dogs?

as a newbie, just curious to see how some of you
handle the occasional neighborhood dog.

The other evening was on my typical after work
ride. Coming off a horse trail and onto a bike
path. Could see a couple schnauzers up ahead.
They spotted me and started a full run. The only
choice I had was to head straight into them, ala
playing chicken.... Any rate, both dogs ran off sideways
as I approached, and then quickly circled behind
to start the chase. By then, I had a good head of
steam. The little guys kept after me for over a
1/2 mile. Couldn't believe it! If they were larger
dogs, like dobermans or german sheppards, no way could
I have pulled away.

Just curious what some of you have done with a more
serious situation? carry pepper spray? a little
air horn or something like that?

first time I came across this. To be honest, never
envisioned this being an issue.

thx.

-Gregg

"Gregg" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

Quoted message said:

as a newbie, just curious to see how some of you
handle the occasional neighborhood dog.

The other evening was on my typical after work
ride. Coming off a horse trail and onto a bike
path. Could see a couple schnauzers up ahead.
They spotted me and started a full run. The only
choice I had was to head straight into them, ala
playing chicken.... Any rate, both dogs ran off sideways
as I approached, and then quickly circled behind
to start the chase. By then, I had a good head of
steam. The little guys kept after me for over a
1/2 mile. Couldn't believe it! If they were larger
dogs, like dobermans or german sheppards, no way could
I have pulled away.

Just curious what some of you have done with a more
serious situation? carry pepper spray? a little
air horn or something like that?

first time I came across this. To be honest, never
envisioned this being an issue.

thx.

-Gregg

Interesting discussion, I would imagine they're chasing you like you're a
car. Once they catch one they don't know what to do with it.

I always take my dogs with me when I go riding as it's the only time they
get a good run off the leads, they tend to follow rather than chase -
perhaps the schnauzers knew how to handle bikes too?

dan

Quoted message said:

Interesting discussion, I would imagine they're chasing you like you're a
car. Once they catch one they don't know what to do with it.

I always take my dogs with me when I go riding as it's the only time they
get a good run off the leads, they tend to follow rather than chase -
perhaps the schnauzers knew how to handle bikes too?

dan

to be honest, I don't think the little guys were intent on hurting me.
They might have been lost, or as you noted, comfortable with handling
bikes.

any rate, not sure how I would have handled a sheppard or other large dog.

something I never thought about when I started riding again. How to
handle a mean dog......

Gregg said:

as a newbie, just curious to see how some of you
handle the occasional neighborhood dog.

The other evening was on my typical after work
ride. Coming off a horse trail and onto a bike
path. Could see a couple schnauzers up ahead.
They spotted me and started a full run. The only
choice I had was to head straight into them, ala
playing chicken.... Any rate, both dogs ran off sideways
as I approached, and then quickly circled behind
to start the chase. By then, I had a good head of
steam. The little guys kept after me for over a
1/2 mile. Couldn't believe it! If they were larger
dogs, like dobermans or german sheppards, no way could
I have pulled away.

Just curious what some of you have done with a more
serious situation? carry pepper spray? a little
air horn or something like that?

first time I came across this. To be honest, never
envisioned this being an issue.

thx.

-Gregg

LOL! I have three of those little guys.

1. If they were miniature schnauzers, they are terriers. Their natural
instinct is to chase.

2. Terriers in general are not the most obedient dogs. They should
have been fenced or on a leash. Mine would run and never come back.

3. If they caught you, they probably would have licked you until you
cried uncle.

--
o-o-o-o Ride-A-Lot o-o-o-o
www.schnauzers.ws

Quoted message said:

LOL! I have three of those little guys.

1. If they were miniature schnauzers, they are terriers. Their natural
instinct is to chase.

2. Terriers in general are not the most obedient dogs. They should
have been fenced or on a leash. Mine would run and never come back.

3. If they caught you, they probably would have licked you until you
cried uncle.

shame on their owners!!! cute dogs. They had a blueish/grey coat.
stood somewhere between 10-12 inches at the shoulder. Gotta admit,
they sure loved to run, and pretty quick too.

Got home and told Wifey I had one of my "better" workouts that day.

didn't tell her I had two savage beasts tearing after me.....

