Dealing with aggressive dogs when on the bike..WWSTWD?

Evening all,

Caveat: big dog lover here, one of the weirdo’s that’ll normally ask if I can say hello to your dog, etc.

Following two aggressive dogs & near bites in as many weeks, I’m beginning to think a bite is imminent at this rate! Obviously the logical thing would be to ride off ahead of a potential bite, but not so easy when you’re between a path and a steep drop as I found today.

Last weekend – Very aggressive lab (on a rope lead) as I stood with some marshals at a fell race on the edge of the Peak (on a pavement). Lady ‘walking’ past with said dog ended being pulled to the floor as the dog jumped up, twice, and went for my hip as I leapt backwards. Zero apology.

This weekend – riding a bridleway (dales), two loose collies. No owner in site. Stopped as first dog walked by and had a sniff, second dog very aggressive. Resulting in me getting off the bike, dog going nuts, jumping up, barking, growling, etc. Owner finally wonders up and states ‘this one doesn’t like bikes’ and proceeds to carry on walking whilst this one dog is continuing to go nuts – actively trying to get to me (steep drop behind me so I’m pretty much stuck). Shout and ask the lady to put it in on a lead, to which she states ‘she’s kicking off now I won’t be able to’.! In a very small window I scoot and jump on the bike, dog gives chase, before stopping..

On the edge of the Peak here, dogs are everywhere, including loose, farm dogs, etc. No problem with this providing livestock & people aren’t in the firing line.

Interested to hear how people on here have gone about dealing with similar instances? Obviously I can forget about it, but ahead of the next occasion: Go armed with sausages for a distraction technique? Size 11 studded Sidi to the nose or what? (owner or dog tbc..)

I normally put my bike between the dog and me. I don’t make eye contact with the dog and remain still. If the dog continues with an attack I try and use the bike to fend it off.

I used to be attacked by a farm dog so I would make sure I had a mouthful of water to spit at it.

Otherwise stop and make ferocious noises at it.

No stones to hand ?

I’ve found even reaching down and pretending to pick up a stone sends most dogs scarpering, but maybe these spoilt dogs have never previously experienced a dog \ stone interface 🙂

I’m very pro-dog (far nicer to deal with 99% of the time than humans).  Not *really* had to deal with it. But…

– nearby, years ago a farm had a loose collie that would always run out and try bite when passing (same for passing cars too – amazing it died of old age and not from a  205/50 R16 Pirelli P6.   Tactic was to

– Sprint past

– Sprint ahead of my less aware mates and let them have to deal with it ?)

At another place (a Collie again ?…) I’d unclipped my left foot to let it have a taste of Shimano cleat steel.  And take a water bottle out of its holster, to squirt + if necessary, throw at it.

Otherwise, defo use the bike to fend it off. Pointy chain rings side if possible.

I have had quite a few dog incidents in the USA. As I rode past the dog spotted me and started to sprint towards to road. I never try and outrun them. Not happening on a loaded touring bike and risking a crash if it gets under the wheel. I stop. Keep the bike between me and it. Thereafter many just stop barking and are friendly. It’s the chase they want. Walk slowly away and get back on when they lose interest. Others that keep barking at me I tell, loudly, to go home. Often works. Only twice did I get an aggressive dog which continued barking as I held the bike between us and shouted at it. In both cases the owners appeared after a minute or two and called them off.

Mainly happened on quiet roads. I guess untethered dogs that run onto busy roads have a short life expectancy.

In this country I haven’t had much of an issue. I got chased by a sheepdog in South Uist and happened to remember the gaelic for “go home” which worked.

Find an early printing of Richard’s Bicycle Book  – the later editions had his solution involved a pump edited out.

I would use the bike between the dog and me. And force too if attacked. The owner of the dog would have such a tirade of ‘ advice’ from me as well. I’d want name and address and would probably report it to the police if bitten or nearly so.

All of which I would expect if my collie ever were to behave in that way.

Shove the pump down the throat iirc?

Or up the other end…

shout like **** and threaten it

And the same for the owner

There’s two things that make me hate dogs, this, and shit. Okay, three, owners who couldn’t care less. Nope four, neighbour’s dogs barking and waking me up in the middle of the night. But apart from that they’re lovely.

I doubt I would have threatened to kick 2nd dog off the steep drop if the owner didn’t leash it. It wouldn’t have occurred to me until I was home probably.

