Dogs.

mickstupp

Guys, as a soon to be new bike owner after 15 years, I was wondering if you had any advice for dealing with large barking dog things?

Just go faster?

willow tree

i love dogs so i start saying 'hello doggie, good doggie'.. they generally start tail wagging etc.. im sure i look a bit mad though:eek:
my friend takes her bag off her back and whacks them with it, another approach i suppose:rolleyes:

stas

Barking doesn't hurt. Herding dogs are a lot more hassle cause they'd want to herd you.

Lumen

According to the dog lovers, most dogs that chase cyclists are nice friendly family pets who just want to play.

I don't see that. I see teeth, and claws, and predatory viciousness.

So I squirt them in the face with water.

Caroline_ie

It;s the little dogs you have to be scared off. They ran after you and don't give up. I was chased by jack russels and similar a few times and these things go fast and can stay fast much longer than me ...

Cookie_Monster

it's the small ones you really need to watch for :eek:

I hate having dog chase me when on the bike, usually traveller's dogs cos they're generally allowed to just wander around.

You can always aim a kick at them though...

bcmf

A well aimed and timed squirt of the water bottle straight into the face is usually
enough to put them off.

J Madone

I find that taking off my pump and swinging it with a polo swing gets rid of them, hence pooch polo
Anyone come across the dogs in Ashford belonging to the unsettled community?
These dogs used to lie in wait in the long grass and really give you a good fright.

GSF

Turn around and start chasing them instead. They dont like it at all

L'Enfer du Nord

I hate being chased by 'em. I don't speed up to get away from them, since they love the trill of the chase, just stay calm and go at the same pace, they usually lose interest.

doozerie

If they bark and don't chase after you, then there is nothing to do. If they chase you then the best option is to outrun them. If that's not working, them spraying them with water from the water bottle works - in my experience it gives them a shock and they lose interest in chasing you.

To my mind about the worst thing you can do is try to hit or kick them. For one thing it makes it more likely that you'll lose control of the bike and either fall off or have to slow down and possibly stop, and now you have to contend face to face with a dog that was possibly only chasing you blindly before but now has good reason to consider you a danger to itself and angry dogs are a very different prospect. For another thing, the favoured approach of some people of kicking out at a dog puts your fleshy limb a lot closer to its jaws than is wise, in my view - dogs are very adept at avoiding being hit and potentially very quick at responding in kind to the bit of you nearest to them.

If you are encountering truly dangerous dogs, the ones that bite without being provoked, then report the incident to the gardai as dogs considered a genuine danger to the public can be impounded and killed. You'd have to be very sure of your facts before taking this route though, I think. That's a fate probably more deserving of the dog's owner than the dog itself. I imagine such dogs are very rare though, even though it may be difficult to distinguish between a truly dangerous dog and one which just likes chasing things when you are in the midst of it.

CheGuedara

Option A for me is to give the mutt a good squirt in the mush with the water bottle. I know of one rider who permanently killed the chase instinct of a dog using only a 500ml bottle of water (laced with 3 bottles of tobasco...)

Option B is get off the bike, put it between you and the animal and walk a few mtrs untill the pooch has lost interest

Option C is 'red neck interval' time - only recommended if you're feeling particularly confident fido cant match your sprint! And yes the small dogs are the ones to watch - what they lack in stride they make up for in tenacity!

Key advice is try to avoid swerving excessively to avoid a dog, a following motorist may not be able to avoid your impromptu manouvre.

If it's a dog that repeatidly comes out of his garden on to the road to chase I strongly reccomend stopping, calling to the owners door to complain/make them aware of the issue and warn them the warden may be called if their pet makes a danger of himself in future. I've club mates that have had to do this, but they only did so when the do ran out once too often, this time under their front wheel resulting in a fall with them breaking their collar bone - being a little more proactive is a better choice IMO

Captain Havoc

Don't panic, dog will chase you until you're off his turf, even if you stop they'll only bark at you and be a nuisance. I was bitten once though.

smacl

Had a sheep dog chase me at the base of Slieve Maan on Saturday, in the uphill direction. I hurled a few expletives at the dog, whereupon the owner suggested 'she only wants to play'. Kind of surprised that my suggestion 'then buy her a f**king playstation' actually raised a laugh.

Don't mind dogs at all out walking, but pretty nervous of them on the bike. And of course they can smell fear...

Daniel S

Lumen wrote: »

According to the dog lovers, most dogs that chase cyclists are nice friendly family pets who just want to play.

I don't see that. I see teeth, and claws, and predatory viciousness.

So I squirt them in the face with water.

I'm a dog lover, depending on whether or not it's trying to eat my ankle's that's probably the fairest option.

Daniel S

J Madone wrote: »

The unsettled community

Is there a new politically correct phrase now? :pac:

DirkVoodoo

Homoerotic sprint training (break out the hot pants and cowboy hats!):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gfv2diohUXE

Chips Lovell

Bite the dog.

mickstupp

Haha! A thread full of hilarious and useful advice. Many thanks guys. I'll go for the water bottle I think.

ednwireland

kill them, kill them all !

Dermot Illogical

mickstupp wrote: »

Guys, as a soon to be new bike owner after 15 years, I was wondering if you had any advice for dealing with large barking dog things??

Bring a couple of kittens to toss out as distractions?

Captain Havoc

RT66 wrote: »

Bring a couple of kittens to toss out as distractions?

I think Caroline has just added you to her list of enemies

ednwireland

RT66 wrote: »

Bring a couple of kittens to toss out as distractions?

a cat version of this



in fact i'd just prefer this to be launched at the dog

Sr. Assumpta

Caroline_ie wrote: »

It;s the little dogs you have to be scared off. They ran after you and don't give up. I was chased by jack russels and similar a few times and these things go fast and can stay fast much longer than me ...

