I’m looking for a little help. I live and train in rural oregon and there are no dog leash rules in the country. I’ve got a few favorite routes, but they come with a few dogs. My wife has the scars to prove they mean business. We have talked to a few owners and they have fenced their dogs. The others, well the house looks more intimidating than the dog does. The local police, short of shooting the dogs were not much help. Most of them respond to a stern voice, but occasionally the flight response kicks in gear and i’m doing some serious interval training. Any tips?
some dog mace a couple times and the dogs will probably learn to stop?
I’ve used all of these but only the last one when the dog was a second from latching on to my achilles…
stop and yell at the dog
a squirt in the face from a water bottle
a squirt from a mace can
a crack on the head from a full size frame pump
Just run with a stick.
Ammonia in a water bottle - or some sort of bottle. Carry with you. Squirt on dog’s face. (Note: Do not mix up bottles and drink by mistake.)
http://www.cooldogtoys.com/directstop.php
Follow this link and try this stuff. Works pretty well and doesn’t harm the animal. It link doesn’t work just google Directstop dog spray.
We also live in a rural area where there are lots of farm dogs who run free on their property. One particular dog named Buddy would come on the road and bare his fangs. We carried dog biscuits, talked to the owners with Buddy present and made friends with the dog. Now all he does is bark. We know where the dogs are on our riding/running routes and make every effort to make friends with them, so touch wood, we’ve had no problems. My wife has been bit by dogs twice, both times in an urban area. I’ve never had a dog problem to date.
“Ammonia in a water bottle - or some sort of bottle. Carry with you. Squirt on dog’s face.”
you don’t need ammonia. just squirt from your bottle into the dog’s face.
I had to use a squirt of my water flavored with nuun kona cola a couple months ago. Worked like a charm.
I would be careful of the owners as well. When I lived in the backwoods of Virginia (think southern militia members who fly the stars-n-bars for a reason), I had some very troublesome dogs on a favorite route. I finally brought a little can of pepper spray from a bike shop, and got the dogs pretty good one day (it was a pack of 4 dogs). I didn’t notice the owner on the front porch watching me. He came after me in his pickup truck, and threatened to shoot me. Nothing I could do - I was out in the middle of freaking nowhere. I tried to diffuse the situation and apologize (even though I didn’t mean it) - and he left me alone after spewing vile profanities and manifesting his ignorant upbringing. No telling what he had in his truck - so I wasn’t going to take chances with someone who was probably half-drunk and mentally incompetent to begin with.
So I don’t carry pepper spray anymore. I have found that a squirt from a water bottle works just as well. Much better than yelling at the dog, too. If worse comes to worse, I have been told to get off the bike, and keep the bike in between you and the dog, and use the frame pump if necessary. Never had it come to that, though.
It’s probably a lot different for a large male than for a smaller person or female. Since I’m the former, I don’t ever worry about being bitten. Part of the reason it’s never happened is probably my lack of fear of dogs. But that said, I do know that the risk is that the dog will get tangled up in my bike.
So whenever they come running I calculate the trajectory. If they are going to be able to head me off (meaning pull in front of me versus just coming even with my crank) then I will slow down and if necessary will unclip and deal with the dog however the mood strikes me (either make friends or chew it out).
If it’s not going to get ahead of me, then I keep it off of my feet with the water bottle. Works every time.
I don’t begrudge the rural dogs the fun in chasing me. It gives them purpose in life. 
I’ve never tried the pepper spray, but there are 2 dogs that are particularly annoying. They’re at the top of a hill so it’s never possible to get by quickly. For them I’ve considered trying the pepper spray route.
Interesting side note. Last weekend I went on a group ride with my club. When there are 10 riders in a pack, the dogs don’t chase!
I’ve never tried it, but some suggest using a compressed air horn rather than pepper spray. Certainly safer to the user, avoiding any blow back issues. Not sure whether it could cause permanent damage to a dog’s ears, though.
Ammonia in a water bottle - or some sort of bottle. Carry with you. Squirt on dog’s face.
I think this is a bit excessive. Most dogs just like the action and are having fun. I was thinking a blast from a CO2 might work.