@feed is correct, dogs don’t like thrown stones.

I’ve had experience of this when I lived in Thailand, and had wild/feral dogs on my route home. They seem to know what you’re doing when you pick stones up, and they scarper fast when you chuck a few in their general direction.

I’ve not had many problems, but my commute route goes past an isolated house where two pig dogs (Bull Arabs) live.

They’re fearsome looking buggers. 99% of the time the gates are locked and they’re well contained. Once one of them was hiding in the grass (waiting for Roos perhaps?) at the edge of the forest and ambushed me. It easily caught up with me but then seemed unsure what it was supposed to do. I shouted aggressively at it “**** off and go home!” or something, and it scarpered.

I doubt I would have threatened to kick 2nd dog off the steep drop if the owner didn’t leash it.

It’s not the dog that needs kicking off the edge.

 I shouted aggressively at it “**** off and go home!” or something, and it scarpered.

That approach also works with the scratty feral street dogs you get in many Spanish villages. They may not understand the actual English but assertive shouting directed at them has the desired effect. And to be fair those dogs are usually doing it out of boredom rather than full-on aggression.

I kicked a tiny little Yorkshire Terrier off me once. Passed it and its owner along the canal towpath, no issues, “thanks very much” etc then the little shit started yapping frantically, ran after me and bit my shoe, catching onto the end of the velcro strap and then being carried around and around as I pedalled. Unclipped and shook it and the yappy little git got ejected sideways. I didn’t stop to debate this with the owner and I certainly wouldn’t like to experience it with anything bigger than a Yorkshire Terrier!

But yes, as others have said, get the bike between you and it. Chainring side outwards if possible.

Bike between you and dog.

But I’d be making absolutely sure the owner knew of their legal obligations to keep a dog under control.  If I could get a picture of them or the dog on my phone I would, and even without a pic I’d be making noises on local social media to see if anyone else had had issues – it’s rarely a one off and the Police like to know if there’s a pattern of behaviour.

I’m also a weirdo who loves dogs and will ask to say hello to them.

Dogs and owners are all different, so I always carry dog treats.*

Throw treats to the dog,squirt a drinks bottle in owners face,then hoof them in the slats.

* part of this is not true.

** some of this is true.

😀

My experience with a friends dog, was that it absolutely hated me if I turned up on a bike – turned out it was the helmet that upset her & sunglasses didn’t help either. So try looking a little more human sans helmet & glasses it may well help.

Well bike between you and dog only works with one dog. I tried this with 5 collies. Thought I had the bad situation under control then one ran around the back of me and bit my calf.

Stones is a good one that I had forgotten about.  As a kid used to run a rural loop with my mum. At a particular point on the loop you pick up stones. A few minutes later an angry dog appears and gives chase. You lob stones at it and it scarpers. Same routine every week, so it seemed normal.

One good tip to diffuse the situation is to not look at the dog, instead focus on something else or ignore it.

If you watch dogs body language they never approach each other face on, they only do that when fighting (play or otherwise).  So if you become fixated by the loud dog, then it just gets angrier.  Look for the owner, look at the trees, walk off at right angles to the dog (that’s basically dog for “hello, I’m not a threat please sniff my but”).

Probably won’t work for an already stressed dog, but might stop it escalating in the first place.

Squirt of a water bottle to the face?

Or perhaps this will make him twice as angry, hard to say.

Shout a lot is my best advice. I used to have to ride past a farm up the road from me on most rides and would do so as quietly as possible, but invariably their collie and terrier would come out through the (always open) gate and have a decent go.

I started off just going as fast as possible, but one day lost my rag and screamed as hard as I could at the dogs to go away (not quite in those words) and they did.

I’ve been bitted twice by Collie’s – I’m not sure why people think they make good “pets”, they have far too much energy IMHO.  First time I was nipped and the lady tells me without any sense of irony that her Collie doesn’t like bicycles and horses and goes for them all the time….. whilst she’s letting it run loose on National Cycle Route 6 – the bit between from Philips Park M60 to Radcliffe which also contains a bridleway for the full length of it (about 2/3 miles).  Second time I was nearly ripped apart by a pet Collie on the fire road at Cheesden Valley. I was pedaling along merrily when suddenly I got bitten on the ankle – it was a mess, I managed to put bike between me and the savage until the owners eventually decided to quicken up.  They wouldn’t approach the dog either, it genuinely looked like it was a psycho. I got the multi-tool out, unfolded the screwdriver, put the tool in my palm with the screwdriver sticking out – as if like a knuckleduster and rather angrily told the lovely couple that I will pluck the dogs eyes out if it lurches for me again.  If it locks onto me – it will be me or it that survives – but it’s eyes will definitely not.  If I survive then I will start on them next and do the same.  I’m sorry to say that I nearly lost it.  My mate carries pepper spray that pops out of his bars.  I’m sure it’s illegal but he says it’s an occupational hazard as a cycle commuter via fire roads and country tracks.

