53x11 and go like hell and pray to God you aren't having to do this uphill!

Actually, you don't need to be very fast to escape...just faster than your riding mates ;-)

Seriously though, Its a judgement call - are you fast enough & do you have enough lead to win the sprint? Most dogs will only pursue to the corner of their territory (yard). If not, I dismount (putting the bike between us) & we have the old mexican standoff. I glare & he barks & I carefully walk away to a safe remounting point. Some recommend squirting with a water bottle, but I'd rather not let the pooch get that close while in a vulnerable position (mounted).

Keep a can of Halt! [pepper spray] handy. Mine is mounted on my handle bars on my training bike. It worked on a small breed dog that was headed for my left foot coming straight at me from the side. Most of the time I squirt the Halt!, I don't hit the dog basically because I get scared and fire too soon. But it does give them pause, and I don't want to hurt an animal unless I have to. I'd hate to have to try it on a German Shepherd, though.

Four dogs is a bit much (too much) to handle. You were lucky you didn't get bitten. I think you did the right thing. I'd change my route.

The best reason to carry a full size frame pump. I've only ever had to bend one pump across a dog's head but that was when the dog's teeth were about 4 inches from my ankle.

I don't know what it is with some people and dogs. I've had dogs all my life so I just stop and make friends with them and they don't bother me again. Consider that i live in a rural area and our bike route takes as past a lot of big farm dogs. Never had a problem. A few of these dogs wait until I come around and run along their property beside the bike, but that's all. I'm the highlite of their day. However, my wife was bitten by a mean German Shepherd while running when we lived in the city, so it can happen.

If the dog is agressive it might be an idea to talk to the owner. The law here allows a dog only one bite. If it happens twice the athorities can intervene and have the dog put down.

To the dog the chase is just a game. Most dogs are not dangerous. Spraying the dog with a water bottle is usually effective. I'm very much against pepper spray or more aggressive tactics. I know of one guy who sprayed a dog and then got punched out by the owner. Served him right IMO since the dog wasn't being aggressive.

IMO there is no such thing as a stupid dog. Just stupid owners.

What to do depends on the dog. My doberman can run between 25 and 30 mph for an extended length of time - say 2 to 3 miles. However, I think this is fairly unusual, in her middle age she did several years of double marathon training. If she were mad, I'm pretty sure that pepper spray wouldn't slow her down. (She faced down a bull in his own pasture b/c she thought he was getting too close to my wife)

The good news is that most dogs can't reach 20+mph, and most dogs don't want to bite. You are probably the most excitement they get all day. Many breeds come from the class of dog called sight hounds, these dogs have the natural and almost uncontrollable instinct to chase anything that moves quickly. Hence greyhound racetracks have the fake rabbit.

There are several dogs on my country long rides that I encourage to come after me. You can tell by their body language that they just want to play. I'll let them come close and then accelerate to stay in front of them. They'll get tired in a few minutes and head back home very happy. Don't let them get in front of you or too close though, you don't want them hitting the wheels.

If you recognize the breed as being a sight hound, you can end the confrontation by not running away. Every time I've tried this, every dog stopped in their tracks and looks at me as if saying "what are you doing? you are supposed to run". Then you can both walk away slowly.

If the dog is very aggressive and you can't get away, give them a good menacing yell. A vicious looking shepherd mix surprised me once, I gave him a good primal yell and he literally skidded to a stop and ran away.

I usually ride with a guy who carries a bunch of dog biscuits in a sawed-off water bottle. The dogs on our route think he is a God!

If he's not with me, I usually just coast for a second, look the dog in the eye and shout "no" in a deep commanding voice. It's worked so far.

Tom in AL -

"NO" - I hadn't thought of that one. They have probably grown up with that command.

I have always put out my best Mighty Joe Young impression and given them a big primal FUUUUU*K YOU. It always works. Still - I would feel a lot better if I had some pepper spray to back me up. I certainly have no love for my aggressor.

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put the mettle to the pedal

>I don't know what it is with some people and dogs.

I think what it is is several hundred thousand dog bites requiring medical attention each year. Dogs can be, and sometimes are, dangerous.


>If the dog is agressive it might be an idea to talk to the owner.

Sadly, sometimes aggressive dogs are a reflection of the owner. Worst case scenario: guy near my in-laws keeps semi-feral dogs at & near his property to keep people away. A neighbor complained to him and he threatened to burn down the neighbor's house. I encountered some of these dogs on a run and stopping and making friends was not an option.


>IMO there is no such thing as a stupid dog. Just stupid owners.

I disagree. Stupid dogs exist. I've seen 'em. Now, if you're putting forth an "it's society's fault" type of argument, i.e. bad dogs are made and not born, I'll agree with you in general (although I think you have to allow for the very occasional defective dog regardless of upbringing).

Back to the original question:

Get off your bike, punch em in the face and steal their jackets (that should teach em a lesson).

When I see a dog coming at me, I literally scream at the top of my lungs "NNOOOOOOOO, BAAAAAAD DOOOOG!!!!"

Luckily this has worked everytime.

Jeff

 
Effective but inelegant. I usually find a sarcastic rejoinder from my razor wit will stop the drooling brutes dead in their tracks, stunned and shamefaced. And if that doesn't work I have to resort to raising an eyebrow disapprovingly.

When I encounter dogs on the bike I am always thankful that I'm on the bike and not running :) As mentioned by the other posters ... yell, ride like hell (consider it a really effective "training aid" since you'll be hammering so hard you sure won't need powercranks or any other fancy gizmos!), and if the owner is around curse him/her out too!

I've never heard of the dog cookie idea .... didn't Pavlov do some conditioning experiments that could make this approach dangerous for the next rider through?

Me being a rabbit presents a whole set of hassles. First of all, we're intellectually superior to dogs. They are jealous of us. We're a lot cuter, as well. Second, a gigantic rabbit on a bike makes dogs furious. Yes, dogs get my bretheren and sisteren (to show physical superiority), but many of us survive, and we love to repopulate the world with our own.

If I can't outsprint them, I spray them profusely. I was a paper deliverer (and was attacked with their owner looking on), so I take no chances. Water bottles are preferrable (unless you are on your last few ounces of water), but mace works great. It also works great against mean-spirited motorists, who tend to not like large rabbits on bikes, as well.

Dog-chase intervals are how I got good lap primes (but would lose the race because I was too pooped to win the dumb thing). I had received five tyre patch kits, two tubular repair kits, a set of tyre levers, a silca pump, a new tubular tyre, and about $300 in cash from lap primes, but only three podium finishes (USCF racing, mind) as a result of my dog-chase intervals.

It's not biting that worries me it's the dog getting in front of the bike and flipping me. ALWAYS notify the owner . We had a bad dog/bike accident and got a good settlement it seemed to be important that they had been notified before that their dogs were dangerous.
I also use a loud "I'm going to own your house"when being chased. The owners seem to dislike that thought