Dog encounters, do you have a plan ?

My plan is usually to stop and talk to the dog.

Carry some dog treats. Stop the bike, rustle around for the food while saying things like ‘Good Dog’ & ‘sit!’ Don’t ride off just walk away pushing the bike. Will work 99% of the time. If the dog is a psycho then you’ll be in trouble anyway. With most dogs the key is to appear calm & friendly.

My plan is usually to stop and talk to the dog.

That reminds me of a nice few minutes once spent helping a man get his puppy used to bikes.

Came up to me while I was stopped for a snack, asked if I could ride past a few times. Of course I duly oblige and subject the dog to a few silent passes and a few of freewheeling Pro4. Faster, if I could please, he asked a few times. Then had a chat and good pat to the dog. Bikes nothing to be scared of, it learnt that day.

Can't imagine even thinking about carrying some kind of weapon on the trail in case I meet a dog. As above, plan is to say hello.

Yep as above slow down and say hello.

If your not comfortable around dogs maybe get off and put your bike between you and the dog and then still say hello

Dont get aggressive with them, or go even quicker they will just want to play more.

edit: just read OP’s post in more detail. Op obviously can’t have ever owned or been around dogs, which is absolutely fine you shouldn’t have to be, but I would want to think that on an incredibly rare occasion my dog went out of site and decided to play a game with a cyclist that she might get clubbed to death, then things are not good

Op sounds like the dog liked you and was just playing a game. I can see that as a non dog person to stop and say hello would be difficult but it would be the best thing to do

My plan is to stop, skid the bike to a full stop, dog doesn't know what the fark to do, then shout at owner to get dog under control.

Got serious abuse for that from the dog owner. Reported it.   Months later, got stopped by said abusive elderly lady - it wasn't her dog, but she saw me regular, she was shaking. I accepted appology.

Got bit on my wrist by an uncontroled GSD last year, dog owner (another old lady) said kick it.

I won't even go into the Bully that attacked a spaniel, I was about to launch a heavy MTB onto the dog when said knuckle dragger got it off - I was about to shif the chain off the rings and impail the barsteward.

PS I've had a shit year of dog attacks in 2023 - I won't add the other which is graphic in a friends house, that I got physical with the dog as it killed another friends cat in the house.

I love dogs, **** hate shit owners.

Dog warden has told me to carry dog spray - aka, slightly less effective pepper spray.

PS, my laptop keyboard is rubbish for typing.

I've had enough of bad dog owners. If I see a bully, I'll get the tree saw out my paniers for it's owner...

I do see, and say hello, to loads of regular good dog owners every day on my commute.

Can’t imagine even thinking about carrying some kind of weapon on the trail in case I meet a dog. As above, plan is to say hello.

Neither had I, until after that moment when I realised that I was lucky I pulled off a Flight response. And the horror stories in the news recently.

I haven't felt unsafe going the same way since, but I now realise that it could happen to me and if I can't escape then I'm at its mercy really.

If the dog is a psycho then you’ll be in trouble anyway

This scenario basically. When your avoidance has failed, your deescalation has failed, and you can't get away.

Glad the sensible people are in, in the main

Yeah, pegging it full pelt away is often what you might want to do, but it's actually not the best thing to do as you tend to encourage the dog to chase.

Best thing is to stop and talk to the dog. Avoid leaning in, just say hello.

Rights and wrongs of dogs 'out of control' or whatever aside, the way not to get chased and bitten is usually to stop, not run.

If I meet an aggressive dog when out cycling, bike between me and it. Occasionally I have scored a kick to the chops.

When I've met them when out walking/ running I usually do the opposite of being nice and make myself big, scary and shout at them. 100% of the time so far, they've turned tail and run off. I then will give the owner a piece of my mind (very unpoliteley)

Sorry (not sorry) if that offends any owners of out of control dogs. It's your problem to deal with, not mine.

Edit to add: the vast majority of dogs and owners are absolutely fine, even the ones that are bonkers just running around playing /bing daft. Above I am talking about full on aggression, running towards me growling and barking type occasions

edit: just read OP’s post in more detail. Op obviously can’t have ever owned or been around dogs, which is absolutely fine you shouldn’t have to be, but I would want to think that on an incredibly rare occasion my dog went out of site and decided to play a game with a cyclist that she might get clubbed to death, then things are not good

Op sounds like the dog liked you and was just playing a game. I can see that as a non dog person to stop and say hello would be difficult but it would be the best thing to do

Had a family dog as a kid.

