Usually talking in a friendly high pitched voice (so they know you aren't threatening) and a squirt from the water bottle, if they get too close, does the trick.

Serious about the talking thing?

I understand your thoughts and fears as I ride in the country as well sometimes during the year.
I use a low nasty voice and out sprint them

I’ve heard this is not the way to do it but when you are jarred out of a peaceful ride by two pit bulls suddenly bearing down on you I think it is a somewhat normal response.

Can you at least eliminate those roads where you know you've had a dog interaction? I've had one riding this year, one running and one walking my dog. Scares the absolute crap out of me no matter what. I've tried commands, stern voice and screaming for the owner. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't and I've been nipped. I've looked for an app for my phone that scares dogs away, but have yet to find something that has a good review. I've just eliminated the areas where I've had a problem and hope for the best. I won't stop riding outside.

Also in Missouri, also have had some dog problems. I doubt any of these dog attacks would be fatal, unless you swerve into oncoming traffic to avoid the dog. I usually just hammer it and call it a sprint interval, but some of those dogs are fast, or coming head on. Head on requires a swerve at the right distance. I haven't had much luck squirting them with water, they don't seem to care about it much. Your biggest threat, in reality, is probably the dog owner if you cause any harm to their sweet precious. Every dog encounter will be different based on location, dog size, speed and direction of attack. you'll have to get creative on the fly with a choice of maneuvering, speed, course adjust, stop-and-block with your bike. i wouldn't recommend trying to use pepper spray, bear spray, or especially any firearm while riding, maybe go the pepper spray route if you've already dismounted and the dog is still aggressive, but I wouldn't hang around the area after that, some folk don't take kindly to you attacking their sweet puppy like that.

i find the dogs on the back roads are not nearly as bad or frequent as the people driving huge pick-up trucks with extended side mirrors proving a point that they own the road and will not under any circumstance touch the yellow line to pass you. come to think of it, those are probably the same guys that let their dogs roam freely in their front yards.

Yep - sounds ridiculous, but dogs can't understand what we say but they can understand tone. It's not a guarantee, but it seems to help.

In a high voice - "Oh hi poochy, what's going on today?"

I don't really have much that is very helpful to offer either. But, I'm responding because I, too, live in the country. Every day I ride is on rural roads with dog hazards. I've been chased by every size dog I can imagine...from virtual horses to that stupid Chihuahua. I've been bitten...a dog ran across the street while I was riding up a reasonably steep hill (enough to slow me to 10ish mph), and tried to grab my left calf. It got a grip, but couldn't hang on to the cycling/moving motion. He drew blood. I reported it to animal control, and they quarantined the dog for three days. I've done the head-on thing, too.

I know where most of the dogs are on all the roads in a 30 mile radius of my house, now. I ride the same routes all the time. I probably avoid new routes more than I used to...just to avoid the "unfamiliar" animal---unconsciously. There are also places where there used to be dogs, but now there are not. I assume they ran after the wrong thing (car, truck, etc), and paid they price.

I generally speed up as I approach one of those known places. And I try and spot the dog early. Honestly, the stupid Chihuahua is the worse. I don't want to run over the damn thing. Someday, I'm going to end up under a car trying to avoid it.

I dunno...I don't think about it much. I deal with it, like I said. I try to be alert, and ID the dog before it IDs me. I speed up, ride on the opposite side of the road, etc. I call animal control whenever warranted (doesn't help in the moment, but it might next week). Know your laws (county vs. city is usually different), and what you can reasonably expect Animal control to do. Enlist them, when you can.

Not very helpful, I know. But, I'm not going to let a few hazards spoil my enjoyment. I'd drive an icepick through my brain if I did trainer rides, only because I was afraid to be outside.

I also have the occasional interaction in rural Ohio. I'll repeat what someone else said, about knowing where the dogs are and avoiding those roads or being prepared for them. I would say I know a good amount of the dogs on my usual roads.

I also thought about this alot, earlier this summer, when I was riding and a large dog came from my left out of someone's yard. He was hit by a car before he could reach me. If the car would have swerved, it could have came into me instead.

The dog died on the spot and it was an emotional scene in front of the house and their neighbors. The car did not stop, but what could the car have done? It wasn't their fault.

Ultimately, that was 1 incident out of 100,000+ miles on the bike for me. It would be impossible to drive a car that many miles without one or several bad situations (near accident or otherwise).

I have also had good luck with knocking on someone's door, and telling them that their dog is running in the road and I am a dog lover who doesn't want to see it killed.

I can think of multiple houses/dogs where I do not get chased anymore, after knocking on the door and telling them about their dog. I always have a gopro on me and rolling, but so far all of those interactions have been peaceful and fine.

