Firstly I would like to say I am not anti dog (or particularly pro) although sometimes we have one come out riding with us (well she runs!)

Anyway I’m out for a solo blast at the weekend (Woodbury Common FWIW) I’m cycling up some doubletrack and see a an old couple out with their dog (it was a collie/sheepdog) I slow right down to pass them, the dog charges at me barking angrily. I smiled and said the dog was “trying to round me up like a sheep”. (I notice now is has a lead round it’s mouth to stop it’s jaws opening properly) Anyway, every time I try to pass the dog runs round me barking and at one point trys to bite me. I laugh it off and wish them good day, then slowly walk off with the dog still running round / barking at me (doesn’t try to bite again) and the old couple (maybe 70?) trying desperatley to call the dog back but failing (it gives up as I get round the corner)
I didn’t challenge them as they were old, the dog was partly muzzled & I had pads on so it couldn’t really hurt me. I admit I was tempted to give it a kick and I was a bit cheesed off they couldn’t control their dog. As I cycled off I realised what if I had had my kids with me? it could have bitten them (got it’s jaws around a small hand or whatever)

So, what would you do? Was I right ignoring it, should I have kicked the dog to teach it a lesson or pointed out to the owners if they couldn’t control their dog to put a leash on it (I didn’t as didn’t want to get into an argument with an old couple and TBH the dog would might have pulled them over!)
Sorry for the long post 😉

(I notice now is has a lead round it’s mouth to stop it’s jaws opening properly

Jeez not even properly muzzled, I have dogs but this is not on for the public OR the dog, the owners could be in loads of bother as they obviously know its likely to bite, but just strapping something around its jaw that doesn’t allow it to drink or vomit is neglect and a danger.

Kicking it to teach it a lesson wont help anyone

Not much you can do really without knowing where they live, and informing the dog warden, dont bother with the RSPCA though

I notice now is has a lead round it’s mouth to stop it’s jaws opening properly

Probably a halti/ gentle leader, rather than a crap muzzle.

‘kick his balls, postman…’
.
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.’yelp, yelp, yelp!!’
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‘ not those, the one’s in the garden!’

Childs hand? Never mind that it could have been a childs face !

(Boot it, it wont hurt the dog and the coffin dodgers might think twice next time)

As above sounds like a Halti not a muzzle.

I notice now is has a lead round it’s mouth to stop it’s jaws opening properly

Nah, that’s a Halti. Designed to stop a dog pulling on it’s lead, for people who can’t train them to walk to heel.
I had a dobermann run alongside me as I was riding the other day. I could hear it panting.. gave me goosebumps, even though I knew it was only running to play with my dog!

Some people are just crap dog owners (not the Dobermann’s owner btw!).

(Boot it, it wont hurt the dog and the coffin dodgers might think twice next time)

great way to make an already suspect dog into a serious attacker, brilliant advice, that’ll solve everything 😕

pretend it had bitten you and tell them you were reporting them for having a dangerous dog?

I think you did the right thing, walking calmly away.

Yeah I think I should have exlpained to them that the dog should be on a lead. Definatley will next time. I cycle up there a lot and have never seen them or the dog before.

I am tempted to shout Oye in a loud voice if I think I am going to get bit.
Sometimes works and dog does double take..

I had a similar incident on Sunday. Various owners with various dogs including 3 collies that seemed to like chasing my feet as they slowly went round on the pedals. I was going at less than walking speed as it was a foot path. One of the collies then started gently nipping at my trousers so I said loudly “do not bite me”. To which the owner responded “he’s fine, he won’t bite you”. I said “he IS biting my trousers”. Owner “he doesn’t normally do that”.
It didn’t get to my flesh and I was on a footpath so I just smiled and rode on slowly until I reached the next bit of bridal way.
I supposed we were both in the wrong but my riding slowly on the footpath isn’t going to hurt any one where as his dog chewing on cyclists could turn into some thing more serious.

I’ve tried, ‘if that dog bites me I will kick it’

just seems to escalate things unfortunately

I really don’t think Border Collies should be kept as pets as they’re working dogs. People can’t control them and every time I see one there’s grief.

People can’t control them and every time I see one there’s grief.

For a bit of balance, Collies are consistently the best behaved dogs that I see.

for another bit of balance, every time i see a crocodile i know im perfectly safe*.

but then, i’ve only seen crocodiles on tv.

*unless the tv falls on me etc.

bloody owners, it doesn’t matter how old they are. old enough to keep it, old enough to be responsible.

Comes down to the owners in the end, if they can´t be bothered to train (or have trained) their dog then it´s on them.

