I honestly dont know. I have seen some dogs show aggression to me and I just ignored them and licked my lips and it quietend down. I entered a garden once to prove it worked where the owner said it was impossible to walk up his drive and get out again without being bitten. It worked and I won the bet but it is fine for me as I have a lot of practice with dogs and can cover my fear with the appropriate body language that dogs recognise. The closest was to see two GSDs in Spain in the vets waiting room going for each other but not actually got together but were pulling their owners on their chairs closer and closer. they just sat their with daft expression on their faces as if to say dogs will be dogs what should we do. I told my daughter to get outside and I was going for the CO2 canister but then the vet came in and took one away. That did scare me for my daughter. What is the best way to stop an attack or a dog fight.
There is a trick that i tested in Spain where two dogs were fighting and one had the other by the throte and the owner was going to put his hands it to prize the jaws open. I said keep right behind and just tap with your fingers quickly on the top of the dogs head and it will think it is being attacked from behind and will let go so then you can part the dogs. It worked. They say not to put your hands into a dog fight but then you are worried your dog is harming the other. Running off in the other direction sometimes works. As I say no real experiance here to offer real help.

take up a marshel art? carry a gun? knife in your boots like james bond? But it is not really a laughing matter to a child torn apart and that is what it is all to stop.

Wow - I didn't mean to open up such a can of worms. Suddenly my setter that barks and runs seems to have turned into one woman killing machine! If you saw her you would know it is not aggression. She can do this in an open field when she feels like it as she occassionally likes to run at full speed and use her lungs. Most places we walk are supposed to be bike free eg parts of the forest, the beach prom during the day but they are conveniently ignored and never enforced. As other people have mentioned bikes rarely use bells. She doesn't do it all the time but as setter people know they get the devil in them sometimes. 99% of the time she will come back straight away but can anyone be 100% that their dog will always return? At my old obedience club a dog that never put a foot wrong was killed on the road because one day it didn't do what it was expected to do. Anyway, just to let you know I have been bitten by a chihuahua and a GSD (hazard of postal delivery) and my reaction has never been to lash out. I also do a hell of a lot of cycling and am way more scared off the car drivers. I often think things get completely out of perspective with dogs. Give me a hundred dogs versus a drunk driver anyday!

I was about to say we are getting off the point a big bit but we did come back to bikes again but from the other side. Really this should be a separate thread I think but I must say it was intersting to say the least. we have done no bells no lights kicking dogs that attack does put your problem in perspective really and it just how to stop her. I think the answar is in there somewhere. 99% recall is not bad and no one or dog is perfect. Your dog may not mean to harm but the person on the bike does not know that as obviously you know this too from your work. I hope you find the answare in there if you route around if not come back as this problem (what problem?) is easily stopped.

DJ,

My 7 month old Cairn puppy also wants to run after bikes. She loves everyone and all she is trying to do is meet the person on the bike. No barking, just running, jumping and tail wagging. Just this afternoon she caused a biker to swerve off the road and onto the grass verge - I was distracted and did not hear a bike approaching from behind. But, she was on a lead so the biker and my pup were saved from disaster. It was light so the biker could clearly see me (walking in the centre of the road), should have been able to see the bright blue ribbon lead and my puppy. A bell ringing in warning would have been very nice. Or even moving to the other side of the road - it is a cul de sac and there were no other cars.

Stacey

The problem is that dogs love to chase - adn the fact that the biker doesn't stop just rewards the dog's behaviour.

I would be very careful, a dog causing a cyclist to swerve, on the lead or not, could end up in you being reported :(

Chloe :)