I wasn't advocating that I would want to club a dog if the law allowed me to carry something to do it with. That was an example of a non-weapon weapon.

No, it didn't like me. I was there and saw it's demeanour.

All 4 of my kids are terrified of strange  dogs after an uncontrolled lab bounded up to one of them on a pump track. She'll jump into a busy road to get away from dogs not on a lead.

Owner couldn't see the problem and got reported.  Makes me ****ing angry we can't go back to that pump track without hysterics.

My main plan is to avoid an encounter wherever possible. Had some big mastiff thing being exercised in a field next to a BW decide it wanted to give chase and jump over a dry stone wall to do it the other day. Didn't seem to be in attack mode, but the owner was a few hundred yards away, there was another one in the field, and I REALLY didn't want to stop and say hello.

Some people are just not dog people, I really don't mind dogs as soon as I know they're under control, but there are so many bad owners out there who think that other people should be accommodating their badly trained, poorly controlled animals.

When I have encountered dogs that were actually trying to attack me I have put the bike between me and the dog and used the bike to keep the dog at arms length. Hopefully the owner will get the dog under control.

My plan is usually to stop and talk to the dog

Usually my approach, though the odd few aggressive types are already committed. Many are just playing chase though. If you continue riding it will see it as a challenge. If the owner is about they'll give up but may continue to chase if not. Also you could be leading it away from the owner wherever they are.

Taking to the dog is more useful for grumpy dog walkers who look like they're going to have a go at you out of bike hate. Talk to their dog and it often disarms them.

I think we all know where this thread is going to go, I love dogs, their owners not some much, with the increase in dog ownership it is becoming increasingly common to have to deal with out of control aggressive dogs. There are few on here who might want to have a read of the definition of a dangerously out of control dog

https://www.gov.uk/control-dog-public

Yeah, pegging it full pelt away is often what you might want to do, but it’s actually not the best thing to do as you tend to encourage the dog to chase.

weeeelll....It's become sort of my default way of annoying shit owners frankly. Like most folks, I'm also heartily sick to death in the upsurge of Covid dogs who're owned by folks who often bought them 'cos they were bored, and didn't think beyond a few minutes, and now have a half (at best) trained badly-socialised dog that's a royal PITA for everyone else...Anyway, when one of the stupid things chases me on the bike, I let it, and the more I hear their stupid owners shouting "bubbles" or "Bimbi" ineffectually at the top of their voices, the harder and faster it encourages me to pedal. My record so far is about 1/2 mile up the TPT...

Don't tell anyone I do that, BTW,  I know It's sort of childish

My strategy with an aggressive dog in 26 years as a postie always stood me in good stead . I'd get off the bike leaving the bike between me and the dog then shout at it to back off . If that didn't work I'd run at the dog with the bike shouting like a loon that would always freak the dog out and they'd be confused and run off ! 😁

Not sure how they handle it now they don't have bikes for weapons 🤔

I stop and say hello and let them come and sniff me if they want to.

I remember reading somewhere about dealing with aggressive dogs that they are compelled to bite something, so for example holding a pump out to them they will try to grab on to it. At which point the article said you can try for a swift kick to the throat.

And I also remember seeing something the other day about waving a jacket at them so they grab that. And I suppose try for a kick.

.

I think RM's pic suggests he would be able to reach down and snap its neck in one fluid movement.

I stop and say hello and let them come and sniff me if they want to.

Yeah but what about the dog?

I think RM’s pic suggests he would be able to reach down and snap its neck in one fluid movement.

Nah, just waiting for it to get spicy.

I use the Croc Dundee method with aggressive dogs.

It's why I only have three fingers on my right hand.

There's a dog (spaniel of some form) on the farm I live on that's a real PITA when I'm on the bike. If the workers are in the workshop and it's with them it will invariably come at me gnashing and barking until one of them shout it back. If the farmers wife is walking it on the lead and I pass it's like some obsessed snarking gargling choking Tasmanian Devil trying ing to get at me.

