There's something about rotating wheels that act like a trigger for some dogs, combined with their better understood instinct to protect their turf and their people and cyclists are instantly a target. I've found a loud, sharp "NO!" is often enough. When it proves not sufficient, the next escalation is a squirt from my bottle right to his face. Anything safe to drink won't injure the dog, but will startle him enough to get him to back down.
If that doesn't work, it's time to test your power threshold.
Haven't tried the stern "NO!" command, Mike. Good tip. I'll let you know how it goes when I try it. I've done the squirt in the face before. That's usually pretty effective, if you see the dog in enough time.
Of course there was also the golden retriever one time that made an incredibly fast dash across her lawn on a path to intercept me. No way I was gonna out run her if I couldn't get her to back down. Then I realized she was carrying a frisbee in her mouth. When she caught up to me, it was clear she wanted me to stop and play. I did stop and she promptly surrendered the disk to me. I gave it a long toss back to her yard and rode on while she went to fetch it.
There's something about rotating wheels that act like a trigger for some dogs, combined with their better understood instinct to protect their turf and their people and cyclists are instantly a target. I've found a loud, sharp "NO!" is often enough. When it proves not sufficient, the next escalation is a squirt from my bottle right to his face. Anything safe to drink won't injure the dog, but will startle him enough to get him to back down.
If that doesn't work, it's time to test your power threshold.
Haven't tried the stern "NO!" command, Mike. Good tip. I'll let you know how it goes when I try it. I've done the squirt in the face before. That's usually pretty effective, if you see the dog in enough time.
Of course there was also the golden retriever one time that made an incredibly fast dash across her lawn on a path to intercept me. No way I was gonna out run her if I couldn't get her to back down. Then I realized she was carrying a frisbee in her mouth. When she caught up to me, it was clear she wanted me to stop and play. I did stop and she promptly surrendered the disk to me. I gave it a long toss back to her yard and rode on while she went to fetch it.
I typically don't come across the gentle ones.