chased by a dog - eek

[peanut]

get off your bike and use your bike to keep it at distance. You are very unlikey to be able to outdistance a dog .
try to manoever yourself into a protected position with your back in a corner or against a tree or wall or car etc .
Use your bidon to squirt drink into his face.

Personally I would have no qualms about smacking it one with anything handy. Dogs off the lead and out of control are a bloody menace as are their ignorant irresponsible owners.

 

[SavageHoutkop]

There is a really good bit in Richard's Bicycle Book covering what to do with dogs. Mostly for touring, where you're in the middle of nowhere. I'll get it out the library again and summarise, as you're not the first to report a run-in in the last month or two. The general consensus was most dogs would go away if you told them to (firmly) while others won't, and for those he suggests carrying chilli-infused water to throw at their eyes, and then he gets quite graphic about what to do if one decides to go properly for you and you're fighting for survival....
Give me a few days and I'll post the summary.

 

[Donna]

Its the owners fault, lack of training. I have a HUGE german shepherd (alsation) and he does not chase after anyone, i believe its what effort you put into a dog, that determines its nature, of course the breed is part of it too.

 

[addictfreak]

Theres a spot on a ride that I do from time to time where theres a house on its own and a german shepherd that loves to chase cyclists!

Im usually with a friend, so I tend to get them between me and the house as we approach then when the dog comes bounding through the gate its pedal like mad keeping my mate as a buffer

Now this has worked up til now but im running out of friends

 

[PpPete]

There is a really good bit in Richard's Bicycle Book covering what to do with dogs. Mostly for touring, where you're in the middle of nowhere. I'll get it out the library again and summarise, as you're not the first to report a run-in in the last month or two. The general consensus was most dogs would go away if you told them to (firmly) while others won't, and for those he suggests carrying chilli-infused water to throw at their eyes, and then he gets quite graphic about what to do if one decides to go properly for you and you're fighting for survival....
Give me a few days and I'll post the summary.

Saved you the trouble, below from the 1983 edition.
I suppose it's one argument for a good old fashioned frame pump !

 

[Arch]

Much of the advice on here is sound, most dogs are essentially bullies though and if they sense your fear at all they will scare you.

I think 'bullies' is the wrong word - that's a human trait. Dogs just have a social system that requires them to know their place and assert it.

Stopping and facing up to them is best, keep the bike between you and the dog as a shield and either bellow, or talk calmingly (I'd be no good at bellowing, it would be more of a squeak). I've never had a chasing problem, my main concern is not hitting the ones who stray into my path on the riverside track, and that's not their fault, they can't be expected to have a concept of roadsense. It's the owners who aren't on the ball - the same people who let toddlers wander across the track, or do so themselves, so there's nothing for it but to moderate your speed and cover your brakes.

 

[Trumpettom001]

I've been chased through the woods by a dog - annoyingly, it's the same dog that tried to pee on my powerkite - I saw the dog lifting it's leg, and immediately took the kite off the ground, flipping the dog onto it's back - absolutely hilarious!!! Best yet, the owner didn't care because the owner was nowhere to be seen - I'm starting to think this is a stray dog.

 

[Trumpettom001]

P.S. after a minute of being chased, I just stopped, turned around and yelled F@*K OFF YOU "£$&*!($&"*£$^&!("£$)&"£$*(.... the dog got the message and ran) I felt sooo superior for a change...

 

[Globalti]

A pal of mine goes running and he hates dogs. Recently a retriever jumped up at him in the park so he punched it hard, a good right hook to the side of its jaw. It fell to the side of the lane yelping and the owner heard the yelp and looked up to see his pet flat out. He shouted "OI!" and my pal continued on his way.

Some years ago my brother and I used to do a ride, which took us on a public ROW through a builder's yard. There was a very nasty dog chained up in the yard with just enough space for walkers to edge past. Once we got up the hill a bit we would torment it by lobbing stones onto the tin roof of its kennel. On one particular day we were edging past and the dog came at us as usual, teeth bared, barking like hell and.... its collar broke! We both experienced that bum twitching moment but to our surprise the dog just stopped at the end of reach of its chain and didn't come any further - it probably didn't consider outside the radius of the chain to be its territory or it simply didn't realise it was free at last. We still lobbed some stones at it though.

In places where dogs get mistreated you can deal with them by just making the familiar gesture of bending down to pick up a stone. Doesn't work with nice pampered doggy-woggies in Britain though.

Having been brought up with dogs I don't have a problem with them. I just stand my ground and stare at them, the worst thing you can do is run away. As others have written the problem is not the dog but the owner who has no understanding of the dog's place in the family pack hierarchy.

 

[Paul_Smith SRCC]

I use a Dog Dazer, it’s worked so far, often you can see the dog from a distance and be ready for it, if I’m ambushed that’s a different thing of course.

Paul_Smith
www.corridori.co.uk

 

[yashicamat]

I generally ignore dogs that start chasing - they usually break off after about 10 seconds as they are getting too far from their owners. My issue is when they run in front of the bike (which seems to happen more often than not). Seriously testing the stopping power of my bike when that happens. One of these days I'll hit the dog though, I suspect that 90kg of human and bike forcing a 1" wide wheel into a dog at 20mph would probably do some damage to the animal. If that didn't, then my triple probably would . . .

Dogs (and their waste) are a menace, but as has been said, apart from sick / mentally ill dogs, it is almost always the fault of the owners.

 

[Trumpettom001]

I was testing a racing bike at racing speed - and a dog jumped out infront of me - had I hit him I think it would have been the end of the dog... luckily for the dog i served onto the grass, and nearly came off the bike..... the owner then told me off for almost hurting the dog!! I just asked them "would you let your dog walk/run on the road?" they seemed a bit flummoxed at that,so i just went off to go and re true my wheel stupid dogs..

 

[Cubist]

This stuff is great. We use it at work, and it's completely harmless. It smells great to humans, cloves and menthol, but confuses the dog's senses and renders it biteless.
About a tenner a can if you are regularly bothered/attacked/threatened by dogs
http://www.bite-back.net/

 

[Davidc]

It's mentioned above - does anyone know what a 90kg human plus say 25kg of bike and luggage at 30kph (20mph) and at 15kph (10mph) would do to a dog? I'm sure sooner or later I'll be doing the experiment, and not by choice.

I presume it would damage the front wheel, but would it be enough to damage the forks?

Would the dog owner be liable, since they clearly wouldn't be in control of the dog?

 

[Garz]

Would be an awkward case as I can always see the owner blaming the cyclist in some form or another. It would be a lose-lose thing really as not only do people/animals get hurt but it ruins the bike.