Perhaps a derivation of the being-chased-by-a-lion-theory is called for...... you don't really need to be able to cycle faster than the chasing dog, only faster than whoever you're cycling with

ciotog

doozerie wrote: »

If they bark and don't chase after you, then there is nothing to do. If they chase you then the best option is to outrun them. If that's not working, them spraying them with water from the water bottle works - in my experience it gives them a shock and they lose interest in chasing you.

To my mind about the worst thing you can do is try to hit or kick them. For one thing it makes it more likely that you'll lose control of the bike and either fall off or have to slow down and possibly stop, and now you have to contend face to face with a dog that was possibly only chasing you blindly before but now has good reason to consider you a danger to itself and angry dogs are a very different prospect. For another thing, the favoured approach of some people of kicking out at a dog puts your fleshy limb a lot closer to its jaws than is wise, in my view - dogs are very adept at avoiding being hit and potentially very quick at responding in kind to the bit of you nearest to them.

If you are encountering truly dangerous dogs, the ones that bite without being provoked, then report the incident to the gardai as dogs considered a genuine danger to the public can be impounded and killed. You'd have to be very sure of your facts before taking this route though, I think. That's a fate probably more deserving of the dog's owner than the dog itself. I imagine such dogs are very rare though, even though it may be difficult to distinguish between a truly dangerous dog and one which just likes chasing things when you are in the midst of it.

I can't believe how many people think hitting the dog is a good idea. I understand the fear people have of encountering dogs but dogs that will bite in such circumstances are rare. The vast majority are being territorial and will give up if you just carry on as you were.

ednwireland

proper trained sheepdogs on the loose are the worst (esp if they herd cattle) they are trained to nip the cattle unfortunately a nip on my calf resulted in 2 big holes, dog reported to guards , never seen again (and me off the bike for a few weeks)

so i would be very wary of sheepdogs the rest well i 'll not go there (not the dogs fault but the owners have alot to answer for)

smacl

ciotog wrote: »

I can't believe how many people think hitting the dog is a good idea. I understand the fear people have of encountering dogs but dogs that will bite in such circumstances are rare. The vast majority are being territorial and will give up if you just carry on as you were.

That's all well and good, but the public road isn't their territory, and without biting they can still easily cause very serious accidents. The fault is with the owner rather than the unfortunate mutt, if a person can't keep their dog under control in public places, they shouldn't be allowed to own dogs. I'd have no qualms about reporting a dog that chased me to the relevant authority, in the same way I'd report any other hazard out there that needed seeing too. If that resulted in the dog getting put down, and little timmy being in flood because fido was no more, so be it. Blame those responsible for looking after the dog.

I agree that trying to hit a dog while riding a bike is a bad idea, not because its cruel, more because it is ineffective and dangerous to the rider.

Cookie_Monster

J Madone wrote: »

Anyone come across the dogs in Ashford belonging to the unsettled community?

yep, that stretch of road has been blacklisted by me and I'll not use it again. The only truly scary thing that's happened to me on the bike.

07Lapierre

ciotog wrote: »

I can't believe how many people think hitting the dog is a good idea. I understand the fear people have of encountering dogs but dogs that will bite in such circumstances are rare. The vast majority are being territorial and will give up if you just carry on as you were.

I'm sure your right, but whan a German Shepard comes charging out of a driveway, practically foaming at the mouth!, barking and trying to bite the front tyre on my bike! I kick the B####rd!!. It may not be a good idea, but it makes me feel better. (Anyone on the Swordscc 8.30 Sat morning spin will know the dog in question).

doozerie

07Lapierre wrote:

I'm sure your right, but whan a German Shepard comes charging out of a driveway, practically foaming at the mouth!, barking and trying to bite the front tyre on my bike! I kick the B####rd!!.

If such a dog decided to take issue with my wheel, I don't think I'd physically stand between them. Much like if a human came rushing over to my bike and started to focus on stabbing the front tyre I'd think twice about whether I'd want to draw the attention of him and his knife on me. Neither is exactly an ideal situation of course but while I like my tyres I like my limbs/life even more. Much as I hate to admit it, there are times when "Let the Wookie win" is the best advice.

...hmm, I wonder if squirting water on the knife-wielding human works as well as on dogs?...

willow tree

yeah i would agree with some posters, if they are repeat offenders ring local dog warden, they will call and insist that the owners keep the dog fenced in properly.. im a total animal lover but it is annoying to have a good walk/cycle ruined by a barking animal.. get him a playstation, ha, i'll store that one for future use:D

ciotog

smacl wrote: »

I agree that trying to hit a dog while riding a bike is a bad idea, not because its cruel, more because it is ineffective and dangerous to the rider.

Yep, no point in escalating as you run the risk of coming off worse. It's another one of these situations for a cyclist where you look after yourself; try not to get too involved and get out of there.

Caroline_ie

I think people sometimes forget the danger of squirrels. I was alost taken down by a squirrel in the Phoenix park while training exercising at higher pace than usual last sunday evening. Thank god I have good brakes.

vistafinder

I was thinking it was only me they chased I know where every mad dog is around west cork. when you see a rottwiler thats probably twice your own weight coming out a gate dont think carrying on at the same pace is a great idea. Got chased by 2 sheep dogs another day the owner had get into her car to go afer them and pick them up she pulled up beside me and said you should have stopped moveing.:mad:

TinyExplosions

Caroline_ie wrote: »

I think people sometimes forget the danger of squirrels. I was alost taken down by a squirrel in the Phoenix park while training exercising at higher pace than usual last sunday evening. Thank god I have good brakes.

Dangerous fellas

Captain Havoc

It's something I'm worried about when I'm bringing the beginners out is their reaction to doggies. Last night we had 17, 10 of which were inexperienced riders.