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-Physiojoe
Instagram: @thephysiojoe
Cycling coach, Elite racer on Wooster Bikewerks p/b Wootown Bagels

I echo what was just said above about knowing your local laws when it comes to pet animals and an owners responsibilities, as well as the role of animal control in your municipality. Having that knowledge will be very helpful if something was to ever happen.

Not all items are easy to carry buy also what about an air horn, or I see there are taser-ish devices for self defense with dogs. I'd think if you practiced with the pepper or bear spray you'd get more confident if you had to spray on the move too. Just a little bit of muscle memory goes a long way. Maybe you can DIY a quickly accessible holster to your handlebars, too?

Just don't confuse it with your BTA!!!

I appreciate all the insights and the conversation. It’s very useful to get some perspective from others. My biggest takeaways:

- Avoid the roads with known aggressive dogs.

- Know the local laws.

- Engage the local animal control and police as necessary.

- Use the proper escalation of force when encountering the dogs outside.

- Most importantly though, don’t let them keep me off the road.

Thanks again and any other insights are also appreciated.

Johannes

....and don't spray yourself in the face with Mace!

Oh trust me, I am thinking about that every second as the canister sits in my aero bar bottle cage 2 inches from my face ... luckily it has a safety and the spray thing points down, haha!

Having done many many thousands of miles in rural Texas I can give you my two cents.
When you see the dog coming toward you..... call him. Yes really. In a friendly voice, as if it was your beloved family pet, sing out with HERE BOY! Come here boy!
You will see immediate indecision, distrust, and hesitation. For years I used this to stop dogs in their tracks. Might not work on Missouri dogs but worked for me on most dogs all around Austin.
Cheers,
Jim

I'm in rural North East Texas (east of McKinney). Everyone knows Austin area dogs are just a little wimpier than the more rough and tumble areas of the state.

Holy crap have never heard of this or thought of it

Not sure if you are oinking us bit I’ll give it a try next time

I'm in rural Tennessee, at the base of the Cumberland Plateau. Cujo resides, loose and angry, at the top of every significant climb. I've been bitten by a pitbull and mauled by a chow. The chow never barked or confronted me. He bounded across the road from behind and sunk his teeth into my thigh. Tried his best to kill me. Pulled me off the bike. (5 operations corrected the damage but there will always be massive scarring.) I've done dog pepper spray -- it only works on friendly dogs that you allow to get close. Pitbulls laugh at it. I've done bear repellant -- it works GREAT on all breeds unless the wind blows it into your eyes. But again, pitbulls will make a second attack run even if you get them in the face the first time. Now, I'm using a tiny revolver loaded with .22 powdershot. It won't harm the dog (or me) but the sound sends them running in the opposite direction. You don't have to aim because you don't have to hit them. The sound does the trick.

I never fire unless they are on the road and charging. Rules of engagement: Try to outrun them. Shout "NO!" Shout "Git!" Then, if they're still coming and closing in, I fire. It has always worked and has never harmed any living creature.

Rural Alberta here so quite a lot of dog encounters. I still cycle on the roads where I have encountered the dogs but am generally prepared to sprint/dismount and get the bike between me and the dog AND I have my head up looking for them.

One encounter last year left me shaken to the point that the husband and I contacted the County to complain about them. They made contact with owner and while he denied that his dogs were aggressive and/or would leave the unfenced property, this year he has a rudimentary fence which tbh the dogs could just duck under if they wanted, BUT, the mutts see it as a fence keeping us out so are happy to run along it and bark.

To the posters who suggested being all friendly, that never occurred to me. The owner I mentioned above offered to let us meet his dogs but we didn't take him up on the offer - didn't want them thinking we were friends who wanted to play every time we rode by.

Has anyone thrown dog treats at the chasing dogs. I wonder how that would work?

Dead serious! The dog wants to chase you but also wants to be disobedient. Calling him puts those two wants into conflict!

I usually carry a can of Halt which does work, but not always easy to get too. I've found yelling "Go Home" work the best for vocal commands. That and getting out of the saddle for a little high cadence sprints.

I've lived in rural Oklahoma most of my life and have been running and riding all of my adult life. I doubt I've done a long run or even medium ride where I haven't had at least one dog encounter. I've had a few close calls, but never been bitten or had a dog cause me to crash. I feel qualified to opine.

Dogs Are Usually Nice. My non-veterinary opinion is that 99% of dogs only want to chase or maybe even run with you. They have no desire to actually catch you or hurt you. With that understanding, a bike crash is probably going to be caused by rider panic. My rule of thumb is that if the dog is barking, it's just doing its job of letting me know I'm riding past its territory. You would be amazed how many dogs sound like they are vicious and bloodthirsty, but stop suddenly at their owner's property line. Or when I'm running, I'm slower than most any dog, but even if they jump the ditch and run in the road, they slow down enough to avoid catching me. The dogs about which I'd worry are those who run with their head down and without barking.