:-)

Ride-A-Lot said:

3. If they caught you, they probably would have licked you until you
cried

You mean like Chuckles :-p
--
Slacker

On 2005-02-24, Gregg penned:

Quoted message said:

to be honest, I don't think the little guys were intent on hurting me. They
might have been lost, or as you noted, comfortable with handling bikes.

any rate, not sure how I would have handled a sheppard or other large dog.

something I never thought about when I started riding again. How to handle
a mean dog......

I remember reading a number of discussions about this on the team estrogen
(women's cycling) forums. No one had a pat answer. Some carry pepper spray
or similar. Some have outridden the dog. I think a few have mentioned that,
if all else fails, you can put your bike between yourself and the dog, but I
doubt that would be very effective. At least so far, I've never heard of a
dog-chasing-bike situation in which the dog actually injured the rider, but
I'm sure it happens.

I imagine I'd only ride away if I thought I could outdistance the dog. On a
long downhill, that would probably be a safe bet, but I don't know about other
situations. Fleeing just triggers their chase response. Then again, if it's
already triggered ...

I really hope you never find yourself in a situation where a dangerous dog
wants to hurt you, on a bike or otherwise. I get nervous enough just riding
between cows (some of the paths I ride include areas where the cattle wander
across the path).

--
monique

"Get a bicycle. You will not regret it, if you live."
-- Mark Twain

Gregg said:

as a newbie, just curious to see how some of you
handle the occasional neighborhood dog.

The other evening was on my typical after work
ride. Coming off a horse trail and onto a bike
path. Could see a couple schnauzers up ahead.
They spotted me and started a full run. The only
choice I had was to head straight into them, ala
playing chicken.... Any rate, both dogs ran off sideways
as I approached, and then quickly circled behind
to start the chase. By then, I had a good head of
steam. The little guys kept after me for over a
1/2 mile. Couldn't believe it! If they were larger
dogs, like dobermans or german sheppards, no way could
I have pulled away.

Just curious what some of you have done with a more
serious situation? carry pepper spray? a little
air horn or something like that?

first time I came across this. To be honest, never
envisioned this being an issue.

thx.

-Gregg

I used to get chased every time I left on a ride by some little terrier
from a house down the street. He'd literally nip at my ankles and had
and expression and made sounds like it wanted to kill me.
I'd see the owner in the yard sometimes and one time I said "I'm going
to kick him if he tries to bite me!" and he yelled back "Good! Please
do!". But this dog had been kicked before and he was lightning fast,
darting around the back and going for the achilles when I'd unclip and
try to line him up. Finally I had to try the quick side jab and landed
one. He rolled a few times into the grass and just came up running but I
managed to pull away.
They went through all kinds of fences but inevitably he'd get out and
chase me every now and then. Mean little [censored]...

Matt

MattB said:

Gregg said:

as a newbie, just curious to see how some of you
handle the occasional neighborhood dog.

The other evening was on my typical after work
ride. Coming off a horse trail and onto a bike
path. Could see a couple schnauzers up ahead.
They spotted me and started a full run. The only
choice I had was to head straight into them, ala
playing chicken.... Any rate, both dogs ran off sideways
as I approached, and then quickly circled behind
to start the chase. By then, I had a good head of
steam. The little guys kept after me for over a
1/2 mile. Couldn't believe it! If they were larger
dogs, like dobermans or german sheppards, no way could
I have pulled away.

Just curious what some of you have done with a more
serious situation? carry pepper spray? a little
air horn or something like that?

first time I came across this. To be honest, never
envisioned this being an issue.

thx.

-Gregg

I used to get chased every time I left on a ride by some little
terrier from a house down the street. He'd literally nip at my ankles
and had and expression and made sounds like it wanted to kill me.
I'd see the owner in the yard sometimes and one time I said "I'm going
to kick him if he tries to bite me!" and he yelled back "Good! Please
do!". But this dog had been kicked before and he was lightning fast,
darting around the back and going for the achilles when I'd unclip and
try to line him up. Finally I had to try the quick side jab and landed
one. He rolled a few times into the grass and just came up running
but I managed to pull away.
They went through all kinds of fences but inevitably he'd get out and
chase me every now and then. Mean little [censored]...

