I’ve been doing a lot of back road and farm-track cycling these days, and have had a few unwanted encounters with aggressive dogs. I haven’t been bitten yet, but maybe there’s some advice/obervations you animal experts could offer me before it comes to that. Anecdotes from other cyclists also welcome.
Cheers -Sal “chew toy” Armani
They love the chase. They intend to show you it’s their territory. They want you to ‘run away’.
If you stop and look at them but make no noise (use your bike as a buffer, if you like), their bluff is called, their fun is over. And they lose the immediate reward of chasing, which makes them less likely to chase others. If all cyclists did this, the dogs would not do it any more.
If you keep going, they have the reward of thinking they chased you away, and they’ll do it again. Also, running away triggers natural pack instincts to attack. Very important to remember that.
Glad you’re seeking advice on this. 
Actually, I do stop. Trouble is, they like to circle around, and/or continue the chase once I turn the bike around. Sometimes I chase them back. Cool or not? Is making no noise important? Would I aggravate the situation by scolding them?
It really depends on you and on the situation. I wouldn’t advise anyone to go acting in a threatening behaviour towards the dogs, as it could make it worse. The best deterrent for any kind of unwanted behaviour in dogs is to ignore, not react. Dogs hate that. Doing anything to them can (and usually does) produce other unwanted behaviours.
I’d say just stop and ignore them until they get bored; that way you win and there’s no danger of escalation. Don’t even look at them.
Good luck!
When I’m hiking I always stop and try to make friends with the dogs if they bark and come near me. 9 out of 10 times it works. The dogs come over, sniff my hand and then we’re friends for life. Sometimes they follow me for a long time afterwards and I have to find some way of ditching them like a bad date.
if i’m training i don’t want to stop… normally you can sneak past if you’re going fast, it’s the few times the dog sees you before you get to a point where you are no longer a threat to his territory that are a pain. i know people say to slow down and befriend the dog, and that does work for me sometimes, but at 40kmh+ especially downhill there is often no time or inclination to slow down. still, in a pack situation, many of them just will not be befriended; they are showing off to each other more than really caring about me, i guess.
downhill or flat i can outpace any dog but going up a 10-15% hill most dogs can outrun me, especially if i’ve been out for a while already. regardless, hitting a dog at any speed is dangerous for me, the dog and the bike. i don’t enjoy spending 10,000 to replace a wheel tacoed by a dog crash, let alone mending broken bones in my hands or arms from falling at speed.
i have sprayed my water bottle at them successfully in the past. the pump can help as a club, if you can get it out fast enough. i have had to resort to a kick a couple of times here, but that is not very safe for the rider clipped in to his/her pedals. (by the time physical violence is required to protect me, i am not interested in the dog’s welfare any more). but any action that makes you stop in the middle of a pack of territorial dogs is asking for more trouble than speeding past, if possible, IMHO.
i am hassled most on backroads behind NeiHu, or between SiJhir and PingXi, places with many small tea farms and dumps/quarries, and few cars. some angry dogs i encounter in the same places all the time. some attacks are from unexpected quarters!
I had a riding buddy in the States who was a vet. He always advised that if you outrun the dog, make sure to do it right… above all, don’t let them catch you after a prolonged chase! On a road bike, with the right conditions, I can blow their doors off, which is safest.
I’ve found what straydog said to have worked for me a number of times. I put the bike between me and the dog and attempt to stare it down. Of course, this doesn’t always work because some dogs take eye contact as a threat.
In that case I have to wait for the lazy, useless, betelnut-chewing, piece-of-shit owner (who is sitting all of 2 feet away) to get off his ass and beat the dog half to death. :loco:
Maybe straydog has an even bigger dog, which is looking for an owner. That way u can scare the dogs to death with a bigger meaner dog.
Otherwise Tyc00n Inc. is now in production for wheel scythes. Just like the chariots in Gladiator
There’s one big Rottweiler on my regular route that always runs out for a sniff of my scrawny ass… I’m glad that Stray Dog’s advice works on this guy, he’s a friggin’ mountain of a dog.
With that kind of dog, if he tries to hump your leg, you’d do well to fake an orgasm.
