Worst dog incidents, and tips for dealing with them

Commuting, Day rides, Audax, Incidents, etc.
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pwa
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Worst dog incidents, and tips for dealing with them

Post by pwa »

I am generally a "dog lover", someone who assumes the best of any dog until circumstances prove me wrong. But even I have had the occasional stressful moment involving a dog lunging at me from a farm gate. Anyone else care to share their stories. And any tips on how to deal with these things if and when they happen?
Cyril Haearn
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Re: Worst dog incidents, and tips for dealing with them

Post by Cyril Haearn »

The dog uses the element of surprise, one doesnae have a moment to think of how to respond
Maybe the price is eternal vigilance
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Cugel
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Re: Worst dog incidents, and tips for dealing with them

Post by Cugel »

pwa wrote:I am generally a "dog lover", someone who assumes the best of any dog until circumstances prove me wrong. But even I have had the occasional stressful moment involving a dog lunging at me from a farm gate. Anyone else care to share their stories. And any tips on how to deal with these things if and when they happen?


A tip - but a useless one in our property-based society: disallow most people from "owning" dogs as they don't have the competence to do so.

Cugel
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pwa
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Re: Worst dog incidents, and tips for dealing with them

Post by pwa »

Cyril Haearn wrote:The dog uses the element of surprise, one doesnae have a moment to think of how to respond
Maybe the price is eternal vigilance

Too stressful Bryn. Better,surely, to know how dogs work, be confident with them, and have procedures that you know work and come automatically to you when you need them.

Confronting the offending dog is one that has worked for me. This only works for a single dog though. Don't try it with two or more. My biggest victory was against a fully grown muscly doberman that came at me as I cycled past a garden gate. It happened several times on my way home from work so one day I resolved to turn the tables. The dog lunged out as usual, teeth bared. But this time I yelled at it with my best angry face and cycled directly at it. And it did what bullies usually do when given a taste of their own medicine. It fled back through the gate.
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Re: Worst dog incidents, and tips for dealing with them

Post by squeaker »

Wife bitten by traveler's unleashed dog (illegally camped on Downslink, claimed 'broken loose' :roll: ). She got off her bike in the face of the aggressive dog which gave an easy target (also a static one in its territory), I got my head down and pedaled hard to get past it - remains my preferred option.
For unleashed dogs that show interest, I now see how far away from the owner I can lure the dog - sometimes you have to slow up a bit to keep them interested :lol:
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pwa
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Re: Worst dog incidents, and tips for dealing with them

Post by pwa »

Many years ago I spent a year as a postie and the advice for dealing with a very aggressive dog on their own territory was to put the mail bag (hopefully still full) between you and the dog. In our case substitute "bike" for "bag". I once had a nasty labrador come at me with bared teeth and I got off, put the bike between us, then lifted the bike and strode towards the dog. My intention was that if the dog did not back off it was going to have the exposed big ring of the chainset right in the mush. Fortunately for the dog the owner came out of their house and called the dog away.
Cyril Haearn
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Re: Worst dog incidents, and tips for dealing with them

Post by Cyril Haearn »

Bullies are Cowards
Often challenging the dog may help, make oneself big and loud
Then one only has to deal with the keeper :?
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pwa
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Re: Worst dog incidents, and tips for dealing with them

Post by pwa »

Cyril Haearn wrote:Bullies are Cowards
Often challenging the dog may help, make oneself big and loud
Then one only has to deal with the keeper :?

The problem with dogs like that, more often than not, is that the keeper is not there.
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Re: Worst dog incidents, and tips for dealing with them

Post by peetee »

I know someone who walks dogs for a living and they have used a refillable spray bottle full of water to calm dogs down or defend against territorial interlopers. Its a garden one and would fit perfectly in a bike bottle cage. It does take 2 or 3 seconds to pick up and prime to produce a jet rather than a mist of water but aimed at the mouth or eyes it startles most dogs enough to break their train of thought or turn them around completely and is completely harmless. I have heard of people who use lemon juice in these things for greater effectiveness.
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Re: Worst dog incidents, and tips for dealing with them

Post by Oldjohnw »

I will state the ultimate heresy: I am not a dog lover in any way. There is nothing about them which I find attractive. I avoid them at all cost.

I am not afraid of them. I just cannot stand them.

Some people dislike cats. Others, children. For me it's dogs.
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Cyril Haearn
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Re: Worst dog incidents, and tips for dealing with them

Post by Cyril Haearn »

Oldjohnw wrote:I will state the ultimate heresy: I am not a dog lover in any way. There is nothing about them which I find attractive. I avoid them at all cost.

I am not afraid of them. I just cannot stand them.

Some people dislike cats. Others, children. For me it's dogs.

Dogs are/were useful working animals, you are lucky you can avoid them
I rather dislike cats, not sure what they are for, I do not feel a need to explain

Are there really people who dislike children? I really love children :D
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pwa
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Re: Worst dog incidents, and tips for dealing with them

Post by pwa »

Oldjohnw wrote:I will state the ultimate heresy: I am not a dog lover in any way. There is nothing about them which I find attractive. I avoid them at all cost.

I am not afraid of them. I just cannot stand them.

Some people dislike cats. Others, children. For me it's dogs.

Fair enough. Do you find that your lack of empathy for dogs reduces your ability to understand them if and when you need to? I know you shouldn't need to, but when a dog is not kept under control and causes you a problem? I don't feel I understand horses and don't always know whether I am right to feel safe with a horse in a field. Unless the owner is there and they are relaxed. I have been attacked by a horse and that is terrifying. A proper change of underwear event.
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Re: Worst dog incidents, and tips for dealing with them

Post by mjr »

Hit them with the water bottle if they get too close and keep on riding away. If off the bike, keep it between you and them and hit them with it if they get too close.

Dogs should never be off the lead on a highway or bridleway. Impound any that are. I don't care how much control their handler thinks they have: it's not immediately visible like a lead.
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Oldjohnw
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Re: Worst dog incidents, and tips for dealing with them

Post by Oldjohnw »

I have only once had a real problem with a dog - many years ago I was bitten by a Doberman. I didn't like dogs either before the incident or afterwards.

I cope well enough with dogs when I encounter the. My neighbour has two little dogs, very cute in their isn't way.My son has a lab and a pointer. He was with us at Christmas and there were no difficulties. I just don't like dogs.

I love cats. Babies are ok. I understand that I was once such.
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pwa
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Re: Worst dog incidents, and tips for dealing with them

Post by pwa »

mjr wrote:Hit them with the water bottle if they get too close and keep on riding away. If off the bike, keep it between you and them and hit them with it if they get too close.

Dogs should never be off the lead on a highway or bridleway. Impound any that are. I don't care how much control their handler thinks they have: it's not immediately visible like a lead.

I kind of agree about requiring leads on confined "highways" in a loose sense that takes in cycle tracks of whatever legal status, though I'm not sure I would apply it to legal "bridleways" where they are simply legal lines across a common with no definite path on the ground and just close cropped grass either side. We have a few like that not far from here. But I think I agree with the gist of what you are saying.
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