If the dog is going to catch up, I will slow down and start to get off the
bike on the side away from the dog. Usually they will stop and bark.
Once
I'm off the bike, I use it as a shield and get the pump to use as a
weapon,
if its needed. I've never had to do either though. Most dogs will back
away from something that is not acting like prey, is not running, is not
scared, and is willing to outshout and out stare them.

Absolutely true. If I'm not in a rush, I actually enjoy stopping and
staring them (dogs) down, assuming, of course, it's not drooling too much
and audibly ganshing teeth! It has an amazingly powerful effect when you
simply stop and stare a dog down (when it's been coming after you). They
just don't know what to do, because that's not the way they're programmed.
And experience has told me that this can actually "break" a dog
psychologically... they will sometimes stop going after cyclists after such
an experience.

But keep in mind this works with relatively "normal" dogs. If somebody has
trained a pitbull (or any other aggressive breed) to shred & kill, you
really ought to find someplace else to be. But the same rules of safety
still apply- put your bike between you and the dog.

--Mike--
Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReaction.com

"Duffy Pratt" wrote in message
news
There have been a few occaisons when I have been too tired to outrun a dog
(especially when out of shape), or run into the dogs at a dead end or
forced
turn around point.

The biggest danger with dogs is that they might run into your wheels and
send you both flying. That hasn't happenned to me, but I've seen it and
its
not pretty at all.

If the dog is going to catch up, I will slow down and start to get off the
bike on the side away from the dog. Usually they will stop and bark.
Once
I'm off the bike, I use it as a shield and get the pump to use as a
weapon,
if its needed. I've never had to do either though. Most dogs will back
away from something that is not acting like prey, is not running, is not
scared, and is willing to outshout and out stare them.

Duffy

"Mike Jacoubowsky" wrote in message
...
Went riding yesterday and while I have been chased many times by dogs,
I
got
chased last night by a great dane, he was as tall as I was on the
bike.
Never
given this much thought in the past because a dog has never scared me
before.
What do dogs do to riders if they ever catch them?

We've got some info on our website- www.ChainReaction.com/dogs that
might
be
of help. In many cases, dogs may do exactly nothing once they catch
their
prey. The fun is in the chase, and it's boring to just sit there in a
stand-off with a cyclist. Not all the time though; there are obviously
some
dogs that are trained to attack anything that they feel is intruding
into
their area.

Great Danes aren't generally a nasty species though, and it may have
simply
been wanting to have some fun (play) with you. This does happen; I've
been
in races where dogs ran into the middle of the pack, thinking they were
having a great time. Once things didn't turn out too well, for either
the
dog or a bunch of cyclists.

Be smart, and try to figure out what the dog is up to. You *are*
smarter
than the dog, which you can use to your advantage.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
http://www.ChainReactionBicycles.com