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I've never had that big a time with a dog.......just lucky I guess, I also like dogs, maybe they can sense that! I'd rather you use the mace, telescoping rod on the owner.
posted almost 2 years ago
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carry a gun
posted almost 2 years ago
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There's only two dogs who don't seem to care much for people on my run and generally they ignore me now (they've seen me run by enough now to know I'm not interested in their yard.)
Most of the dogs I encounter are either on leashes or are just really friendly and since I like most pets I think the vibe carries through to them.
But, as to how i deal with them... generally any dog that's showing interest in me as I am running towards them I address in some fashion... like "Good! Dog!". If they bark at me I say "Hello!" right back at them... Generally that gets a smile out of the owners and a positive response so the dog calms down. Its positive karma and no fear will generally get you a good response rom most dogs (well, except the hyper excitable little Pomeranians and Toy Poodles who seem so wired up that nothing will get through to them.)
posted almost 2 years ago
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Does anybody carry dog treats with them?
posted almost 2 years ago
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I run with my Dog Abbie and always keep her on a leash. Every once in a while a dog off leash will approach us. I'm not afraid of dogs and usually just keep running and ignore them. I guess I learned to be fearless around dogs when I was a paper boy.
posted almost 2 years ago
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It's all about body language. Don't run away. Don't stare the dog in the eye. Turn slightly to the side and act disinterested (keeping the dog in your peripheral view) and keep your body relaxed (hard I know, but they will read tensed muscles as defensiveness). Here's a good link:
http://www.canismajor.com/dog/aggres1.html#Avoidposted almost 2 years ago
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I've never really had problems with dogs, but a couple weeks ago, a guy had his dog on a leash, and I run by them, and the dog decided it wanted to climb up my leg. Luckily, I was only scratched slightly. But it made me wonder if I should be more concerned about dogs going forward.
posted almost 2 years ago
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I run with my pooch, who LOVES dogs and people. Molly goes off-leash if we're on the dead side-streets of my little town, and visits any dog she passes. She loves everybody, so I have to shout, "She's friendly!" to them because she's pretty big and can be scary if she's running up to you. Other dogs, Molly intercepts first, and she's insanely in love with other dogs, even if they hate her.
Anyway, I too was a newspaper boy when I was a kid, and I'm a huge dog lover, so I don't mind spending some time on relationship-building. As soon as I see a dog, I stop and get down to its level to allow it to visit me on its own terms. Don't look it in the eyes as that's a challenge. Since I run the same routes, I usually see the same dogs more than once, so taking 30 seconds or a minute off my run time pays dividends in future ability to yell "Hi Fido!" and keep running, the next 500 times I see that pooch.posted almost 2 years ago
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JeffreyW. Don't be an idiot!
posted almost 2 years ago | edited almost 2 years ago
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I hope I never have to use it, but I carry pepper spray with me on my runs.
posted almost 2 years ago
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Tom- really? I run with my dog all the time, but always keep him on leash because of our town's 24 hour leash law and because I know there are people out there who are (for whatever reason) TERRIFIED of dogs and would freak out if a strange animal came charging at them.
We get chased after all the time by dogs with owners who think they have complete control over their animals. I've found that if I yell at them to GO HOME and keep on running, eventually they'll give up. As I told one owner a few weeks ago, it's not my safety I'm worried about, but what may happen if the other dog races across a street or my dog sees it as a potential threat to me.
posted almost 2 years ago | edited almost 2 years ago
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@Michael L: I think you have a really good point, and now you've got me thinking. Our town has no leash law, and is surrounded by lots of trails and wooded areas. If you go walking on our improved walking trails, you WILL be approached by free-running dogs enjoying a romp while their owners stroll. But yeah, Molly is exactly the dog that loves everybody, and can't conceive that people don't love her, too; and one of these days something bad could come of that. I do need to get her better at running on-leash, because I want to reward her faithful companionship with the Doggy Duathlon and Doggy 5Ks that often occur. Right now, I have to deal with a giant lab mix running between my legs or randomly stopping to smell a pile of ummm. Anyway, I shouldn't hijack Michael's thread!
