Engineering project

[LukeEngineering]

Hello fellow cyclists! I am doing a project where I would like to create something where i try to solve the issue of dogs and other animals jumping up and getting in the way in the countryside. Any experiences you've had where animals have effected the general experience of your ride I would love to hear your responses and I look forward to getting back to you soon
Kind regards
Luke

 

[raleighnut]

Other than cycling through the odd dog 'egg' not really

 

[derrick]

If you find a way of vetting owners that would work.

 

[roadrash]

You are looking to create "something" could you give us a bit of a clue

 

[graham bowers]

You have to take care when passing dogs, but that's not a negative.

 

[T4tomo]

I believe the cage is already invented.

 

[Dengineering GCSE]

Hi luke, i would agree with @roadrash, give us a general idea of what your product might be

 

[LukeEngineering]

You are looking to create "something" could you give us a bit of a clue

yes for my project i have to design something to enhance the experiences for cyclists in the countryside, any ideas would be helpful

 

[booze and cake]

I've been chased by 'guard' dogs that run out onto the highway numerous times in Wales. Of those I've managed to outrun them all apart from one, which was on a steep climb and the dog bit me, sinking its teeth into my calf.

I've also crashed into a dog that was running around like a headless chicken not on a lead, resulting in trashed lycra, trashed left shifter hood, 3 big grazes including a bad one on my hip that took 6 weeks to recover. So fair to say I don't like dogs, and we haven't even got to the deposits they leave behind. Not that I think its a problem that can be solved by cyclists buying stuff.

What are you thinking, bar mounted tazers?, super intense dog whistle sirens?, a cat basket complete with angry cat reading to unleash its frustration on the oh so sensitive dog nose?

 

[LukeEngineering]

I've been chased by 'guard' dogs that run out onto the highway numerous times in Wales. Of those I've managed to outrun them all apart from one, which was on a steep climb and the dog bit me, sinking its teeth into my calf.

I've also crashed into a dog that was running around like a headless chicken not on a lead, resulting in trashed lycra, trashed left shifter hood, 3 big grazes including a bad one on my hip that took 6 weeks to recover. So fair to say I don't like dogs, and we haven't even got to the deposits they leave behind. Not that I think its a problem that can be solved by cyclists buying stuff.

What are you thinking, bar mounted tazers?, super intense dog whistle sirens?, a cat basket complete with angry cat reading to unleash its frustration on the oh so sensitive dog nose?

I was thinking of doing some sort of dog whistle attachment which could be powered similar to dynamo lights. Any other suggestions would be appreciated, thanks for your reply!

 

[glasgowcyclist]

I was thinking of doing some sort of dog whistle attachment which could be powered similar to dynamo lights. Any other suggestions would be appreciated, thanks for your reply!

Your dog whistle wouldn't need power; fitted backwards to the bars it would be in constant operation while the bike was moving. If you're stationary when a problem dog appears, take the whistle from its mount and blow it.

You're welcome. :-)

 

[roadrash]

As I understand it , and I may be wrong , ...I thought a dog whistle was used in training a dog, what benefit would a dog whistle be to a cyclist who doesn't know how, or indeed whether the random dog you come across would respond at all to a whistle.
I am probably coming across as being negative towards you but I don't mean it that way, its a genuine question

 

[Crackle]

What you want is something that fires dog biscuits in a similar way to chaff on a fighter aircraft. Or possibly a sacrificial leg you can detach and throw to the dog. I may or may not be serious there.

Seriously I can't think of anything that would help, I think you can get sprays but they've always struck me as something that's just gonna piss off the dog. Perhaps your best bet is a simple guide about how cyclists can avoid being bitten or how to deal with an aggressive dog, which is probably an issue more on shared use paths. 99% of the time simply stopping and dismounting will do it or using your bike as a shield, that kind of thing, along with stuff about approaching dogs and what to look out for, like not riding between the owner and the dog or seeing someone carrying a lead but no sign of the dog. I can't actually think of a device which would be legal and help you but I can think of plenty of times I've seen people get into trouble with dogs through a little bit of ignorance of what might happen if they do A or B. A bit like the advice to pass horses wide and slow.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

How about a sausage ejection device a bit like the chaff biscuits above?

 

[Ming the Merciless]

A few years back I used to commute past a farm at the bottom of a hill. Sure enough every evening a dog would wait there then chase me up the hill. I'd weave so it didn't get a clear shot at my ankles. One wet winter evening the dog went for it and bit into my cycle boots. Unfortunately for the dog these were my winter footwear which had a thick plastic that ran up the back and round the side. The dogs teeth got stuck in the plastic and its head went up and down as I continued pedalling. Yelp Yelp Yelp it couldn't do anything. I had to stop to release it from my boot. After that it ran off whimpering every time I rode past on the commute.


You would need to invent something that tells the dog that chasing cyclists will not end well for it. You can get bear spray I wonder if some kind of handlebar mounted dog spray would work? Not really engineering though, more chemistry.

Maybe a telescopic stick that mounts to the top tube to ward off the dog but be careful it doesn't get classed as a weapon.