Ignore the dog. Don’t challenge him with a staredown! 
[quote=“Stray Dog”]With that kind of dog, if he tries to hump your leg, you’d do well to fake an orgasm.
Ignore the dog. Don’t challenge him with a staredown! [/quote]
Yeah, ignore him. Ride away as if you don’t even see him there. If you can get him to follow you to a strange neighborhood and then race off leaving him behind, even better. I did this to Stray Dog tonight and he was so much nicer to me afterwards.
Oddly enough, if you Google this you’ll find that there are a few so called “specialists” who advocate the “stare down” approach. Makes you wonder if these folks have ever even encountered an aggressive dog, let alone a whole pack of them.
If at all possible, best is to stop on a dime, and face the dog while avoiding eye contact. Blink a lot and stand straight. Blinking is a friendly sign and it shows how nonthreatening you are. Then slowly walk away when the dogs stop fussing. Stop again if need be. Stopping on a dime shows them that you are not scared; it’s what an alpha male would do.
If you are going to out ride the dogs, bear in mind that in terms of canine psychology, you become the prey, and that could be very dangerous.
If things hit the fan and you do get attacked, using the bike as a shield/weapon is you best option. Strays are statistically known to mostly bite extremities, and pets more often go for the face and throat. So protect your legs, and keep your hands on the bike.
I am sometimes chased on my scooter. I apply the breaks and I stop. It’s actually funny to see the dogs’ reaction. It’s the last thing they expect, and it really throws off their territorial fun/strategy. 
i’m guessing you guys are all talking about cycling. I ride motorbikes and often encounter dogs running out into the road barking and chasing the bike. My friends rev thier engines and kick out a leg which doesn’t discourage them. I pull in my clutch and ease off the revs, slow down and talk to the dogs, usually in chinese, " bu ker e" “how la, wo zi dow” in a fun, but soothing voice and the dogs lose interest. then i slowly pull away trying not to make much noise.
they seem to be agrevated by the noise of the engine, whether it is an encounter they have had before or just the noise annoys them i don’t know, but i have found in all cases to slow down and kill the engine noise and talk to them to work.
don’t know if this helps at all.
Erm…what happens the tenth time?
Erm…what happens the tenth time?[/quote]
You should see my ankles. Seriously, they usually leave me or bark a bit but don’t come too close. I’ve had to chase off very very few. But I’ve usually been able to make friends which helps next time I am in the area.
I do have a question for Sean and Bob, though. I will be heading to Tibet soon and the mastifs there have a nasty reputation. They are usually half-starved and I have heard will rush to eat your shit after a dump (often outdoors or in outhouses with no real doors). This is a level of aggressiveness and desperation we just don’t see in Taiwan. How should I behave here?
Give 'em shit!
[quote=“Muzha Man”]
I do have a question for Sean and Bob, though. I will be heading to Tibet soon and the mastifs there have a nasty reputation. They are usually half-starved and I have heard will rush to eat your shit after a dump (often outdoors or in outhouses with no real doors). This is a level of aggressiveness and desperation we just don’t see in Taiwan. How should I behave here?[/quote]Have you read Tigerman’s post about using a stick to accentuate your posturing in the “Stray Dog Problem” thread? That would help, methinks. Other options would be to hold it if in presence of these animals, find a higher ground to do your business where the dogs can not reach, wear climbers clothing so that you are not caught with your pants down, or wear a diaper. The latter may turn out to be uncomfortable and eventually itchy/scratchy if you are hiking.
Serioulsly, a stick/hiking pole is probably your best option both for posturing and for self-defense if all else fails. Posturing is still your best option, but if the dogs are desperate as you say some of them are, I would avoid doing my business in their presence as much as possible.
My neighborhood had a dog that chased scooters. I’d always chase it back and act really aggressive. Then when I would ride down the street. It would take cover…and for anyone else it would chase them. Was worth it for me…since I wasn’t getting the shit scared out of me on a daily basis like my roommates.
My mom had a dog that used to chase motorbikes…and since she was in a motorbike club that had over 100 members…she decided to fix the problem by tying her dog to something…then letting her friends ride at it and scare it with their bikes for 10-20 minutes straight. She said it never chased a bike again.