extremely low.

[Tony]

I used to get chased by dogs when I worked a swing shift. I would carry a shop rag in my jersey. When I came to the area of these chases I would get the shop rag ready for deployment, hand on the drops shop rag in hand. If a dog chased i would hold out the rag making sure he sees it and then let go. The dog would go for the rag or get startled enough for me to speed away.

[Spoker]

We had a friendly pitbull follow us for miles twice. Had to stop a truck to bring him back home.
Weeks later I got chased hard by 2 dogs , and out of the blue came Jake (the pit) to grab the other dog by the throat and take him down. My friends were perplexed.
Otoh been bit by a pit too. Water and loud -low pitch yelling helps.

[Tickdoc]

Just ride with a slower friend and you’ll be fine.

[bigbill]

I had a route in NE Texas that had dogs that I'd see coming. My strategery was to move 3-4 feet to the left as the dog approached then swerve towards it. It messes up the dogs angle and usually gives them some pause.

Most dogs just want to run, especially in rural areas.

[daker13]

There's a RBR thread where a guy recounts being chased by a dog at a spot on his regular loop, so he fills one water bottle with ammonia in order to spray it at the dog, then accidentally drinks the ammonia himself.

[duff_duffy]

Love this response! Thanks all.

Just ride with a slower friend and you’ll be fine.

[Lewis Moon]

I have used the "Top Gun" maneuver with success: shift down to a low gear so that you are spinning too fast to bite...let the dog come up a bit to the side, slam on your brakes so that he/she shoots out in front then proceed to chase the dog...with extreme malice (act like you are going to eat it). I chased one dog to exhaustion once. It dove into a canal to cool off.
Works better on a mountain bike...

[YesNdeed]

It depends on how I'm approached, but more often than not, nothing prompts an "attack" like a protective dog. Most exciting sprints, really.

When approached from the front or side, bellowing NO, is usually enough. Reaching for the bottle and giving a squirt is the next step, and has worked well.

Twice I've dismounted, once holding the frame in front of me and being aggressive back. The second time, slowly walking my bike past a Rottweiler and reminding him he's a g'boy. Just doing his job.

The last time was different. I was on an unfamiliar, desolate and very rough road. Exploring an out and back from my road ride, I heard barking from what sounded like quite an old dog on the way up, but s/he didn't run all the way up me. On the descent, I caught a glimpse of a VERY large white dog, and it was a little more pissed this time. I figured it would stop after getting so close, but it kept coming and at its closest was right behind my wheel. I attempted to look back a second time, but the road was so rough it was like descending a steep rock garden on a road bike and couldn't (shouldn't) even pedal. The only thing I did right that time was not crash. The dog stopped about 5 seconds after I had reason to panic.

Sometimes you just get lucky.

[YesNdeed]

I have used the "Top Gun" maneuver with success: shift down to a low gear so that you are spinning too fast to bite...let the dog come up a bit to the side, slam on your brakes so that he/she shoots out in front then proceed to chase the dog...with extreme malice (act like you are going to eat it). I chased one dog to exhaustion once. It dove into a canal to cool off.
Works better on a mountain bike...

This is fantastic! I'm not going to go look for chances to try it, although I know a few places that would work, but I'll keep it in my saddlebag.

[LouDeeter]

Bark at him! Also, I agree with the post that you need to ride with someone slower than you. Also, rule #1: Dogs always attack on the uphill.

I once was on a very rural road in Arkansas checking out a bike I had picked up. Three "country dogs" came out of the woods and chased me, getting very close on the uphills, then I would outrun them on the downhill. I thought I had lost them, so I slowed, only to look around and there they were! It was like Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid--"Who are those guys?"

[hartmmike]

"Going on a training ride with Eddie. He's a sonofabitch" Or something like that.

[zambenini]

I have a good one: known evil dog with no fence, no leash on a very fun, very rural route. Buddy and I are riding this particular route for the first time together; when approaching, we confirm with each other that the other knows about this dog, and pick up the pace. We are flying by the time we're passing his yard, and sure enough he runs out, ferocious as can be, we're sprinting by now, he's running, running, barking at us, mile long trail of saliva stranding out from his open jaws straining towards out ankles ... and runs headfirst into his own mailbox.

Ding-dong! Definitely rung his bell!

So yeah, find an obstacle to scrape them off your trail.

[Hellgate]

Look right at them and very loudly, hiss like an angry cat! Then, water to their snot, then swing the frame pump. The cat hiss works most of the time.

[oldpotatoe]

I watched a guy gas himself trying to pepper spray a dog - he crashed and I swear the dog was laughing.

Water bottle squirt has worked for me in the past, but you have to have time to anticipate the dog (or person:eek:).

Dismounting and using the bike as a shield gives you time to grab that bidon and squeeze!

Don't hurt the dogs, please.

Not the dog's fault but the knuckledragging owner(some of them)..Water bottle, outrun, stop and bike between dog and you..then get address if you can and call police...There are laws against aggressive dogs off one's property.

[old_fat_and_slow]

First line of defense, frame pump rapped across dog's snout.