Matt

Once it became a regular event I'd have to invest in a can of pepper spray.
I love dogs and have had them all my life, which actually makes me fairly
intolerant of animals that aren't well behaved. Too bad the dog has to
suffer since the owners are the delinquent ones, but it's not the owner
sinking his teeth into my leg either. Not sure it's an AKC approved
training aid, but I'm sure a dose of spray on a dog would produce some
lasting learnin'

Tom

Quoted message said:

I used to get chased every time I left on a ride by some little terrier
from a house down the street.They went through all kinds of fences but
inevitably he'd get out and chase me every now and then. Mean little
[censored]...

Matt

I think I know why dogs will chase you. I actually did a scientific
experiment to verify my feces.

If you don't wipe well enough, the scent is just too irresistible for any
dog. This also explain why they go straight for the crotch when they
finally do catch up.
--
Slacker

On 2005-02-23, Raptor penned:

Quoted message said:

I believe a search of the archives (rec.bicycles.*) will reveal at least one
story of some biker getting chewed up. I remember seeing at least one over
the years.

Dogs are a fine motivation for a sprint. Bring on the greyhounds, I say!
(When I'm on my road bike, that is.) I've never had to outrun one on a hill
though. And riding in urban/suburban or very sparsely populated rural areas,
it's been a very long time since I came across a hostile-seeming dog.

Depending on the width of the road, I wonder if it would be possible to turn
around on a hill and head back down it. Guess it depends on how close the dog
is.

Quoted message said:

I won't bother with pepper spray - not a justifiable cost/benefit.
Countermeasures for me when I can't get away are the water bottle, then the
frame pump, then anything else that comes to hand, then the bike itself.

I have heard that in extremis, if you grab a pair (presumably, both front)
of the dog's legs and pull apart hard, it will kill the dog.

Aside from my dog-lover's squeamishness about this idea, if you're close
enough to grab its front legs, you're close enough to expose your head to its
mouth ... in extremis, indeed. I think you'd be better off trying to kick or
knee the dog in the chest.

--
monique

"Get a bicycle. You will not regret it, if you live."
-- Mark Twain

Slacker said:

Quoted message said:

I used to get chased every time I left on a ride by some little
terrier from a house down the street.They went through all kinds of
fences but inevitably he'd get out and chase me every now and then.
Mean little [censored]...

Matt

I think I know why dogs will chase you. I actually did a scientific
experiment to verify my feces.

If you don't wipe well enough, the scent is just too irresistible for
any dog. This also explain why they go straight for the crotch when
they finally do catch up.

Did you even CONSIDER not hitting "Send", Slack?

Sheesh...

Gregg said:

as a newbie, just curious to see how some of you
handle the occasional neighborhood dog.

The other evening was on my typical after work
ride. Coming off a horse trail and onto a bike
path. Could see a couple schnauzers up ahead.
They spotted me and started a full run. The only
choice I had was to head straight into them, ala
playing chicken.... Any rate, both dogs ran off sideways
as I approached, and then quickly circled behind
to start the chase. By then, I had a good head of
steam. The little guys kept after me for over a
1/2 mile. Couldn't believe it! If they were larger
dogs, like dobermans or german sheppards, no way could
I have pulled away.

Just curious what some of you have done with a more
serious situation? carry pepper spray? a little
air horn or something like that?

first time I came across this. To be honest, never
envisioned this being an issue.

Establish dominance immediately. If there's time/opportunity, get off the
bike and face the animal, keeping the bike between you. Command it to stop
or sit with a stern "No!". If you don't need it as a barrier, raise the
bike over your head to appear even larger. (This is assuming real danger,
and not just a few little scrappers.)

If no time for all that, a strong cleated foot to the mouth will usually
shut the mutt up. (Should be the owner getting it, of course, but don't
play around with getting bit.) Frame pump also handy.

Only had a few close calls in ten years of riding, and of those only one was
really scary (and that's the one that tasted my shoe).

Another reason to ride real trails, by the way, and not neighborhood bike
paths...
--
BS (no, I mean it)

Gregg [email protected] said:

Just curious what some of you have done with a more
serious situation? carry pepper spray? a little
air horn or something like that?

Something like that...

My favorite dog story was one out in the country, riding along minding
my own business. I'm on a bit of a hill (going up, that is...)
passing a farm house which is situated off to the right and above me
on the hill. As I approach I see the (presumed) owner of the house
and his german shepard. The dog sees me and heads down the hill at a
45 degree intercept angle at warp speed.