Surely if a dog is acting in what you believe to be agressive the answer is definately not to try and kick it. If a man was coming towards you shouting and you responded by kicking then you are llikely to be hit back? Kicking wouldn't help at all unless you did some serious damage and you are more likely to provoke it to attack. you have just presented the dog with a nice meaty leg to bite on! I was always told that if a dog attacks you the answer is to stand still, but you would be surprised at how many people react in such a way that causes the dog to react. I don't think anyone who can consider kicking a dog in the head can be considered a dog lover and surely is a little ignorant about how a dog views the world. Infact kicking a dog is enough to sour it against the world and turn a fearful dog into an aggressive one.
Also a 26 foot extending lead can be just as lethal as a loose dog as at full length you have very llittle control of the dog and also have a huge length of line to contend with. If extended and taught what is to stop a cyclist sneaking up behind as described earlier, not seeing it and ploughing straight into the line. Whilst these leads have their uses, indeed i use one myself sometimes, they can not makeup for running free. A dog can not run when attached to a long line. It has freedom yes, but cannot run which is something all dogs love to do. If someone doesn't have a decent sized garden a good run out on a walk may be the only run they get. Obviously if they are known to be aggressive this may not be an option but they could always be muzzled when free?

If a dog was snapping at my heels whilst I was on my push bike then yes, I would kick out at it. I don't think anyone is advocating that you kick an aggressive dog that is approaching - just how to defend yourself if something is snapping at your feet.

Infact, I'd go so far as to say it would be an instinctive reaction for most people. If a dog was just chasing for fun then, personally, I would stop the bike... but then I know dogs... most people would try to ride off faster I fear...

If you were on a bike and a dog was chasing after you would you stop your bike (let alone the fact that you are probably going fast and cannot stop immediately)? Yes most people would try to go faster. That and maybe a kick in the dogs direction would hopefully stop it or at least slow it down enough for you to get away. I do not go around kicking every dog i see, and yes i call my self an animal lover, but if a dog, or any animal, that is running free and trying to attack me ON MY BIKE i would kick at it. When i am being attacked i personally would not care if the animal is going to maybe become aggressive later, i will try to save myself. It is ultamitly the owners responsibility. I am not heartless, i am not abusive, i am just trying to go for a bikeride with out making a stop at the hospital also.

Read the post again - I said I would kick out at a dog if it snapped but I would stop if the dog was just chasing for fun. There's a difference, and as an animal lover surely you should be able to recognise that.

And you shouldn't be going that fast on a bike anyway past pedestrians - are you saying you couldn't stop if a child ran out for example?

Chloe,

In this case, since the cyclist approached me from behind, it would have been his fault for failing to drive with due caution. I do not have eyes in the back of my head and he did not warn me of his approach. There is no pavement (sidewalk) on my road, so I have no option other than to walk in the road itself. It is also a private road, with no public right of way, and the cyclist does not live on my estate.

But I take your point, hopefully this particular cyclist, who I have seen several times, will take better care next time. I expect he was not paying attention.

It is a real pain though, because Abby want to run after joggers as well. She is clearly not a threat, but enough people are frightened of dogs that I am constantly reeling her in next to me. When she is fully recovered from her broken leg it's back with the training for Abby.

Stacey

When her leg's recovered, perhaps you could jog a little with her? It's just like moving the dog in the ring, but a bit further! I take mine (or used to, and will again ;) ); say "steady" and off we go. This might take the edge off the excitement of somebody running.

Just a thought. :)

I got screamed at on the beach the other day when Nuka ran up to a jogger and was bouncing and leaping in front of him trying to make him play.
I explained to the man that I was working on re-call with a PUPPY and he was just trying to play, but he really screamed at me :(

I know what you mean, there are no allowances to be made for dogs being puppies anymore :(

It might get her calmer with bikes if you take her out with a bike yourself, just to get her more used to them. It can be a trial till they get used to it, and don't take her fast - a steady trot is ideal. I did this quite a lot during foot-and-mouth when exercise was so severely restricted. If you can get her used to going quietly and calmly beside a bike she might not be so interested in chasing them.
:)

Hi Genijie, which experiance are you refering to as I cant find it on here to reply to. There 2 pages now for pjs problem. Was it how to defend yourself against dog attacks?

Chole,
I was not responding to your post when i wrote the last one. Sorry for the misunderstanding. Yes i would be going slow enough so that if i had to stop for a child or something i could. But on the other hand alot of dogs when they are chasing you for fun they can bark and seem aggressive to a non dog person. So most people who do not know dogs think they are being attacked when in fact the dog just wants to play. Yes i can tell the difference between playing and not, but i am mostly talking about the people who cant. Once again sorry for the missunderstanding. I was not talking about you when i wrote it.