Dealing with Dogs

samsbike

Any one got any advice on this. On teh last 3 journeys along the grand union canal, had issues with the dogs. Once I just ended really pedalling fast (the damn fool owner was on the boat!).

roger_merriman

Dog is just a dog.

Thus slow down, and call out a greeting in a friendly confident voice.

Normally the problem is the dog gets spooked and scared.

godders1

If it's on a lead slow right down and shout/ring your bell like you would for a pedestrian.

If it's off the lead I tend to slow to a crawl, untethered dogs can be very unpredictable.. Last year a kamikaze springer spaniel saw me coming from some way away, sat and watched as I approached and then leapt at my front wheel as soon as I got close. If I hadn't been on the disc equipped bike I reckon I would have squashed him!

samsbike

Wellthe one on Monday saw me, go past him and then decided to have a go and I did slow down.

Maybe I should ring the bell.

The first time, the dogs saw me coming and came straight after me.

corshamjim

I can recommend the section on the subject in Richard's Bicycle Book.

http://www.cycling-books.com/Richards_B ... antine.htm

But not if you happen to like dogs (I don't).

jonnyboy77

I'm of the opinion that dogs (like small children) should be kept under control by their owners (parents) in public spaces, especially where there are bikes, cars, other people, bodies of water etc. If that means putting the dog on a lead then fine, but sometimes just calling your dog when bikes approach is sufficient ...

What I HATE ... are the dog walkers/owners that let their dogs run riot when there are other people around, be that cyclists or just other walkers/people/children/wild animals/cattle/etc. I encounter them on the Thames Path and around Richmond Park all the time, Fido will run across the path, jump up strangers legs, bark at small children ... and all the owner does is carry on talking into their mobile phone, or tut because you distracted their dog with your bike.

I love dogs, I don't own one, but if I did I would be a lot more considerate than some of the people I see day to day.

What do I do when I encounter them, I slow down try not to run them over/scare them, and resist the urge to kick the ones that run after my lower leg barking like they've just spotted a light meaty snack/treat.

- Jon

cooldad

Send them all to Korea.

utgaardaolle

Pased a very small girl with a very big rottweiler on the leash today. I was lucky it was already distracted as it tried to eat a pedestrian. Would a geologists hammer clipped to the frame be illegal?

madtam

On the odd occasion a dog has been a problem I have so far had success with what amounts to threatening it. I have stopped and faced the dog and either shouted or just growled at it while staring it down. I think it might help that I have always had every intention of lashing out at it if it came any to attack me, and I would be ruthless in defending myself. My thought is that the dog is aware that I mean it and will stand my ground. So far whenever I have employed this approach the dog has backed off which I think follows simple dog psychology. I have perhaps been fortunate as well that I have never been confronted by the larger attack/guard dog types such as Rottweiler or German Shepherd, that might just decide to take me on.
I wouldn't use this approach if I was obviously trespassing on a dogs territory, such as riding into someones garden etc where the dog could consider this as home ground. I might be more wary if I wasn't 6 feet tall and rather heavily built either.

Initialised

I landed on a dog about a year ago. We both dodged the same direction, too fast blind corner slow dog. We both yelped, I had sore ribs for a few days after. I don't go that way very often these days.

When I do encounter a problem owner I tend to yell "train it before I flatten it" at the owner as well as slowing down, unclipping and being ready to kick or punch any dog that gets too close or threatens to give chase. If a dog is clearly trained (or being trained) to keep out of the way of bikes then I smile and thank the owner. Think of it as advanced pavlovian conditioning for dog users.

My mum gets her dogs to pull her along on her bike so it's not like they are totally incompatible with bikes.

team47b

At least in the UK the owner 'accompanies' the dog on it's outing!

Here the dogs are 'free'.

Free to bite you, free to chase you, free to crap everywhere, free to get run over.

I hear Piri-Piri water pistols are the answer, bit cruel. But not sure how would you track down the owner to shoot the pistol at anyway.

shouldbeinbed

agree it is up to the owners to keep their dog(s) under control. Mine are only allowed off the lead when they are properly trained to recall. but how to deal with dogs genrically is like asking how to deal with people with blonde highlights or people from Nottingham.

In general tho dogs are curious, playful or (rarely and if badly owned) fighty - usually easy to tell the fighters as they're more likely growling, hackles up teeth bared - calmly face them down and get the owners attention, if it goes really badly, your pump or a stick in the back of the collar and keep twisting it as much as possible, control & garotte them as much as possible.

99% of the time slowing down (prey runs fast, the boss doesn't), just confidently getting about your business and having as little interation with them as possible usually works to show them you're not interested or intimidated. if that fails, a loud stern NO or AWAY will usually do it before needing to get physical - and then explain firmly to the owner why their dog is a problem and the likely cost of your repairs and the vets bills to them for it being run over or you legitimately defending yourself.

I hate the phrase, 'its ok he's just being friendly' when anywhere near dogs - `How does the dog /owner & me know each other well enough for that to be appropriate and why should it be anyone but the dog's problem? I'm not likely to wander over to them and shove my hand down their trousers uninvited and say 'its ok, I'm just being friendly'

@Initialised us taking blind corners too fast isn't the dog's fault, anything could have been round there, try hitting a horse head on

shouldbeinbed

team47b wrote:

At least in the UK the owner 'accompanies' the dog on it's outing!

Here the dogs are 'free'.

Free to bite you, free to chase you, free to crap everywhere, free to get run over.

I hear Piri-Piri water pistols are the answer, bit cruel. But not sure how would you track down the owner to shoot the pistol at anyway.

