Just had a friend that got attacked by a german shepard and sustained would requiring 16 stitches. Without elaborating on the issue I need to get some feedback on what others use for this defense. Any suggested, tried, approved, pepper spray or mace gadgets out there I can check out!
Thedge
I dunno, but I had the ever lovin poop scared outta me a week ago, right after a nasty ascent, thought I was dead for sure, by dog or exploding heart
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I once attended a class (in the military) on self defense from guard dogs- admittedly very different from civilian (pet) dogs. The class opened with a guy in a training suit getting attacked by an Air Force guard dog. There was nothing this guy could do- he was going down.
My takeaway from the roughly 6 hour block of instruction is the defense is avoidance. That is particularly true with dog attacks in a civilian/recreational setting.
Chemical/aerosol disbursant weapons are an extremely bad choice due a lack of precision and a reliance on atmospheric conditions for accurate delivery. If the wind is blowing or you are engaging your target from a moving platform (i.e., a bicycle) or both the chances of effectively deploying the chemical repellant are extremely small. You won;t hit your target with enough of the chemical to act as an effective countermeasure.
I am not an expert on canine behavior, but I will suggest that most dogs engage a cyclist either out of territorial defense or a desire to “play”, some response to chasing games. In either instance if you can simply avoid the dog you wil be better off. If a dog “owns” a route and attacks frequently, change routes.
I also like critters and spraying someone’s dog in the face with some nasty stuff might make the pet owner inclined to return the favor on you…
I the case of loose dogs, I’d suggest avoidnace and a quick phone call to the local animal control/human society so they can investigate.
Recommended by my dog trainer, and it does not hurt the dog or if it gets on you it will not hurt you either. Should surprise the dog enough that you can get past them on your bike. If you are running not so sure. I carry this on my rides that I know have dogs running free in the county.
http://www.amazon.com/Premier-DIRECT-STOP-RETAIL-SprayShield/dp/B0002XKIV6
I carry pepper mace when I run and bike … but I’ve never actually had to use it … came close a couple times. Mostly just avoid or outrun them if I’m on a bike … bike seems to get them riled up more than running. The most useful tool was the old tube top bike pump that we used to have before inflators and the shorty pumps. They worked great for even large dogs if you were coordinated enough to swing while riding. I’ve take out 2 large aggressive dogs with tube top pumps in the past … usually KO’s them well and I was never chased by those dogs again when I rode by.
Dave
Spraying water at them has worked for me in the past…get them in the face and they usually stop.
FWIW here’s my take on this issue. I am no expert in dog behavior but rather have always been very interested in it. Have grown up with dogs and the dog whisperer is one of my favorite shows if that tells you anything. I like analyzing dog behavior- call me crazy.
Anyhow here’s the mentality i use and has proved successful (although I’m jinxing myself right now). When we run or bike past a dog’s area- we need to think like a pack leader. Yes we are temporarily intruding on their territory but we are pack leaders and are just passing through. We are not afraid. Just like another dominant wolf passing through another single wolf’s area (not pack just single wolf in order to compare apples to apples- a pack scenario is much different). We need to be dominant and give a strong warning and move on out of their territory. That strong warning can come as very aggressive yelling- directly facing the dog or possibly a quick punch if it is about to bite (similar to the dominant wolf biting the other as a warning sign). A stick or any object you can use to put between yourself and the dog makes you bigger to them and also helps prevent a bite. If you are on your bike and can’t ride away fast enough I would get off and put bike between you and the dog and use it to keep them away from biting you until help arrives.
You really have to be aggressive and dominant and use words they are familiar with like “No” and “go home”. I know this sounds crazy but you have to think like a dog- if they sense fear on you - you are screwed. Be dominant, be aggressive- you are a pack leader!
I’ve had many close calls living here in Vermont- very rural roads but the above has worked for me. Just remember they typically are all good dogs they are just programmed to protect their territory so you need to override that with a quick warning (yell or quick bite/see above) and be dominant/aggressive.
Maybe I’ve just been lucky- I don’t know. Good luck.
I tend to agree with Tom D- If you mace a dog the owner may come after you and then you just made a bad situation worse.
I use the one inch punch much favoured by Jackie Chan.
If it is a training run and you have a moment or two to stop then i saw a documentary once where an Australian Bushmen cleverly put a buffalo to sleep by just staring at it and moving his hand slightly. It clearly required a little training but is worth looking into in case of further canine interest.
Mace gadgets? You mean like a James Bond style pepper spray watch? or Cell Phone? As luck would have it there is a link below. When the mutt attacks pretend to order a pizza or a taxi and then mace it when it gets close. Both the chemicals and element of surprise will it stop the dog in it’s tracks.
http://www.engadget.com/2005/10/31/carryguard-pepper-spray-disguised-as-a-cellphone/
Don, saw this on BRTRI and wanted to update here too… Not too much you can do if the dog is on a mission like the beast that got me…
I’ve used the “NO!!! GO HOME!!!” and squirt water on the beast technique plenty of times now with pretty good success. Unfortunatley, it’s not always gonna work as I found out the very, very hard way in Tylertown, Mississippi on August 8th. If the dog wants to attack it’s gonna attack. The male German Shepherd that took me down took a full face of water and lots of yelling, but it didn’t deter his attack. I think the water actually refreshed him. 
