• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Become a Premium Member
  • About

Road Bike Rider Cycling Site

Expert road cycling advice, since 2001

  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Bikes & Gear
  • Training & Health
  • Reviews
  • Cycling Ebooks
    • Ebooks Training
    • Ebooks Skills
    • E-Articles Training
    • E-Articles Nutrition
  • Member Area
  • Newsletter

Question of the Week

Today’s QoW comes to us from RBR Premium Member Bruce Miller. It ties in nicely with today’ Quick Tip.

(We really need to replenish our stock of Questions! Please submit you own QoW ideas using the Question of the Week Ideas link.)

You’re riding along and suddenly are menaced by a dog (or dogs). What do you do? 

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Joning says

    May 11, 2017 at 2:23 pm

    IF the dog is very aggressive, I get off my bike and stand behind it, keeping the bike between me and the dog. Then I yell, “GO HOME!” at the dog until it does.

    Reply
  2. Michael says

    May 11, 2017 at 4:27 pm

    A lot of dogs are just curious or want to be territorial & intimidate you. I often make a barking sound back at them, this seems to puzzle or intimidate them, or perhaps they think I “speak their language” or am a bigger dog. I’m not a dog psychologist, but for whatever reason this seems to work most of the time & they will wag their tail & regard me as a friend. With a very aggressive dog, I will use a very aggressive commanding voice & yell “no” or tell them to “get away, go home.” Only once have I had to get off the bike & put it between them & me, this was when a group of 4-5 dogs came out & they wouldn’t respond. The owner came out & I read him the riot act about keeping his dogs out of the road. I had no further problems.

    Reply
  3. C L Cordon says

    May 11, 2017 at 8:30 pm

    Try yellowing “Get Off of The Couch!” Most dogs have heard this in their lives and it may be enough to confuse them to stop. I have tried this twice in rural areas and it worked both times.

    Reply
  4. Mark says

    May 12, 2017 at 4:36 am

    In my experience, most dogs will respond if you “attack” the dog and yell loudly taking a dominant attitude. By “attack” I mean move towards, not away, from the dog because dogs will chase anything moving past or away from them. But they will get scared if you move towards them. That plus the loud voice and dominant attitude tells them that you are the leader and they’d better behave accordingly. And if they had any doubt that you are human, your voice will confirm it.

    Dogs are territorial so if you get into what they think is their territory, they are more likely to be aggressive. Part of the problem on rural roads may be that the dogs don’t understand that the public road is not part of their territory.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Search

Recent Articles

  • Front Derailleur / Double Chainring Alternatives
  • How to Fix Loose Bicycle Handlebar Tape or Tape with Gaps
  • What basic skills are needed to ride a bike on the road?
  • Hollow Alpaca Ski Socks Review

Recent Newsletters

Newsletter Issue No. 1060

Newsletter Issue No. 1059

Newsletter Issue No. 1057

Newsletter Issue No. 1056

Newsletter Issue No. 1055

Footer

Affiliate Disclosure

Our cycling expert editors and writers choose every product we review. We may earn an affiliate commission if you buy from one of our product links, at no extra cost to you. This income supports our site.

Follow Us

  • Pinterest
  • Facebook

Privacy Policy

Still Haven’t Found What You’re Looking For?

Copyright © 2023 · Magazine Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in