The other week I was walking passed the workshop and it came out so I saw it as my chance to make peace with it. Hi doggo, how're you doing blah blah blah... Came up to me, I gave it a bit of a stroke talking nicely to it and tall of a sudden the little ****er went for my leg, luckily it only grabbed my trouser, and luckily for it ot jist avoided my size 13 hiking boot!

Getting off in the far side of the bike and shouting at it to go until an owner gets it is usually the best solution, but I have happily sped off before wondering how far the dog will follow me for.

I'm a dog lover, had rescue greyhounds over the years, but I ****ing hate irresponsible stupid dog owners, especially after been bitten twice on my bike within a month a few years ago. It really does seem to be worse with the increase in un/badly trained 'covid dogs' and clueless owners. I'm amazed how many don't even have leads!

Yeah but what about the dog?

🤣 I knew that was coming.

It really does seem to be worse with the increase in un/badly trained ‘covid dogs’ and clueless owners. I’m amazed how many don’t even have leads!

It certainly feels that way. I don't go many places on the bike other than the trails, the worst interaction I've had off the bike is muddy paws up the jeans which is a ****ing pita.

Sadly most of the aggression I've dealt with has been towards the hound when out walking with her.

Yes, often involves greeting them, giving them a pat and asking the owner how old their dog is.

I like dogs and I think they know that.
I have had 1 incident in my entire life.
Going through life expecting trouble generally leads to it.

As with  Bears, Mountain Lions don't run/ride off.  (We have it easy in this country.)

90% of times just stop and chat, and show no fear.

Dog will mostly just fade with a stern "no".

I slow down and say hi to the owner (if they're there). Most dogs here are fine but ocasionally pass an aggressive sounding dog. If the dog starts chasing, I'm off as fast as I can. Not taking any chances. Was bitten when I was 14 and ever since I just ride off to prevent it happening again. It moght not be the best thing for the dog but it can't bite me if it cant keep up or gets run over chasing me down the road.

One very important tip I’d add, if the dog doesn’t know you, then don’t try and pat and stroke it.

Instead, if it’s friendly, hold out your hand palm forward and below its head height for the dog to sniff. This is how dogs say hello to strangers, and it makes them comfortable and less stressed.

In most cases the dog just wants a play so I just stop and say hello. Yesterday I came across a delightful collie that stopped and sat by the side of the path as I went past and then carried on again when I’d passed, not a word from its owner other than a word of praise afterwards.

When a dog is snapping at your heels though it’s a different matter - if it’s a small dog that’s unlikely to chase I’ll usually ride off as quickly as I can. Bigger dogs, bike between the dog and me until the owner appears. We’re dog owners too and very conscious that on the one hand we have a duty of care to the dog and don’t want her to get hurt (e.g. under a bike wheel), and on the other that many people either don’t like dogs, or have never had one so cannot be expected to know what to do if a dog comes bounding up to them barking.

Bikes ridden at even moderate speed are also behaving in a way that most dogs will interpret as aggressive if they’re coming toward them. They’re big, and heading in a straight line directly at them, without stopping.

I usually say “hello dog” to the well behaved ones, shout “go away dog!” to the annoying chasing ones as I ride away (and sometimes stop to shout so they stop pursuing when they realise I’m not something for chasing.

Or when I was cycling home from work some months back and saw a dog that may have been a XL Bully or if not it was something like it, that had two young women trying to stop it pulling them along (to little avail) - it was either both of them hanging onto one lead or a lead each… Anyway, I thought that if it came at me I’d just leap off on the other side of the bike and use that as a shield and if that didn’t work I was thinking well, it’ll be a fight to one of our deaths, probably mine, but at least I don’t have my children with me to try and protect as well.

I absolutely hate that people can own dogs as pets that are so potentially dangerous.