He gnawed on my ankle for a minute or so and drug me down the road while I was beating it on the head. When I finally got him off my ankle he got me on the back, upper arm and shoulder before I guess he realized that his mouth was hurting from one of his missing teeth that was firmly lodged into my leg. I would suggest carrying pepper spray, wasp spray (as a suggestion from Llew), a shotgun, a small tactical nuclear weapon or whatever else it takes to make the beast go away. Kelli and I bought some spray that was made for bikers that shoots a sharp stream of hurt juice towards the animal. Sucks for the first one that comes within 20 feet of me from now on as the beast will get a face full of hurt.
So, my suggestion is lots and lots of pepper spray. Sucks for the people that may or may not be riding with you but getting a little bit of spray in the eyes of someone in your group would be a great alternative to an actual attack. I sure would like for everyone to avoid the BS I’ve had to endure for the past couple months and the future aggravation that this attack will have caused.
Cheers!
Chad
Here’s an x-ray of the tooth that’s still wedged in my leg. 
i know people dont want to hurt dogs, i dont, I own 3 dogs, 1 geing a german sheppard but at work (i work for a large telephone company) we use HALT! its an approved mace for dogs and animals and i promise it will stop any animal in its tracks. I had a pit bull in dead run at me I sprayed it at the ground 15 feet between me and him.
That made him sneeze but he kept coming, I sprayed him in the face and he stopped, his eyes and nose starting running uncontrolable and he sneezed and starting rubbing his face with his paws.
I then went and got a bottle of water and squirted it in his face to help rinse it off but he was down for the count the whole time i was there he was crying and rubbing his face.
I felt sorry for him but i would have been mangled if i hadn’t prayed him. that is the 1 and only dog i’ve ever sprayed but it worked.
jetta HALT is the stuff we bought at the local bike shop. Good to know it works.
There is one more technique that I have found to be 100% effective…so far. When the dog starts it’s run towards me, I stop, dismount with the bike between us, whistle to the dog and call him/her in a very friendly manner. If you are not running from or intimidating the dog, it will normally stop their agressive behavior.
I now know every dog along the two routes that I normally cycle. 1 pit bull - Roscoe, two rottweillers - Big’n and Marley, a german shepard mix - Fluffy, etc. etc. These dog no longer chase me in an agressive manner (they were very agressive initially), but I do need to be careful with Fluffy, who now likes to run along side me and gets too close to my bike.
Try Kimber Pepper Blaster. !(//images.competitivecyclist.com/images/products/kimber/2010/15226_i_1.jpg)
2010 Kimber PepperBlaster II
Competitive Cyclist carries it. Here’s what they ahve to say about it.
Kimber PepperBlaster II is unlike any pepper spray or mace-like stuff you’ve ever seen before. Stuff like “Halt!” is a marshmallow gun by comparison. Kimber refers to it as a “less-lethal weapon”, and as one of the world’s premier manufacturers of 1911 pistols, they know lethality.
Unlike typical pepper spray, PepperBlaster II isn’t aerosolized. Rather, each unit contains two cylinders with powerful concentrations of near-pharmaceutical grade oleoresin capsicum (OC) – a devastatingly effective irritant. Each cylinder is driven by a pyrotechnic charge and a piston, and the solution travels at 90mph, giving it enough energy to wrap around glasses or a face mask. Unlike conventional pepper sprays, you won’t get any blowback into your own face since it isn’t an aerosolized mist. You don’t need to worry whether you’re downwind. And you get a substantially longer effective range of 13 feet. Instead of a “spray”, it fires a compact stream of OC. The effect is immediate, it lasts for 45 minutes, and it allows you to extricate yourself from the situation with plenty of time to spare. And unlike sprays, it’s reliable at any temperature, and won’t rupture, burst, or depressurize.
woohoo, finally a contribution I can make. I’ve used the kimber product mentions above. Works great on 2 legged predators, when you are standing in front of them in street shoes. It delivers 2 concentrated bursts and then its a bar of soap. If you are on a bike, unstable, scared, and trying to hit a 4 legged animal, you’d be better off with a wider dispersal of OC. A cyclist size container of Sabre is 10 percent pepper, produces a wider spray, and has several seconds of volume. You can effectively “correct your aim” into the attacker. As an aside, its designed for people, so it will stop a dog (sensitive noses) pretty reliably. I have sprayed 2 people and 1 dog, and can attest to its affect. The Sabre Cylist comes with a velcro attachment for your cross bar, so you can have it handy, and put down a “go speed racer” smoke screen. They are also about 12 bucks, so its a pretty cheap tool.
Damien
No reason to hurt the dog. The dog is only doing what comes naturally and its the owners fault!!
After years of being chased by dogs on central Virginia rural roads, I found the regular old water works like a charm. Just one squirt of water from your water bottle in the dogs direction, it surprises him, stops him in his tracks long enough that he looses interest and by then you are gone. NO reason to carry other stuff for the “just in case”. You should always have a water bottle with you anyway.