If that doesn't work, then plan B:

Bear spray

[bigbill]

When I lived in Paris, TX, some guys wanted to put together a gravel route so they scouted some roads. Lots of dogs on gravel country roads, a bike is a novelty to them. A couple of riders went out with bear spray and each dog that left the driveway to charge them got a blast. They did it two days in a row, probably over the top, but on all the following group rides the dogs would just bark from the driveway. I think they were lucky some bubba didn't take exception to their dog being sprayed.

[Ronsonic]

If one gets too close, I YELL: NO!!!!!
That sometimes effects a reflex reaction with a dog.

^^^ This ^^^

Works for me. That and most dogs respond to "Go HOME!"

[54ny77]

now that's funny.

:bike:



There's a RBR thread where a guy recounts being chased by a dog at a spot on his regular loop, so he fills one water bottle with ammonia in order to spray it at the dog, then accidentally drinks the ammonia himself.

[redir]

Dogs are very responsive when you hold a frame pump, or even a little one, above your head in a striking pose. So far I've never seen one not cower when I do that. In one case a dog got a hard enough wrap on the snout that I broke my pump and from then on after that dog NEVER came out at me again.

[54ny77]

p.s. a very easy and effective item is to get a dog whistle. ultra low frequency whistle that humans can't hear. just keep it in your jersey pocket, blow on it when dog gets close. they'll stop and be confused. can add to it and shout "NO!"

no harm & no foul to any creature. :hello:

[C40_guy]

I watched a guy gas himself trying to pepper spray a dog - he crashed and I swear the dog was laughing.


Don't hurt the dogs, please.

Yea, that was me, August of 1990.

Yes, the dog was hysterical.

Meanwhile, I was rolling down the street at 20 miles an hour, blinded, in pain, can't see where I'm going, and wondering where the dog was. I pictured him rolling on his back, laughing hysterically!

Fortunately my sunglasses deflected much of the stream and I had enough water in my water bottle to rinse my eyes. No permanent damage, except perhaps to my ego.

I've been a dog parent for 10 years now and have a totally different relationship with dogs. I still carry pepper spray, mostly out of habit, and to ward off the occasional pickup truck driver brandishing a pipe wrench (long story there) and coyotes on the conservation land.

So far I have not had the opportunity to find out whether pepper spray will slow a coyote attack, nor do I want to.... When I ride or run in the woods I also wear a bear bell so that they can hear me coming long before I'm within dining range.

In the three years of riding/running the local woods, I've never seen a coyote. On the other hand, my trail catches them behind our house from dusk to dawn, and one particularly bold male went sauntering through our front yard at 6 pm, full daylight.

[chiasticon]

I typically scream NO as well. one, because it's a gut reaction from me. two, because they typically do stop in their tracks when they hear it (the louder and angrier you yell, the better). and three, it alerts the owners that they need to get off their ass and come get their dog before someone gets hurt and sues them. I typically try to sprint as well, just instinctively. the sooner the better, just to get more ground between you and them. never had to get off and do battle. hope to never have to!

the more remote the road, the more the likelihood of rogue dogs is. and it's always when you're gassed from climbing a hill or battling a headwind, etc. your guard is down, they got you right where they want you. :eek:

[PSJoyce]

Way, way back when i was racing, I was out with a track sprinter friend. We were going along pretty good, when Greyhound came up and just blew past us, just enjoying running. We kept up for a bit, then just sat up and laughed.

[Dekonick]

Just ride with a slower friend and you’ll be fine.

Hey!

[sokyroadie]

UPS driver - works every time, just saying ;)

[Dekonick]

I carry a cat and use it as a decoy... :beer:

[tab123]

I used to know all the dogs on my routes around NW Indiana and SE Michigan. I used a similar tactic to the shop rag. I carried an old tennis ball to toss if the dog didn't respond to a stern "no" or "go home." This worked with most dogs, except one German Shepherd. For him I stopped and walked on the other side of the road with my bike between us. I was delighted when his family moved.

[Elefantino]

1) water bottle.
2) my two-tone whistle.
3) sprint workout.

[KJMUNC]

The well shouted "NO" usually works pretty well, but Memorial Day 2018 I was riding east of Austin descending a hill when a country dog came out of nowhere and ran straight into my front wheel before I could even react. I went down hard and fractured my arm.

Bike (my Yates MXL) was ok and somehow sustained zero damage.....shows how durable that bike is (or how lucky I am). Not sure what happened to the dog, as he ran off into the woods.

Owner came out and gave me some pain meds and a ride back to my house (45min away).....he was grossly apologetic and as much as I wanted to be mad at him, I can't fault a guy for having having a dog running around the country without a leash....it's the country and I was riding there.

[RWeb]

I genuinely, perhaps foolishly, have no fear of dogs.

During the few times that I have been chased, I have gotten off my bike and chased the dog while yelling. It’s worked every time for me.

I believe that if you are not on their turf, you’re not cornering them, and you genuinely have no fear, then the dog will yield. That’s always been my approach toward aggressive dogs.

It seems that aggressive, unleashed dogs were a common problem in the past but pretty much a non-issue these days.