Hello,

We have rescued dogs for 20 years plus. Some aggressive towards people and other dogs, some brilliant with everything life throws at them.
A dog will show its intent via its body language, for example a dog if a dog is going into hunt/ attack mode the dog will generally be in a crouched stalking position with ears flat back, tail flat (if it has one) hackles raised and make a rumbling growling noise. When a dog is in this state it can be very hard to stop this. You need to break the dogs thought process that’s hard wired into their dna. If you’re on a bike and you can’t out sprint the dog get off your bike and put the bike between yourself and the dog. With luck the dog will stop or crash into the bike braking its train of thought. No need to hit the dog with the bike. Hopefully this will give the owner time to get som kind of recall going.
if on foot in an area that has dogs likely to chase or harass you you can try shaking on of those chepo blue plastic bags at them. The noise and colour may be enough to distract them. Giving the owner time to get the dog under control
A playful dog will generally bound up to you, tail and ears raised and yelping.
All of the above is easy to say but when you’re confronting a difficult dog, it’s scary. If you can avoid direct contact with the dog it’s safest as that’s what the dog wants at that time. It may take direct contact as a fight response or play.
100% agree that there are so many dog owners out there that don’t appreciate what they have.
If you unsure about having good recall with your dog, put on a lead.
owning a dog is one of life’s great privileges but can be a major PITA to others.
Sorry about spelling and grammar 🤓

hope this helps.

As with Bears, Mountain Lions don’t run/ride off. (We have it easy in this country.)

90% of times just stop and chat, and show no fear.

If it was a bear, I'd ask if it really does shit in the woods

I absolutely hate that people can own dogs as pets that are so potentially dangerous.

A large part of the problem is that the people who are attracted to owning dogs like that, don't necessarily make the best owners.

They tend to be overconfident and have quite a fixed mindset, which is not what it needed.

If it was a bear, I’d ask if it really does shit in the woods

You're thinking of the Pope.

ocasionally pass an aggressive sounding dog. If the dog starts chasing, I’m off as fast as I can. Not taking any chances

Except the chance that you might slip a pedal, crash, and then get savagely attacked by a hyped up dog in full on chase mode, but each to their own. 👍

Pedaling off hell for leather is fine if that's what you feel you have to do, but unfortunately, as wrong as it is to be in that situation of course, you're probably exacerbating the chances of being attacked.
That's just how it is unfortunately.

I've been chased by plenty of dogs cycling or on a motorcycle. I always stop. Never been bitten.... until tomorrow now I've said that no doubt. 😬

Proper dog ?(lab, golden, spaniels, newfs, etc). I stop, make a fuss, give them rub under the chin

Rat on a rope? Try to ignore.

Nasty dog where the owner should be put down along with all their offspring  (e.g. pit bull type) ? Luckily I like in an area where we don't have such sub-human scum.

I believe that one could buy a cyclist's dog gun in France in the 1890's.  Fired low powered cartridges.

General plan in the UK with a lively dog is to stop in order to defuse the situation. Maybe greet it or wait for owner. Or behave in an unthreatening manner.

But in other countries I've used the flight response, sprinting away from a feral dog in Sicily and some shepherd dogs in Australia (those guardian breeds, such as Caucasian shepherds, kangals, Great Pyrenees etc are the worst as its their job to get rid of threats). And in India I tried the fight response with a pack of feral dogs chasing me on a deserted beach by throwing coconuts I'd collected at the pack leader, which worked.

Stop and talk nicely to the dog!!  wtf!

I am a dog owner and love them.  I have been attacked by three dogs over the years minding my own business.  I now warn the owner and/or kick hell out of it/or beat it hard with my waterbottle.

One big Alsatian had my ar$e in its mouth as I went over a 6' wall.  I almost had to go to hospital.  I did zero and kept calm.  Dog attacked another younger kid a few days later and was destroyed.

I'm only just recovering from a concussion caused by a loose dog knocking me off the bike. I'm now really, really nervous around dogs off the lead (as you should be, no one, not even the owner, knows how the hell the thing will behave).

I don't care what dog owners say, if there's a dog off the lead I'm getting out of there as fast as possible. I don't stop for owners, I don't stop for the dog, if it chases me a I ride faster. The best thing for me is to get myself out of the situation where the unleashed dog is.

All 4 of my kids are terrified of strange  dogs after an uncontrolled lab bounded up to one of them on a pump track. She’ll jump into a busy road to get away from dogs not on a lead.

Owner couldn’t see the problem and got reported.  Makes me **** angry we can’t go back to that pump track without hysterics.

A Lab ?

What a ridiculous comment

@robertajobb what do you find so silly about a small child being scared of a big dog with sharp teeth bounding towards them out of control? Imagine if something that came up to your face with fangs came galloping at you, I bet you'd be scared too.