posted almost 2 years ago
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I've never had a problem with aggressive dogs on a running route. I run with my 1 year old lab who is always leashed and occasionally we will com across other dogs and she will want to play if they are playful but that is it. I am in agreement with Gehr, us the telescoping rod and mace on the owners.
posted almost 2 years ago
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I've encountered lots of dogs on the century rides I've taken. I find the dogs are just defending territory and their 'attack' stops at the property line. That fact has not stopped me from "pouring on the gas" as it were! As far as deterrences, I have used HALT!, the dog spray which seems to work OK. If you use it, spray the dog in the mouth and eyes. If you're going to use something you have to swing while riding it's a good idea to practice before you need to use it. It takes good riding skills to swing a rod and hold your line! You can also try throwing treats to the dog. I've heard this can be effective but I haven't tried it. You might also want to investigate the leash-laws in your area. In my community dogs are not allowed to roam free, ever. If you are charged by a dog you might have the law on your side.
Hope this helps. In any case, enjoy your rides in new territory!
posted almost 2 years ago
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I ran a new route today and actually got Bit by a dog!!! It hurts!! Fortunately, I jumped back a little as it was about to happen so her tooth just scratched through my skin, no stitches needed. Guess I won't go that way anymore.
posted almost 2 years ago
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Tom M - I run with my dog too, only my Molly is fear aggressive of other dogs. She's ok with other dogs on leashes, but if a loose dog approaches her she gets scared, aggressive and defensive. Be careful with allowing your Molly to go up to other dogs, just because she's ok, doesn't mean the other dog is ok with it. It would be unfortunate for another owner to have to put their dog down because their dog reacted to someone else's dog who should have been on a leash and it would be unfortunate if the loose dog lost the battle, yanno what I mean? It's really not fair for me to have to leave her at home because other owners don't abide by the leash laws (where I live all dogs need to be on leashes).
posted almost 2 years ago | edited almost 2 years ago
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this is funny but very valid question. i think the best thing to do is to pick a route with the least possible chance of meeting a dog. and if by any chance you get to encounter a dog, slow down, stop, get something that you can beat the dog only when it attacks.
posted almost 2 years ago
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I have run and bike quite a bit in areas where there are a lot of dogs typically running free on their property. Most dogs' bark is much bigger than their bite. I'd second the comments about relaxing, not making eye contact, and talking in a calm voice. I would consider talking to a vet about what you might be able to use as a deterrent for aggressive dogs as a last resort that won't harm the dog. Remember, a dog's behavior is a direct result of their owner.
Typically I have to worry more about dogs going after my dog, who is very submissive and uninterested in most dogs and people.
posted almost 2 years ago
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I recently had a similar experience to Carrie. A stray dog bit me whilst I was out running. However, it did not seem to be aggressive - more that it was playing around my legs and its teeth broke my skin. It made me consider that maybe I should be more wary of dogs. A friend taught me a tip though - the stray dogs here are not aggressive and will run away as soon as you shout at them. So, a loud, sharp 'HEY' soon sends them away!
posted almost 2 years ago
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I bought some mace to carry with me on my runs alone. The place I bought it from also said it's a great thing to have in case a dog were to come at me.
posted almost 2 years ago
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I encounter a lot of dogs on one trail where I run. I love dogs, but it gets very frustrating when I get charged at, jumped on, or tripped up by dogs off leash. I always make a point of thanking dog owners who have their dogs on a leash or who put them on a leash or take hold of them when they see or hear me coming. And I have asked owners whose dogs are not on a leash and are running wild to please consider putting the dog on a leash, not only because it's the law but for the safety of everyone involved, me, the dog, others using the path, other animals, etc. I do wish there were more dog parks available in our area so dog owners had places to take their pets and let them run free, but when you've got a dog on a public path, please, please, put them on a leash!
posted almost 2 years ago
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I deal with it by bringing a bigger dog with me. When I’m running on the sidewalks with my dog on a leash and other dogs approach us, I don’t worry that much. They generally keep their distance, but if they don’t’, they’d have to get through my 90-pound German shepherd mix to get to me.
