I normally find that barking back at them (Very loud and aggressive ) works very effectively to check their approach.

So it is not just on here that you are barking 😉

I might try that actually

Been bitten twice in the last 2 – 3 months, just healed after the first bite then bitten again in exactly the same place – left calf. In both instances I had slowed down to avoid running into it.

In both cases the owners first comments as I swore loudly were “what did it do?” and when I replied that it had **** bit me, they both replied “Oh, he’s never done that before…”

Really annoyed me that they couldn’t see the thing take a bite at my leg – And got very uptight when I suggested calmly that if they can’t control it then it should be on a lead!

a well placed punt to the chin would be very justifiable on self defence retaliation grounds!

🙂

Edit : Horse/bolted and all that…

@njee – I should have known.

OK, to satisfy you, what I could have expanded upon, but did not originally was that I did not propose to go chasing after the dog, after being bitten and beat/kick it.

I don’t need satisfying, it was a genuine confusion over your post, I wasn’t sure if you were suggesting people were wrong in the OP’s case to kick the offending mutt, and that you’d only do so if it had actually bitten you first.

So,

You’ve just been bitten.

You’re still out on the trail – who do you call?

Dogbusters…?

Nonsense. Dogs ain’t stupid, they learn quickly.

Back when I was a paperboy, I had a jack russell chase after me every day for four years. I used to slow down to let it catch up, then cycle off again. Eventually it would realise it was now a long way from its house, and toddle off home.

slow down to get past it then ride off generally works.

if it bit me id be calling the cops and demanding it be put down.

Unless its lion sized I try, if stopped, to keep the bike between me and it and when then opportunity arises beat shit out of it. Not in a way that might actually cause damage because that’s gets complicated but a bloody good slapping and punching. Did it once and the damn thing ran away howling. The owner just looked at me but later I was told that it avoided bikes from then on. 😆

Nonsense. Dogs ain’t stupid, they learn quickly.
Back when I was a paperboy, I had a jack russell chase after me every day for four years. I used to slow down to let it catch up, then cycle off again. Eventually it would realise it was now a long way from its house, and toddle off home.

Exactly. If you’d booted it the first time, he’d never have done it again!.

I’ve never been bitten by a dog, but one thing I have noticed is that dog walkers really appreciate it if they get a bit of time to issue a command to their dog as you approach, and a bit of time for the dog to respond and come to heel or sit or whatever.. lot’s of dog walkers seem to like to grab their dog so that when you pass, it doesn’t freak out..

Giving dogs and their owners plenty of time to react to my presence has generally worked out OK for me so far..
On the very rare occasion that I get a freaky dog chasing me I tend to roar and bellow at the cute fluffy little bundle of teeth and claws

plyphon – Member
So,

You’ve just been bitten.

You’re still out on the trail – who do you call?

If the dog was out of control and you were attacked by the dog then it is a criminal offence so you can call the police.

Ride where there are lots of dog walker try to call out in advance so they can get dog under control if they chose not to then pass slowly as far over as possible,if the dog gives chase but not barking the I’ll put the hammer down and try to get it to follow me as far as possible(3miles is the record so far God know if it ever got home),if it comes at me barking and bearing teeth then it get a damn good kicking until it stops, not had one do the last thing for a good number of years mind you

I cycle with my dogs and the smallest one can be yappy, if she runs at people barking I tell them to kick her….she’ll learn.
Neither go near cyclists as they’ve been run over by me enough times when they’ve got under my wheels!

There is some hysteria out there though, I was cycling with them the other week and we came up behind a group of people consisting of two Dads and four children… surprisingly they didn’t hear my freehub and when we came up right close to them (about 5 yards behind!) they still hadn’t heard us…. the little one barked, all six of them jumped and looked round, the adults initially laughed but one of the kids got upset and started screaming…. the attitude of one of the Dads changed instantly and he started ranting and raving about putting a muzzle on the dog, I told him a muzzle won’t stop an animal barking…he didn’t like that and told me I won’t be so clever if the dog bites someone and I’m reported to the police…. quite how we went from the dog barking to muzzling to police action was baffling so I cycled away, no point arguing with idiots.

The media doesn’t help with its portrayal of dogs as viscous Kujo-like killers and now just about everybody thinks a barking dog is about to attack… they aren’t, it’s how they communicate, what are they supposed to do instead? Meow or Moo?… If the dog is growling and baring its teeth then that’s a different matter obviously but people need to calm down.

You could always say hello, excuse me etc etc. I know this means engaging with people rather than letting a Hope freehub do it but sometimes it works 🙂

letting a Hope freehub do it

if the CLAKCLAKCLAK fails a good ol’ skid works

In both cases when I got bitten I was in front of the dog and owners, they had seen me coming towards them and did nothing about their dogs 🙁

The first owner tried to make out it was my fault as I was on a bike and had frightened the dog. I did point out that I was on a bridleway and had a right to be there… and if couldn’t control the dog or didn’t know how it would react them it should be on a lead.

allthepies – I don’t like people and prefer not to engage with the general public.

“Oh, he’s never done that before…” Classic.

A largeish dog ran up to my 5year old son and was frantically sniffing and circling the daylights out of him. He screamed. I gave it swift boot.

Owner shouted at me ‘what you do that for?’. I ran up to the owner and sniffed the daylights out of her.. she screamed.

I told her imagine a meat eating animal the size of a horse sniffer her up and down – thats what its like for my 5year old.

Richard Ballatine, always recomennded for when a dog attacks you wait till its within distance with mouth open and just ram your bike pump down its throat.

The above may make the dog owner angry as his dog is now basicly dead.

I prefer the ioption of lifting foot of pedal for a small dog and then squirting the dog with orange juice.

Then there was the chap last summer i met and rode with who when a dog chased him he got off the bike and chased the owner down the road, barking like a mad dog, the dog just looked bemused , the owner terrified as a 6 foot plus heavily tatooed 18 stone man chased him down the cycle path

I wish i could believe that story, Earl.

I’m with deviant on this…

Mine usually bark all the the way to the trail and then on the trail if I have the audacity to stop for anything.. I think they’re on some dogstrava thing.

If I don’t have trail dogs my technique is to engage owner or dog but stay on bike if possible and be nice an tall …I’m a bit of a dog magnet at the best of times…

you also have to remember that dogs can be defensive if they feel you are likely to be a threat to their owner and if you are in a confined space a narrow path they are likely to be more excitable.

TBH I think we’re lucky we don’t have bears…

You could always say hello, excuse me etc etc. I know this means engaging with people rather than letting a Hope freehub do it but sometimes it works

TBH some peopwle are totally oblivious to anything going on around them and you sometimes wonder how they’ve survived so long.

Yunki is the only person to post anything sensible in this thread.

Yunki is the only person to post anything sensible in this thread.

He’s probably had the email about that, it’s not encouraged on here!

Have a trail hound trained to act as wingman – deflect and deal with incoming hostiles 😆

Aaaah shit… Sorry about that everyone.. I feel like I’ve let you all down..

What I meant to say is that usually I sit in the middle of the trail licking my own balls

Exactly. If you’d booted it the first time, he’d never have done it again!.

The dog failed to learn in four years of daily attempts that a) he couldn’t catch me and b) would end up a long way from home in his failed effort.

So I’m not convinced about a dog’s capacity to learn…