Dogs, absolutely no problem - we have a red deer hind that lives beside us and considers us intruders on her patch. She’ll give any dog that gets too close a good kicking and will stand her ground with humans. They come into the garden at night, so need to check ‘all clear’ when stepping outside. Bring back wolves I say 😜

Most dogs, I don’t have a problem with - some owners through, less so. I do wish that some people who clearly don’t like dogs would learn how to react - flapping your arms and yelling isn’t going to calm an excited dog. Stand still, don’t make eye contact and they’ll probably ignore you.

I do wish that some people who clearly don’t like dogs would learn how to react

"I have an out of control animal but it's YOUR responsibility to know how to react to it".

Listen to yourself.

These threads always go the same way. It's the dog owner's responsibility to be in control of their dog in a public place. You want it off the lead, you better know where it is and be able to recall it immediately before some other poor ****er has it running at them. If that's too hard, don't get a dog.

“I have an out of control animal but it’s YOUR responsibility to know how to react to it”.

Listen to yourself.

Look at it as damage limitation, not unlike choosing not to exercise your right of way if it saves you from ending up under the wheels of a car driven by someone who couldn't care less...

Are we supposed to be making friends with cars as well now? 🙂

Imagine being out on your bike and suddenly a human starts running after you shouting and making threatening sounds. I cant imaging many people would stop and talk nicely to them instead of sprinting off on their bike.

A Lab ?
Geez. Your kids need therapy. Seriously.

In terms of deaths caused by dog attacks, Labs are number 7 in the top 10...

(there are obvious statistical reasons for that fact, but still proves the point that it's usually not the dog / breed but the owner and context that are dangerous)

Like many others here, I generally stop and say hello because I love dogs, have spent most of my life around them and am generally pretty good at reading them. Having said that, any doubt in my mind and I'm not stopping...

Imagine being out on your bike and suddenly a human starts running after you shouting and making threatening sounds. I cant imaging many people would stop and talk nicely to them instead of sprinting off on their bike.

Yeah but it's not the same is it, obviously. It's quite unusual to encounter a human like that. Most of us WOULD run.

Lots of us encounter dogs like that however. It's fairly common and so not always a surprise.

The situation when a dog gets mardy isn't under our control. The only control and hopefully influence you have really is how you react to it.

Sprinting away is something you can do, but it's more likely to make things worse. That's just a fact I'm afraid.
You're trying to go against the psychology of the animal and playing into its innate instinct to chase/see off/attack.

Notice I'm not saying any of this is right. I'm just saying it's a fact.
Dogs are a fact. Out of control dogs are a fact. Running away at speed when a dog is hyped up, hypes it up further. The 'cycle' continues.

The OP asked about a plan, and my plan is (so far) not to run, but to be friendly, stand my ground, stop my bike and talk to the dog, disarming it with my voice.
Not yet been bitten..... not yet.

I can understand though if you have been bitten, then the desire to run is incredibly strong.

I think being around dogs helps you understand how they tick a bit more.
People who avoid or dislike dogs seem to be the ones who get the most grief from them.

Geez. Your kids need therapy. Seriously

Lovely bit of victim blaming there. Minding your own business and something the same size as you gallops 50m across the park barking at you and you're supposed to get off your bike, stop and give it a cuddle age 6?

Get stuffed.

“I think being around dogs helps you understand how they tick a bit more.
People who avoid or dislike dogs seem to be the ones who get the most grief from them”

“Most bites – more than 80% – occur at home, by a dog known to the victim. ” https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/dec/12/lockdown-bad-breeds-or-just-poor-training-why-are-dog-bites-on-the-rise-in-britain

“The majority of dog bites are from a dog known to the victim”“ https://news.liverpool.ac.uk/2023/08/15/dog-attacks-on-adults-are-rising-but-science-shows-its-wrong-to-blame-breeds/

Are we supposed to be making friends with cars as well now? 🙂

Unorthodox, but certainly an option. I won't steal your thunder though so I'll let you test the theory an report back 😘

OK, I gave it a go, only mildly injured, but the first driver insisted that the car 'had never done anything like that before', and 'was only being friendly'. The other one said it was my fault because 'he just hates cyclists'. 🙂

It's an interesting analogy though. We have to pass all kinds of tests and obtain licences to operate a big metal dog, but anyone can hop behind the controls of a big, fleshy one with teeth and head out to mix with the public.