Always worked for me.
First, let me say that I love dogs. I wouldn’t want to hurt one, but if a dog is threatening to attack me, it’s my right to defend myself.
Second, I live and ride in ride in rural areas, so I’m more at risk simply because dogs are less likely to be leashed or confined out here.
I’ve found from experience that pepper spray isn’t much of a defense. Wind, and the difficulty of making a direct hit with the spray while riding along, make it a poor choice.
My solution is to carry a telescoping steel baton. I’ve rigged up a little homemade holder near my bottle cages that makes it very easy and quick to reach and deploy.
I was chased years ago by a golden retriever when I learned–due to the wind–the uselessness of pepper spray. He came close to my side and chased me into the oncoming lane of traffic. On a subsequent ride, after having purchased the telescoping steel baton and putting it on my bike, he came after me again. His response was dramatically different. When I whipped out and extended the baton (mine extends 18"), he instantly stopped getting closer to me. He knew that that baton was something he didn’t want any part of, and backed off. (Keeping the dog at a distance is most of the battle. As long as they don’t come close, they’re not much of a threat.) What’s more, I feel very safe with the baton. It’s extremely hard, and provides plenty of force to stop anything in its tracks. Trust me, you would never want to be hit by one. There’s not a bone in a human or canine body that a baton couldn’t easily break. It could do much worse, but I won’t go there.
I once took a short ride from home and forgot to switch the baton to the bike I was riding. Naturally, I was chased by a Rottweiler (owned by a known drug dealer) on that ride. He came very, very close to grabbing my ankle, and would surely have pulled me down had he done so. There’s no doubt that, because he was well within my reach with a baton, I could have easily smacked him in the face and put a stop to it. (I would love to have taken the baton to the dog’s owner’s head, but then I’d be in trouble.)
Sorry if I sound like some mean, blood-thirsty SOB. I’m really not.
Jim
While running on unfamiliar rural roads outside Franklin, Tenn. last Sunday morning (I was in town for the Eagles-Titans game), I used the “Stare, Shout, and Walk Away Slowly Until Out of Sight and Then Run Like Heck” technique to get by first two dogs, and then another when their barking and my yelling prompted a third (and larger) canine “friend” to bound thru the gap in his fence to see what all the commotion was about.
Based on this experience, I would agree that they were just being territorial and perhaps wanted to “play” but I still consider myself very lucky.
And thanks for sharing the water bottle trick; didn’t have one with me on this run so well placed kicks followed by rocks and sticks would have been my next options (before running to a stranger’s house and inviting myself in for breakfast).
The baton approach is a much more natural approach than using a spray. Using a stick works well too.
These are dogs and we are moving through their territory. Using a hand, stick or object to hit them if they get close enough (if yelling doesn’t work) is much more in line with a wolf biting back another wolf who is moving through it’s territory.
I don’t think I’ve ever needed a stick to be honest though. Very dominant yelling, facing the dog and using fists in close calls has worked. Maybe I’m jinxing myself.
By the way I have a 100 pound Rottweiler (who never chases anyone or anything other than cats) who thinks he’s a lap dog and is the coolest dog I’ve ever met.
dogs and bikes… dogs and bikes…
if waiving hands and yelling at bears and mtn lions scares them nothing to say this approach doesn’t/won’t work against canines
unless they happen, as Tom D. said, to be trained otherwise
in which case barking usually will be enough to deter
should be done in parallel with accelerating though, and you should be able to get yourself out in front of them
beware if they are in front of you and a large, fast breed however as they may be able to get under your front wheel
never stop pedalling. we have a few out in front of some rural locations, and when/if you stop pedalling- 1. you start slowing down, 2. they will usually fane like they may go for your ankle
change routes next time if possible
you are invading their space, so you have to get out of there
i have had to stop, dismount, and confront a few times. when doing so am always careful to keep bicycle between myself and said canine
as soon as you dismount they almost always lose complete interest as you are now just a pedestrian not a spooky circle spinning, funny noise making, fast, humanish shaped contraption of some sort- especially when/if the bike is in between you both
with the bike in between there is no reason for the dog to pursue
owner will usually come out
if so/not just walk backwards out or back depending ~50yrds down road, remount, and continue your ride
dealing/being able to deal with animales really is something one should learn prior to riding a bicyle for an extended distance
again- first line is yelling, barking, accelerating
if this doesn’t work (will ~99.9% of the time) continue peddaling, if it looks like it may get ugly or under front wheel dismount and keep bike in between
p.s. Tom D.- I met one of your cute, small, little furry Javelina friends the other day, but he chose that he didn’t want me to pet him- darn 
i left him a little gift instead
oh well
p.p.s. saw a (more than likely) related family a little later on the way out, and didn;t even think twice about whether i should get down and try to make friends…
#1 Work on your sprint.
#2 If a dog is coming at you barking, it is not going to attack. The biggest risk is it getting in front of your wheel. I always say “Hello little doggie!” like it is a puppy. Always works. Stops them dead. Usually they will stop and tilt their heads.
#3 If it is coming in low and silent, see #1. That sucker is coming to attack and you better move.