You Have the Angle. I think of it like being a kickoff returner in football who has made through the first level. On the bike, I almost always am going faster than the dog when the dog first starts running. For dogs coming from the side or behind, unless you are going up a steep climb, you can outrun them, as they cannot get "the angle." So I just stay relaxed and hold my line. You can also freeze them a little by yelling or talking. Almost all of them are somebody's pet. My theory is that hearing a human voice from this odd, sweaty two-wheeled animal doesn't quickly compute.

Crocodile Dundee. For those times when the dog(s) are in front of you, unless you think you have a perfect line, I'd deliberately slow and probably dismount, as it is very hard to juke on a bike. If I dismount, I grab my water bottle and walk past/through them. There have been plenty of times I've walked through three or more in a pack way out on a gravel road somewhere. They may growl, but I stay calm and confident. On the rare occasion that one of them snaps at me, a little water to the nose usually dissuades them without doing any real damage. Sometimes, before I get all the way to the dog/pack, I will pick up a few rocks and throw them in the pack's general direction. I deliberately miss them, but it will make them scatter.

Make Friends. If you go by the same route often enough, the dogs often get used to you and no longer give chase. I agree with the other posters that there is a high rate of turnover. Whether that's from humans moving residences or dogs failing to overcome the risks of chasing things on the roads or both, I don't know. Animal control would be a good option for a repeatedly difficult dog that somehow survives being a repeatedly difficult dog for very long. If none of this makes sense, make friends with a human who's a long time rider in your area and go on a group ride. She/he will probably have lots of good tips, and it would probably help to see someone calmly deal with what seem like murderous dogs

Risk Does Not Always Equal Aversion. Country dogs present a risk, but so does everything in life. When I ride or run, I get plenty of reward to justify the risk. You are almost never going to crash or get bitten, and most crashes, or even dog bites, are not that catastrophic. Missing out on outdoor riding or living in fear is much worse than the remote possibility of serious injury. I think taking a weapon of any kind just contributes to the fear, and a weapon would usually be inaccessible or useless in a true catastrophe. I ride a lot of gravel precisely because a bad dog interaction would probably be much less damaging than a bad car interaction, and I can do much, much more to mitigate my risks with dogs than I can with cars.

I hope you stick to outdoor riding and solve your rural dog problem.

So . . . you're trying to guarantee that they mob every bike that rides by?

Wow! A lot more feedback than I expected, but there are some serious gems here. I really appreciate the input and different perspectives because many of you have brought up points that never really dawned on me. I will save and apply these nuggets so I can enjoy the open road and not bother with being couped up on the trainer until winter. Again, many thanks!

Johannes

Allow me to suggest the most effective thing. After the ride, go back in your car and tell the asshat owner to keep his dog tied up.

I've had dogs charge me and I've charged right back at them. Takes them mostly by surprise and they hit the brakes and turn tail, probably not the best way but it has worked. I probably should carry a small thing of pepper spray, but I'm to lazy to buy it. I do avoid a road where there lives a behemoth rottweiler though.

I've been chased by many a dog, as well as nearly knocked off the bike by a couple due to either attempting to avoid them coming at me or trying to avoid a bite. I'm also a dog lover, and have had many as pets throughout my life.

My view on it is that if they chase once, I'll let it slide so long as there's no harm to me. If it happens again, I'll call police and file a report of the owners failing to control their dog(s) and keep them in their yard. I don't call animal control, as I prefer to leave it to the police to make that call. If it happens more than once, then I'll either find another route or if that isn't possible, take other measures.

I do my best to avoid injuring the dog. But, at times, if you can't outrun them you have to do something. Whether it be mace, or something else, it has to be done. Some states have laws where if dogs are chasing deer, they can legally be shot. I think the same should apply if a dog is chasing a human. Sad as it is to see an animal put down, it is the fault of the owner for they failed to control their dog and they should face legal repercussions as well.

I frequently have run ins with dogs, as the places available for safe riding in my city are pack-full of people walking their dogs. So I developed two strategies that have so far been bulletproof:

1- If the dog is relatively away from me, but giving me those nasty pre-attack looks, I give the nasty looks back at them and yell at the top of my lungs. It never failed in changing their minds.

2- If the dog is sneaky and gets really close to me before I notice it, I grab my tire pump - which has one of those extendable, floppy tips - and try to whack the mofo in the head before it gets me.

I love dogs, but after I saw what one of them did to a biker friend of mine several years ago (he basically had to quit biking), I don't take chances with them.

We call them "dog-ervals" and sprint to win. Seriously, a loud, authoritative "NO" helps, I once instinctively reached for my water bottle and squirted the dog and it stopped in its tracks. Don't know if that works in general as n=1.