YMMV but I only really dislike Collies.  Labrador’s, Retrievers and Spaniels I’ve never had a single problem with.

I often have this issue of dogs chasing/unable to get past on our local old railway/bridleway. Often I’ll just try to sprint past with one foot unclipped ready to give it a kick if required.

The annoying thing is that 90% of the time ‘dog’ issues are not likely the dog’s fault, more the owners for not keeping it on a lead or under close control/inadequate training/leaving the poor thing to bark outside all night. I’m not a dog lover but can see that it usually isn’t the dog in the wrong…

If I survive then I will start on them next and do the same.  I’m sorry to say that I nearly lost it.

“nearly”?

We’ve an aggressive GSD in the area. It’s had a go at me, and my neighbour a few times when he’s been running. Owner doesn’t give a hoot. Told me to kick it, rather than actually recalling the dog and getting it under control. No apology.

Got attacked by a Labrador a couple of years ago. Owner got very shouty when I told her to get the ‘f-ing’ dog under control.  She said she’d get her husband to sort me out !

Roll on a few weeks, this ‘mouthy’ woman stops me and flags me down. She was visibly shaking and apologised profusely. Apparently it wasn’t her dog and the other woman she was with, it was her dog. Her own dog was the well behaved one.  I do say good morning on a regular basis now, and the Labrador hasn’t been seen since.

It’s crap owners who are the problem. ‘My dog doesn’t like bikes’ isn’t an excuse on a shared path when it’s used by commuters at that time of the morning.

I don’t think there’s much you can do without carrying an illegal weapon or something.

I was bitten cycling past a dog with its owner at walking pace. Just thought I’d caught some brambles or something, but then it started hurting quite a lot and my shoe was filling up with blood. Took ages trying to get the picture I took to the police who just immediately closed the enquiry.

‘My dog doesn’t like bikes’ isn’t an excuse on a shared path when it’s used by commuters at that time of the morning.

‘My dog doesn’t like bikes’ isn’t an excuse regardless.  Walk it on private land or keep it on a lead if that’s the case.  Or, heavens forfend, take some responsibility for learning how to train the f’kin thing.

Ride in a bigger group, we got hassled by the big shepherd guard dogs whilst out in the Alps, 4 of us bikes to the outside in a square walking down the hill whilst a dog the size of a small horse went ballistic at us was fun.

My experience with a friends dog, was that it absolutely hated me if I turned up on a bike – turned out it was the helmet that upset her & sunglasses didn’t help either.

I was out for a walk in the summer, wearing a wide brimmed hat to keep the sun off my head, and met a couple walking their lab who was very barky towards me. The bloke apologised and said it must be the hat, and I replied that my kids thought it was a ridiculous hat as well, whereupon he replied, ‘well, I think it’s a splendid hat. You look great in it’, and we carried on in our different directions. It was  a fantastic, momentary bromance! The dogs’ aggression was forgotten immediately.

Is TJ on a break from the forum?

Small dogs I always give a good strong kick to the head if they go for me. Big dogs I scream like a little girl and run away really fast.

ransosFree Member
Is TJ on a break from the forum?

I only popped back into this thread this morning to have a laugh at his dog-hating vitriol. Am disappoint.

I don’t think there’s much you can do without carrying an illegal weapon or something

You have a fairly useful weapon on the end of your leg. Just give it a good hoof (in the slats or anywhere else really)

I love dogs, have two spaniels, but if I were regularly getting hassled by one I’d carry a frame pump and give it a good whack. If the owner complains give them a good whack too.

My mate is also a dog lover and got attacked by one whilst out running last week. Stitches in his hand, bite marks all over back and legs, he’s a right mess. If my dogs ever did that to someone I’d kill them myself.

“I fear no tramp.”

Excellent.

Where are people riding? In 30 years of riding mountain bikes, I’m struggling to recall a single issue with a dog.