I have the same problem where I train, dogs are everywhere. This is what I did last year and it seemed to work. If I see the dog first and can beat him, then I get a little interval training in. If the dog sees me first, I slow way down or stop and the deal with the dog. Dog bites will heal eventually, a cracked frame on a $2800 bike will not. Good luck.
I’ve had a few dogs over the years, one of which I am very shamed to admit would chase folks if it got free (which did not happen very often thankfully). The folks who just ignored him were fine as were the folks who treated him like the POS he was and gave him a good strong talking to. The folks who acted afraid or timid got the worst (which fortunately in his case was no more than non stop barking).
At the boot camp like training program he and I eventually ended up at, I was taught that dogs are pack animals and are genitically programed to defer to the stronger members of the pack. My suggestion would be to treat the dog like you would its owner if you could find him. Dogs do understand the F word and most other 4 letter words (or at least they get the tone) and if delivered with enough force and conviction, all but the craziest dogs will usually recognize your superiority. The key is suppressing all fear and showing the dog the utter contempt and disgust you have towards them. Granted, my dog was an otherwise well mannered golden retriever not some junk yard guard dog so use some common sense with this approach. Some dogs really are out to bite you.
And, the owner does deserve some abuse too but many are not as rational as their dogs so tread carefully there. FWIW, the few times this happened with my dog, I took my well deserved abuse in stride
I had to use a squirt of my water flavored with nuun kona cola a couple months ago. Worked like a charm.
On this forum I believe that Infinit has been proven more effective.
While running, I always yell, GET OFF THE COUCH!
Dogs are a real problem in rural areas where we ride. Two years ago I was bitten by a Great Dane while riding up a steep climb. I had to take rabies shots because of the bite. I’ve learned to take all dogs seriously!!! I put 1 part amonia with 2 parts colored dishwashing liquid in a small flask to spray at the dogs. The dishwashing liquid makes the amonia adhere to the fur( and is colored so I do not get confused on flasks) so the animal smells the amonia for a longer period of time. The dogs on our rural routes still bark at us but they keep a healthy distance.
I would be careful of the owners as well. When I lived in the backwoods of Virginia (think southern militia members who fly the stars-n-bars for a reason), I had some very troublesome dogs on a favorite route. I finally brought a little can of pepper spray from a bike shop, and got the dogs pretty good one day (it was a pack of 4 dogs). I didn’t notice the owner on the front porch watching me. He came after me in his pickup truck, and threatened to shoot me. Nothing I could do - I was out in the middle of freaking nowhere. I tried to diffuse the situation and apologize (even though I didn’t mean it) - and he left me alone after spewing vile profanities and manifesting his ignorant upbringing. No telling what he had in his truck - so I wasn’t going to take chances with someone who was probably half-drunk and mentally incompetent to begin with.
So I don’t carry pepper spray anymore. I have found that a squirt from a water bottle works just as well. Much better than yelling at the dog, too. If worse comes to worse, I have been told to get off the bike, and keep the bike in between you and the dog, and use the frame pump if necessary. Never had it come to that, though.
Good reason to run with an AR-15 in a combat sling on your chest…Shoot the owner and save the dog!
I have found that the pepper spary does not have the same affect on dogs as it does humans, so that is less likely to affect the dog and and almost certain to affect the user/human. I like the idea of the air horn - maybe find a small one that will use a CO2. On the same note you could try referee type whistle…the loud blast may scare them off. It seems that the water squirt with or without an irritant in it seems to work for people too.
STP has the right idea. I take dog training very seriously. And, my dogs definitely understand that I am their pack leader and that I am the one that determines the pack structure in my house. With the right attitude, even 2-year-olds can tell German Shepherd Dogs what to do.
When I am around other dogs I always act as if I am that dog’s pack leader as well. This really annoys the owners of dogs “that just don’t listen” when after 20 seconds, a strange dogs heads my commands. Most dogs just want to follow (being in charge is too much work). I just give them someone to follow.
Dogs pick up on body position, very small jestures, and tone way more than most humans do. So, you can’t just act the part. You have to be the part.
In short, be the alpha wolf and dogs will not chase or harass you. BTW I’m a bigger male, so I do have that going for me when communicating with dogs.