Dogs are simple creatures, easy to train using a basic reward system.
I´ve owned a border collie and two rotweillers. Collies take a lot more to look after, they have huge energy reserves. Once properly trained I never had any trouble with any of them….apart from one of the rotties bringing me a (still live and unharmed) duck one aft. with a puzzled look on his face.

Trouble is it’s not on the owners, it’s on the person or animal they attack.

I’m not a dog or a dog owner hater BTW, just Collies. Every time I see one off the lead I’m either bitten or chased. There should be legislation in place regarding selling and breeding.

I really don’t think Border Collies should be kept as pets as they’re working dogs.

this. the public dont seem to realise that a 20 minute walk around the park isnt anything like a day out in the field. Im always super wary when aproaching a collie

Yell at it.
Kicking it just makes the dog angry and it’ll retaliate.
Trying to be it’s best mate just means the dog has the upper hand and dominates the situation.

Yelling and shouting at it means (to the dog) that you’re number 1. It might still bark but unless it’s a trained attack dog, it shouldn’t actually follow up with anything.

I love well trained dogs. My sisters dog is the nicest best trained animal you could ever hope for. Never needs a lead for walking. Couple of whistles is all it needs and it’ll do anything, would never even bother looking at a cyclist/child/other dog etc. That’s why badly trained dogs piss me off so much.

I had a similar experience today, I must have encountered 20 or so mutts within minutes of riding! Two groups were obviously dog walking businesses, letting up to a dozen dogs roam all over the trail, it looked like something out of a shite Disney film. One dog was blind and decided to follow me instead of the walker so I stopped to let the walker catch the dog. As I did so it walked completely oblivious into the rear of my tyre. The next dog walking business had a large brown dog that decided to glance my calf with its teeth and tried to pursue me. By now I was getting fed up of riding through the set of 101 Dalmations and realising that I would be unable to outrun the large brown dog wanting to “play” with my legs due to the amount of dogs and people, so did the next best thing. I skidded to a halt dropped the bike and turned to face the mutt, arms wide and giving off serious violence vibes. The dog stopped in its tracks and ran off, having to be caught by the walker. The bloke said “that’s one way of dealing with it” Sometimes dogs just want a chase, when you stop and face them, make yourself big, make lots of noise and ultimately be prepared to scrap. Don’t kick a biting dog, grab its neck and pin it down, it will make it mad as hell. So be prepared to really squeeze until it goes away. Nasty I know but I’m not ending up in A&E with no tendons on my calf, I’d rather take it down. I’m not a dog hater. I just cannot tolerate fools who cannot be ar*ed to control their dogs.

garlic – Member

Trouble is it’s not on the owners, it’s on the person or animal they attack.

I’m not a dog or a dog owner hater BTW, just Collies. Every time I see one off the lead I’m either bitten or chased. There should be legislation in place regarding selling and breeding.

I think my attitude to dogs is well known – however collies can be fine if well trained- and seem to be able to be well trained.

Riding on the local shared path I saw a man with about 6 collies – I rang my bell, he caught one of them and then called “down” – the other 5 dogs dropped on the spot and watched me ride past.

a well trained dog is no hassle to anyone

Happens to me all the time with sheepdogs.

My policy is if they know their dog does it and still don’t put it on a lead when I’m coming then it’s fair game to see how long the dog can keep up for

Hmm, as a border collie owning mountain biker I’ve got a foot in a few camps on this one.
A responsible dog owner will have trained their dog to listen to their commands rather than it’s own instinct – if you can’t control your dog when it’s off the lead in public then it shouldn’t be off the lead.
A responsible mountain biker will allow the dog owner enough time to control their dog – if you can’t control your riding when you’re riding on a shared use track you shouldn’t be riding.

Here’s a bit of collie psychology for you: Everyone know that a collie’s natural instinct tell it to chase and round things up – the harder you make it chase the more likely it will be that it will resort to nipping to try to convince whatever/whoever it’s rounding up to go where it wants. This is why in general a collie is not an ideal pet if you have kids as a child’s natural reaction to being rounded up is to scream and run in the opposite direction and the dog sees this as more of a challenge.

70 isn’t old.

I have to admit the dog we ride with is a sheepdog collie, black and white, same as the dog that I had problems with. FWIW she is one of the nicest family dogs I have ever met, does what she is told and is great with my little ones (3 & 4 years old)
I guess it’s all in the training

If the owner of the mutt is struggling to catch it, the most helpfull thing you can do is stop still while they do so.

Then when they catch it they usually say ‘he does this all the time, must have thought you were a sheep’ at which point I lose a fraction of faith in humanity