Meh, can't please everyone I suppose, forget the analogy then, hope the injuries heal quickly.
For what it's worth I completely agree with your previous post, I should imagine just about everyone does. However, is that the situation we have? No, are things going to change in the near future? No. Self preservation it is then.

My FIL used to commute by bicycle and he used his pump to thwart errant dogs. It was a big frame mounted pump. Modern little ones don't have the same heft.

Often when I see a dog running at me, the owner will shout for me to stop!, Er not likely, I'm not making myself an easier target to catch.

IME a good loud shout into the dogs face can be enough to stop it.

Scariest dog encounter I ever had was when I heard, what I can only describe as galloping coming up behind me and then to my left, only to see a dogs face almost level with mine. This thing was enormous! It made for a snap at my leg and I managed avoid it by swerving whilst sprinting away and shouting into the dogs face. It ran off into the woods to my left. It looked like an Irish Wolfhound. I was a bit shook up after.

“I have an out of control animal but it’s YOUR responsibility to know how to react to it”.

I didn’t say that, I said that when confronted by a situation why react in a way that could make things worse?

I saw a guy out walking his dog with his two small daughters yesterday morning. I rang my bell and said a cheery "morning" as I normally do when approaching folk from behind on the cycle path.

The guy reacted by bracing himself and taking a very strong grasp of the rather thick lead that was attached to a harness on his very big dog.

Don't know what breed it was but it's head has chest height and was shaped like some sort of hound, it was also wearing a full face muzzle.

When it became aware of me, it started barking and growling, then pulled towards me. The guy was getting dragged along by it. I was off sharpish.

Imagine living with that thing in your house with your children? Stuff that!

Edit: I saw plenty of well controlled dogs on my ride with no issues with any of them. Nor cars for that matter.

I give most dogs and owners the benefit of the doubt, but at some point as a non-dog owner i run out of ability to read a dogs body language and the onus is then on the owner to sort any 'situation' out as best as they can. If they can't do that then i am either going to cycle off or if things are going really south, i would whack the dog with something if i felt the need to.

I'm sure neither of those are the ideal response having read the thread but at the end of the day i'm not going for a walk or a bike ride to think about dog behavior and if it's reached that point then the owner has already lost the argument by letting it off its lead.

I must cycle past about 30 dogs in the space of an hours bike ride if i ride around the shared use tracks near where i live and frankly i'm not going to spend my entire time analysing what every single dog is thinking or doing, i'm not interested enough in them to care that much.

but at some point as a non-dog owner i run out of ability to read a dogs body language and the onus is then on the owner to sort any ‘situation’ out as best as they can

This works in theory, sadly too many owners don't have a ****ing clue about their animal, I think people just need to do whatever they need to do to keep themselves safe. If that means wrapping a bike around a dogs bonce, then so be it. Any injury to the dog is simply the owners fault.

@didnthurt I used to do the same a few year back with a full size frame pump.  Extended it was 4' long 🙂

I do wish that some people who clearly don’t like dogs would learn how to react

“I have an out of control animal but it’s YOUR responsibility to know how to react to it”.

Listen to yourself.

No, but it seems like the same people who hate dogs seem to repeatedly have issues with them. At some point you might need to question where the problem lies.

e.g. never make eye contact or stand face on to a dog you don't know. Just learn a few simple things and you might not get bitten so often?

I wouldn't give strange dogs treats though, the aim would be to socialize it properly, that doesn't mean "take it to the pub and the BMX track and let it 'socialize' with everyone by passing it round so it isn't scared of anything" as some owners think. It means take it to those places and teach it to ignore everyone apart from you. You don't want to teach it to run up to strangers. The idea isn't to like strangers, it's to do what you tell it to regardless of distractions.

No, but it seems like the same people who hate dogs seem to repeatedly have issues with them. At some point you might need to question where the problem lies.

If we're making assumptions like that, why not 'people who seem to repeatedly have issues with dogs seem to hate them'?

Which would be somewhat understandable?

So we must all become tellepathic, dog analyst experts to ride near a dog... Just keep them on a lead if they're likely to chase. Then spend some time to train it to not react unpredictably to other people who are just trying to live thier lives without the fear of being chased by a dog.

