I like this too... that's the thing about running out in the country especially. You get a dog running out you just don't know how it's going to go. I'm definitely not tossing treats.

I had my share of encounters with dogs through the years. 2017 was the worst.
Pesky Australian Heeler nipping at me week after week until it took me down with a lot of damage and a torn PCL. County animal control picked it up and put it down for being wild and overly aggressive.

Then a few months later after a quick roadside stop in a rural area I was confronted by 3 roaming dogs that got really aggressive. I had pepper spray in the Calpac, but the pit bull kept trying to circle behind me. I was busy keeping the bike between me and that dog. The other two were not as committed. They growled some and wagged their tails some. That pit was not playing and kept trying to get around the bike. This stand off went on for at least 15 minutes until they moved off enough for me to get mounted and move on. Running would have been really bad because I had the bike to use as a barrier.

Yeah, i bought some pepper spray after that. This attack happened so fast that there was no time to stop it, but if for some reason the dog would have hung on and I had toppled over still clipped into my bike, I would have been defenseless.

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Taco cat spelled backwards is....taco cat.

Understood, and it sounds like you have a deep-seated fear of dogs which I think you would agree is a bit different from the norm. What I was getting at r.e. the treats- if you are on a regular route and encounter the same dog who appears to be aggressive, you may actually be able to befriend it. I speak from experience on this. I am not talking about hurling treats in the air as you ride by at 25mph hence rewarding the dog for chasing you. I was referring to the OP running by that area.

Cheers and Merry Christmas btw.

Hello rruff and All,

While not addressing a dog's bad behavior modification with rewards or punishments ..... the dog attack track is interesting.

It has many forms .... from dogs to a ship or aircraft firing an active tracking torpedo or missile at a target moving across the path of the weapon launch vehicle. Early AIM-9 (Sidewinder) missles functioned in this manner .... leading to a curved chase path always pointing at the target ..... as described by differential calculus.

The question is do any animals calculate a probable intercept position so they can run in the faster straight line to the intercept rather than get sucked into a tail chase position?

I have read that dogs do learn to the anticipate the correct launch time to the target if they have multiple opportunities to learn ..... modifying their launch time earlier for faster targets ..... but I have not seen anything to indicate that any animals calculate a probable intercep .... for a straight line run to the target.



This dog 'Spot' can probably calculate a straight line intercept and it will take more than a water bottle or pepper spray to slow him (or her) down.

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Cheers, Neal

+1 mph Faster

Would be cool to have one of those armed with machine guns and rpgs to run along side on a bike rides... for wayward dogs, cars, deer, whatever... ;)

Hello rruff and All,

Wait a couple of years and buy it war surplus .... save some dough.

Maybe put a saddle on 'Spot' and ride instead of an ebike ..... would be all terrain and not get flats or need hay.

Yeeeee Hawwww!! ....... Giddyup Buttercup! ......


(Fallout Shelter)

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Cheers, Neal

+1 mph Faster

Lcr 22lr with snake shot...

I've been bit four or five, maybe six times! Most were minor, one bit me in the butt and ripped my shorts (owner was apologetic and sent me the paper work showing that the dog had all the shots). The most dangerous one was when running on the side of a busy road and was knocked over from behind by a big dog, owner tried blaming me for running too close to their lawn (called the police and animal control on that one). I carry pepper spray, and while it was locked and loaded and ready to use many times, when ever I had time to be in that position, the dog typically just stopped. Walking away until clear, has always been better than continuing to run. Running with headphones, sometimes doesn't give you the time to get the spray out, but in areas where there may be dogs I keep it out and ready. So far the only one sprayed was myself, by accident while testing the spray canister.

Wonder what the impact of an anti-dog missile would be on CdA? I'd guess a BTA-ADM setup would be best, but would limit effectiveness for a side or rear-attacking canine.

If nothing else, carry some rocks. If a dog starts barking after you, stop running so you don't further trigger their prey drive. Yell at it, stomp you feet in it's direction and start throwing those rocks and move along past their territory. I have found that has ruined the fun for most dogs who want to play chase.

Thankfully I have not encountered truly vicious dogs, except one time on a small street in Thailand where some nasty little cur was not going to give up. A local woman sent it on its way with the precision whack of a bamboo stick, much to my relief.

I take my Belgian Malinois with me on those kind of runs...

But if you don't have that option:

1. Slow down/walk, and completely ignore the dog. Do 30 mili-second meditation session and be calm. Do not look at or engage the dog for any reason and keep moving on. The less interesting you are the less likely it'll care about your presence. Move along with the least engagement as possible (no yelling at the dog). In the end, if it thinks you're on its territory you can't prevent it from totally ignoring you, but it still may not attack unless actually threatened.

2. When attack or nipping is imminent, engage with pepper spray. It's a solid, easy to carry solution and in the unlikely event you actually need it, you can depend on it. You shouldn't ever engage physically with a dog in an attack state. Real dog bits suck, and not worth being unable to defend yourself.

Calling the police will be minutes too late for any in progress dog attack to do you any good.
Treats may work or provoke them more, you have no idea how any random animal is trained or not trained.

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Matt Leu, M.S. Kinesiology
San Pedro Fit Works, Los Angeles, CA
Endurance Athlete and Coach
Consistency/time=results

 
Pepper spray works great. It only takes once for most dogs and they leave you alone. If they come after me on a public road they are fair game.

You should give a try to small device called Ultrasonic Dog Repeller.
I’m not sure if it’s still legal but it was working...