This past weekend I was out for a solo ride on some country roads (Midwest farm roads) when I saw dog at the edge of the road about a 1/4 mile up. The dog turned and ran towards me and from a distance it was difficult to tell if it was on the aggressive or just being friendly. Nonetheless, I quickly determined that this dog meant business and wanted a piece of me and or my bike (teeth showing, hair up, etc). My first reaction was to put on a burst of speed and get away, which worked as endurance outlasted the dog. Nothing came of the event other than a spike into Z4 on my Z1-2 long ride.
But looking back on the incident, there was no doubt in my mind that the dog could have ruined my day at several points. The dog had 4x the sprinting speed of me and actually ran by me and caught back up to me on two or three occasions in the 2-3 minute interaction. This is my 3rd year cycling and training for triathlons and my first interaction with an animal in this regard. I have experienced an angry dog before on a motorcycle, but a twist of the throttle and you are gone, not so much the case on a road bike.
Just curious for the opinions, advice and experiences from the ST community on how you have handled animal encounters;
Have you been attacked?How did you defend yourself?What happened in the end?Physical harm to Rider, Dog, Bike?..Who was liable in the end?
If I see a dog, I grab my water bottle. If it starts coming to me, when it is still a bit far, I say “Off” or “down”…usually one of those gives it pause, which is normally the end of it. Don’t yell, but command in a strong, stern voice. If it still advances within range, I squirt it with the bottle. There are very few loose dogs around here, and so I have only squirted once. It stopped the dog cold.
I’ve read that if a dog takes you down, keep the bike between you and it. Use the bike as a shield/weapon.
I’ve ridden MTB with my previous dogs. I had labs and one could get to 16 MPH and the other 18…
Labs are not the fastest of dogs.
A dog can oftentimes catch up to a rider.
Be careful, a friend recently got a concussion and broken frame when that country dog ran into his front wheel.
I had a pair of big dogs chasing me and having the time of their lives yesterday. I cheer them on because they really do love to imagine we’re a deer or something and it’s probably the most exciting thing they’ve done all week. When a little dog with short legs chases, it’s pretty motivational. On occasion, I have an “oh sh*t” moment when I realize the dog is actually capable of catching me and wanting to do damage. Then it’s water bottle time or swerving at them. If you swerve at a dog, it dents their speed as they rear back and they register that you aren’t a wimp. Hundreds of dog chases and never been bitten using those methods.
This sounds cliche but the dog can actually sense your nervous and that can set it off to chase you. I’ve never had this happen to me on a bike but its happened lots of times running on the street/trails with unleashed dogs. This is usually the order of things I try:
-In a strong authoritative voice I’ll say “HEY” or make some sound (think like TCHHHHH) to snap the dog out of it and to establish you’re in charge
-Spraying with a water bottle
-Lunge (or in your case swerve) TOWARDS the dog. If the dog senses its going from hunter to prey, this is usually enough to scare it into submission.
Note: the last 2 may get you in trouble with the owner but if done properly will not hurt the dog.
I had an extremely similar incident on Saturday - it was a pit bull that came out of a farm in the middle of nowhere. I was happy to know I could out-sprint a farm dog but it was a little unnerving. He hung with me WAY farther than his property line, which is typically what those dogs do.
One of my best friends had a run-in with a farm dog a few years ago - it got caught up in her wheel, she crashed and broke her collar bone. No bueno.
I have been bitten once and another time crashed due to the dog running out into a group ride two times as we passed.
I seldom try to outrun them now unless it is an easy win. Down hill, tail wind and fresh legs help.
I usually slow and prepare to stop and try yelling (no, no bad dog) or get the water bottle out.
Then in most cases I stop near the side of the road and get my bike between me and the dog if needed.
Then I usually spray him with water or pick up some road side gravel or rocks and throw them near the dogs paws and they usually run.
Years ago I encountered a big chasing Doberman on one of my regular loops.
I started taking biscuits and tossing one and after a couple times he would come out sit and wait for his treat without chasing.
You have a lot more to lose with your body and bike getting damaged by trying to outrun a dog or spray him with your bottle or dog repellant while riding fast.
Think about riding fast, with one hand on the bars and the other trying to aim and spray a moving dog, who may run in front of you.
Some people carry dog repellant but I hate to go out for a ride with the intention of spraying someone’s pet.
I ride in the rural farm country and cow dogs usually chase out of instinct to herd and guard.
Depending on your local laws and enforcement usually the property owner is a fault (even if the dog is just visiting for the day).