There are plenty of well behaved and well trained dogs out there. Be like them.

never make eye contact or stand face on to a dog you don’t know. Just learn a few simple things and you might not get bitten so often?

So we're supposed to get off the bike and make friends, while not making eye contact or facing them? This dog psychology stuff is mysterious. 🙂

99% of dogs I meet are obviously friendly, I'm friendly to them if they are off the lead and approach in a friendly manner. Agree that a dog that will run up to strangers really shouldn't be off the lead in public but I'm not going to get all militant about it. They are mostly just ambling around curiously.

There's one aggressive bugger on a route I run, it stands at the edge of garden and barks like mad, it could easily jump out (lawn is raised to top of low garden wall with no additional fencing) but never has. Recently the gate was open and it was out on the public road, I picked up a stone as I got close but it slinked away. Anything aggressive that gets within range is tasting my shoe leather at best and I'm not going to give it the benefit of the doubt. I had one previously that needed a proper shouting at and chasing away a few times before it learnt to leave me alone.

Agree that a dog that will run up to strangers really shouldn’t be off the lead in public

The increase in dog numbers, and by extension the increase in dogs that aren't well socialised, means that in reality, all dogs need to be on leads in public if you're likely to meet other people. Dog owners occupy this sort of self-appointed privilege where they've decided that their dog can be off the lead, while at the same time assuming its everyone else's responsibility to mind their pet.

So we’re supposed to get off the bike and make friends, while not making eye contact or facing them? This dog psychology stuff is mysterious. 🙂

You know how friendly dogs stiff each others buts and aggressive ones stand face on making eye contact? Just stand side on to a dog and talk to the owner. Most dogs will then either ignore you or investigate you on their own terms rather than perceive you as a threat or something they feel compelled to interact with to diffuse something they perceive as a situation.

When you were young and single did you go to bars and just stare ladies (or gents) in the eye till they felt uncomfortable to make friends? Do you go to the pub now and stare at people, does that make you friends or invited for a scrap?

When you were young and single did you go to bars and just stare ladies (or gents) in the eye till they felt uncomfortable to make friends? Do you go to the pub now and stare at people, does that make you friends or invited for a scrap?

Have you been following me?

If the owner's right there with the dog, there usually isn't really a situation to defuse. I slow down, make a judgement about whether the mutt is under control, and wait a bit to allow the owner to get them under control if necessary. The majority of owners are fine, and I'm totally relaxed about passing them.

The issue is dogs off the lead, or with owners who have no interest or ability to recall them.

People who avoid or dislike dogs seem to be the ones who get the most grief from them

Interesting parallel to the brake checking/tailgating thread. Those most wound up by it seem to have it happen to them constantly.

Which is the cause, and which is the effect?

people who are just trying to live thier lives without the fear of being chased by a dog.

I mean yeah, that must be awful, but I cycle everywhere and am almost never scared about being chased by dogs.
I have been chased by them many times, but maybe my attitude and approach has helped the situation not turn into an actual attack and for me to not hold on to a constant fear which some people clearly have.
I empathise with that, but it's not something I'm thinking about unless it happens, which is incredibly rare and so far, fairly easily diffused.

My point is that if I sprint off to from a chasing dog its no longer my problem. I just continue my ride. Sure, I'll slow down and make the dog and owner aware before passing but If theres any aggression or chase, I'm off.

Id like to think the owner then might worry about nexr time their dog chases it could get run over chassing down a road or get lost and will keep it on a lead next time.

Lots of doggies have an inbuilt chase instinct (colly, lab, springer etc). If you slow or stop most lose interest immediately.

Also unless you speak dog, you have no idea what they are barking. As an example "woof woof- could mean you arent going fast enough let me show you" Or "bark bark, growl- could be haha, Nobby Nics are shit mate"

. The ones to worry about are the dogs that charge over with no noise. They are the ones with "intent" usually.

If you slow or stop most lose interest immediately.

And the ones that don't bite your leg. Or, in the case of the one that led to my injury, you slow and then they run under your wheels and you crash. The dog doesn't have to be aggressive to cause injury.

I'll stick with getting the hell out of there. I can outstrip a dog on my bike.