The Iberian peninsula has rather an interesting attitude to its animal life. I have a seriously damage Galgo (Spanish Greyhound) physically and mentally scarred thanks to that dispicable countries dispicable attitude to animals.

Initialised

shouldbeinbed wrote:

@Initialised us taking blind corners too fast isn't the dog's fault, anything could have been round there, try hitting a horse head on

Oh I agree, could have been a child etc... I don't go that way often now, too fast for shared paths these days.

shouldbeinbed

Initialised wrote:

shouldbeinbed wrote:

@Initialised us taking blind corners too fast isn't the dog's fault, anything could have been round there, try hitting a horse head on

Oh I agree, could have been a child etc... I don't go that way often now, too fast for shared paths these days.

Half your luck, I'm only good for shared paths these days

Aerozine50

For dealing with dogs with the owner about, if they bite me - I berate/bite the owner!

However for a pack of feral dogs then there is always the airzound. There are many videos of people using them to frighten the mad biting mutts away when they run along side.

Failing that I sometimes carry my fishing priest/compact shileighliegh/ long series bike pump which I could easliy use to beat said mutt with and kick it in the face with the cleated part of my shoes.

regards

Paul

Teddy Westside

Sadly I find the majority rather than the minority of dog owners on cycle paths are lacking in responsibility even if they don't cause me a serious problem. Under no circumstances should they be off the lead and the lead should be short. I had one near crash when approaching a dog and owner on opposite sides of my main route (a common situation as owners allow their dogs to wander). It was a winter's evening and so the light was poor and despite my lights (and cycling cautiously) it was only just in time that I could see it was on a very thin extending lead! Those things have become a licence for owners to comply with the spirit of having their animal under control without actually doing so.

Then there are the dogs you find walking 30 or 40 metres ahead of or behind their owners when you wonder if they are potentially dangerous strays and have to work out exactly who owns it when it wanders towards your front wheel.

I am also amazed at the ones who actually laugh when their little darlings do their best to go under your wheels in a way that suggests they fully expect you to join in with the merriment! :roll: Just how thick are they?

Sadly, I've had to kick a dog before because it bit my leg (no damage to me fortunately - though there would have been). I only did what was necessary for my safety and no more but it wasn't the dog I really felt like kicking. :x

I've often been told to ring a bell in some of these situations, and that's even when I've been travelling towards their faces and they've seen me. To which I reply that the highway code considers my voice as appropriate and that is exactly what I'm using...

There are some responsible owners who always have their dogs on short leads, walk on the right-hand side of the path (so few pedestrians can grasp that one!) and generally act as responsibly as they have a right to feel I should too, but they just aren't common enough unfortunately.

I even encounter idiots throwing sticks and balls for their dogs on the cycle paths and it matters not a bit to them that they've actually seen me coming - throwing a ball or stick towards an oncoming bike! :shock:

I often find myself informing the that the path they are managing to mis-use would be an overgrown and impassable railway line if it wasn't for the cycle campaign groups which gave it new life.

corshamjim

Dogs should pay road tax and be fitted with registration plates!

Initialised

corshamjim wrote:

Dogs should pay road tax and be fitted with registration plates!

There's more chance of dogs getting registered than bikes, they kill and injure more people.

There needs to be a distiction between footpaths that bikes are allowed to ride on and bike tracks that pedestrians should stay off. A simple sign like those on the Tube (e.g. "Stand on the right" becomes "Walk on the right" or "Cyclists have priority") at the entrance to the path would do. Then as a cyclist you have a right to shout at people (and their dogs) for occupying the whole paths. As things stand pedestrians have priority on all shared paths.

Dogs have their own rule:

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTr ... /DG_069853

56
Dogs. Do not let a dog out on the road on its own. Keep it on a short lead when walking on the pavement, road or path shared with cyclists or horse riders.

So yeah, feel free to yell "rule 56 - Short Lead ya Moron" at errant dog users

The only safe dog is a trained dog.

rickyrider

Cycled past a ridiculously quaffed fluffball of a dog this morning near Little Venice on GU canal towpath, and got yelled at by the owner for getting too close to the little darling, despite ringing bell in advance to alert owner. Not on a lead of course... Found the whole incident pretty amusing tbh!

mudcow007

i cycle aswell as own a dog granted my dog is always under control, but i know what you mean about some dog owners just letting their dogs run wild especially when they poop an leave it....that really grinds my gears

but what also gets me, is the cyclists who ride at about trillion mph on a shared path not slowing down for pedestrians/kids, prams or dogs literally skimming past people

the track is a disused railway track so is pretty straight an you can see for miles so its not like the other track users just "jump out" at anyone.

ive been tempted to throw stuff at their spokes before now........

mountaincookie

Quite a few years ago I was cycling down an epic bridle way in cornwall. It runs through/past a farm. I must have been....13 I think. This grey hound appeared out of nowhere. I hopped off the bike and put the bike in front of me and grabbed a large stick as it came up and this dog barked it's head off and growled. The owners appeared on their quad and called it off ''it won't hurt you''

......I cycled off....and it chased....I pedalled hard, and it went for me and literally just missed my ankle.

Ever since I'm always scared to use that track, and for a while afterwards cycled down it with a big stick.

It's a shame when people don't know their own dogs - and let their dogs ruin life for everyone else

mountaincookie

shouldbeinbed wrote:

or people from Nottingham.

??

madtam

I don't know anyone who knows how to deal with people from Nottingham !!?

wyadvd

Solution to dog problem : ride on proper roads. Not pretend roads. Dog walkers only tend to use pretend roads. Vehicles use real ones