You may end having to take them to small claims court and it will be a lot of your time and effort to get fully compensated.
Hope this helps you make a quick, safe decision, especially when you are tired and do not see the dog ahead of time.
One of the routes I use has a pack of dogs that live at a house with a lot of land…land for cattle, or horses. Anyways, as I pass that part of the route, I always pick it up just a little and am in a gear in which I can go really hard, really fast. The biggest dog of the pack can keep up with me, though, so I just watch it and yell “NO!” when it looks as though he’s about to get more aggressive.
Honestly, the thought never crossed my mind to hit them with a spray of water. I had never thought through an ‘exit’ strategy for a dog attack, so I in the fight or flight moment I guess I defaulted to flight. I am sure that there will be a next time and I hope to keep my wits about me and slow down to deter the dog rather than give them something to chase.
I have had dogs all my life and not one of them enjoyed sprayed with the shower, hose, or just water in general, so it makes complete sense to hit them with some spray from the water bottle…Wish I would have thought of it in the moment.
movie… american flyer
Just give him a shoe?! I don’t know about that one…
That’s followed by “TIE UP YOU MOTHER FU**** DOG”… in case the owners are around. No excuse for an animal to be chasing you on a public road… I don’t care how remote it is, gravel or paved. Train the thing or tie it up.
“NO!” works better than “down” or “off”. Make is as loud, deep and guttural as possible. Bare your teeth. Tells him you’re the big dog. I use a squirt from my water bottle as a last resort.
If a dog is chasing from the side, he has you at a disadvantage. He’s picked the spot where he thinks you’ll be. You likely won’t be able to out run him in this situation. Do an emergency stop at the last second. The dog will try to put on the brakes and will slip/slide/tumble by, just in front of you. Then sprint away before he can recover.
Most of the advice here is in line with what I’ve done. I typically pick the pace up a bit when I see a dog is thinking about chasing or if I’m passing an area with known dogs. If they start to come, I yell “NO!” as soon as they make their first steps. “No” is a word almost every dog knows and if you get them right when the thought of chasing is running through their little head, they’ll often stop (though not always).
Once the chase is on, there’s not much you can do other than drop the hammer and hope for the best. I do squirt dogs if they get close and have kicked one or two that got WAY too close.
Worst outcome I’ve ever seen was a dog that came across from the far side of the road to chase a cyclist (not me) and the pup didn’t take note of the car coming from the other direction. Bad day for the dog.
Happened to me this Saturday. There were two, a mean black one and what looked like an Australian shepherd.
I also just happened to turn on this road into a headwind
Lots of good advice here. I haven’t had problems yet on the bike. Usually by the time the dog sees me I am even or past them and can easily accelerate away. Unless of course it is on a hill.
I’ve had several interesting encounters while running though. I am always most nervous when going by a rural house with grass a foot tall in the yard, an old couch and beer cans on the porch, and some sort of large mix breed in the front yard that probably hasn’t eaten since the last time someone ran by. That said, all encounters I’ve had have been stopped by stopping and commanding the dog to stop (“Stay”! “No”!, etc.) Typically my main concern is the dog running into the street. I had a very pretty brindle & white pittie come charging hard out of a back yard a couple years ago. I stopped and as she got near I stepped toward her, held my hand up and said “Stay”. She stopped like someone had a chain attached, looked around unsure of what to do. I stepped on to the grass and said “Well, come here”. She stuck her nose out and sniffed my hand and we had a little visit. Her owner apologized profusely. I must confess there was a moment I did not know what her intentions were but figured at 5’ 11" and 175 lbs. I could face her down if I had to.
On a funnier note, running near my dad’s house a couple years ago I had a herd of little ankle high yappy dogs all of different breeds all come barking and charging out at me. I turned, held my arms up and roared like a bear at them. They turned tail and ran as fast as they could back up the driveway and hid under the car parked there. The owner was outside and laughed out loud. He said they deserved it for not listening.
I’ll add that in my scariest encounter, the rural road I was one was fortunately only 1/2 mile from a major road. So three’s always plan B, lead them into traffic and hope it scares them or a 18 wheeler takes care of you problem. (Can you tell I have no love for outdoor dogs that are allows to roam “wild” past their property.)
I hear a story from a guy at work that had a dog that liked to chase cars to try and get their tires. One day he finally go ahold of a tire. Snapped it’s neck instantly. Dumb animals (with 2 and 4 legs) do stupid things sometimes. If we’re lucky, they will learn their lesson or only hurt themselves before someone else gets hurt.
you get used to it after awhile. Lol