I jump and do my best to get ahead of the dog's path, but it's
obviously not going to happen with gravity working for the dog but
against me.

The most annoying thing (other than the potential for road rash) is
that the owner is laughing hysterically over his pooch chasing me.

By this point, I'm rolling pretty well, but the dog is flying. The
dog decides to pass just on my side of a telephone pole about the time
I unleash my famous bark. Yes, bark... I've found that barking at a
dog (a very LOUD bark) is an effective method for throwing Fido off
his game. Usually sets 'em right down in their tracks.

Only this time it just caused the pooch to jink to the right.
Unfortunately (for the dog...) the telephone pole was there. He hit
it at full speed head-on, kind of wrapped around it and fell to the
side and was laying on the ground twitching.

Now the owner and I got to reverse roles - I got to laugh hysterically
while I rode away up the hill and he got to sprint (down the hill to
find out how badly his dog was hurt).

Mark Hickey
Habanero Cycles
http://www.habcycles.com
Home of the $695 ti frame

Slacker said:

Quoted message said:

I used to get chased every time I left on a ride by some little
terrier from a house down the street.They went through all kinds of
fences but inevitably he'd get out and chase me every now and then.
Mean little [censored]...

Matt

I think I know why dogs will chase you. I actually did a scientific
experiment to verify my feces.

If you don't wipe well enough, the scent is just too irresistible for
any dog. This also explain why they go straight for the crotch when
they finally do catch up.

Huh?

Matt

Monique Y. Mudama said:

On 2005-02-23, Raptor penned:

Quoted message said:

I have heard that in extremis, if you grab a pair (presumably, both front)
of the dog's legs and pull apart hard, it will kill the dog.

Aside from my dog-lover's squeamishness about this idea, if you're close
enough to grab its front legs, you're close enough to expose your head to its
mouth ... in extremis, indeed. I think you'd be better off trying to kick or
knee the dog in the chest.

Of course you wouldn't kill a dog unless you had to.

--
--
Lynn Wallace http://www.xmission.com/~lawall
"We should not march into Baghdad. ... Assigning young soldiers to
a fruitless hunt for a securely entrenched dictator and condemning
them to fight in what would be an unwinnable urban guerilla war, it
could only plunge that part of the world into ever greater
instability." George Bush Sr. in his 1998 book "A World Transformed"

Haven't been since I was a kid. Any way I'm to fast for
them to catch me.

"Gregg" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

Quoted message said:

as a newbie, just curious to see how some of you
handle the occasional neighborhood dog.

The other evening was on my typical after work
ride. Coming off a horse trail and onto a bike
path. Could see a couple schnauzers up ahead.
They spotted me and started a full run. The only
choice I had was to head straight into them, ala
playing chicken.... Any rate, both dogs ran off sideways
as I approached, and then quickly circled behind
to start the chase. By then, I had a good head of
steam. The little guys kept after me for over a
1/2 mile. Couldn't believe it! If they were larger
dogs, like dobermans or german sheppards, no way could
I have pulled away.

Just curious what some of you have done with a more
serious situation? carry pepper spray? a little
air horn or something like that?

first time I came across this. To be honest, never
envisioned this being an issue.

thx.

-Gregg

I always stop and pat them. Dogs are good!

--
DTW .../\.../\.../\...

I've spent most of my money on mountain biking and windsurfing.
The rest, I've just wasted.

"Gregg" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

Quoted message said:

as a newbie, just curious to see how some of you
handle the occasional neighborhood dog.

The other evening was on my typical after work
ride. Coming off a horse trail and onto a bike
path. Could see a couple schnauzers up ahead.
They spotted me and started a full run. The only
choice I had was to head straight into them, ala
playing chicken.... Any rate, both dogs ran off sideways
as I approached, and then quickly circled behind
to start the chase. By then, I had a good head of
steam. The little guys kept after me for over a
1/2 mile. Couldn't believe it! If they were larger
dogs, like dobermans or german sheppards, no way could
I have pulled away.

Just curious what some of you have done with a more
serious situation? carry pepper spray? a little
air horn or something like that?

first time I came across this. To be honest, never
envisioned this being an issue.

thx.

-Gregg

Watch the "Dog Whisperer" on the National Geographic Channel. Amazing what
a dog will do when confronted with "Alpha". Of course you got to have the
guts to pull off being an Alpha.