There is a trail that I run on a lot, which is kind of an unofficial off-leash dog running/hiking rout. 90% of the people on the trail have unleashed dogs, but most know their own dogs well enough not to take one that is aggressive, or that jumps on people. As far as tripping over the dogs goes… I sometimes have to swerve off trail to avoid tripping over people’s kids too, life’s’ obstacles are part of what makes it interesting.
posted almost 2 years ago
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in reply to what Tom M. said:@Michael L: I think you have a really good point, and now you've got me thinking. Our town has no leash law, and is surrounded by lots of trails and wooded areas. If you go walking on our improved walking trails, you WILL be approached by free-... read more
Hi Tom, I think training is important. I run with my dog on leash in city limits where the law requires it, but let him run free on the trails outside of the city. The best thing, I have found, was getting him very well trained on leash to recognize the word “heal”. On the hiking trails where I run, he can wonder a bit, and he generally ignores people. He likes to play with other dogs, but when people have their dogs leashed up on a hiking trails, often it’s because they know their dog isn’t so friendly. When I see a leashed dog, I yell for my dog to “heal”, and he’ll run by my side as if her were on leash rather that running up to the leashed dog.
posted almost 2 years ago | edited almost 2 years ago
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I was chased by a dog just last week in my own neighborhood who got loose. The owner looks shock as I did, so I ran as fast as I can (it showed in my garmin my pace was about 6, I'm normally around 10 pace). I saw the dog was really angry, scared the hell out of me. I'm normally not scared of dogs. He stopped and turned back when I reached the main road. Wow, that was close. Anyway, pepper spray should be good target on the eyes or nose. I thought I saw As Seen on TV, dog whistle or repeller or something like that. I have to search on that myself.
posted almost 2 years ago
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I almost got chased by a dog last week, which threw me off so much so that I wasn't able to finish my run. I think it was just being territorial, although that didn't make the experience less scary. Anyone know if it's a good idea to bring a stick?
posted almost 2 years ago
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All you can realisticly do is get as much space between you and dog as possible. Mace might not be a bad idea but you have to remember to use it and be quick with using it otherwise why carry it. I was almost bitten twice and each time I was so startled that I didn't know what was happening. My dad was bitten and he suggests to carry a little antiseptic/band aid packet to clean up a bite. A dogs mouth is a very dirty place. otherwise I would just enjoy running and keep a good eye out for the poochies.
posted almost 2 years ago
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in reply to what Jason M. said:All you can realisticly do is get as much space between you and dog as possible. Mace might not be a bad idea but you have to remember to use it and be quick with using it otherwise why carry it. I was almost bitten twice and each time I was so ... read more
A dogs mouth is actually cleaner than a humans mouth is...
posted almost 2 years ago
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slow down a small bit. pretend you know the dog. clap really loud once and yell JACK. you should scare/ intimidate it. if not, clap again. if that doesn't work, run faster
posted almost 2 years ago
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I run in an area with lots of dogs off leash. On one run I counted 13 dogs that ran up to me during the run. What I usually do is yell at them in a stern voice as they are running at me and say “NO STOP, GO HOME” If that does not work right away I will stop running and take a step toward the dog/dogs and say it again. I have never had an issue where this did not work. We are bigger than dogs and if we stand our ground and do NOT show fear they will back down.
posted almost 2 years ago
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Ok, so building up an image of trail runner, armed to the teeth, runnning with a pocket full of dog treats alongside his own massive hound, and being chased by about 2,000 hungry, angry dogs. All in the name of reducing the likelihood of a dog attack!
Very glad that most of the dog attacks I've suffered have come by way of them leaving things for me to step in...
posted almost 2 years ago
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I stay far away just like you! I wouldn't go as far as mace and stuff. Your runs might be more exciting than mine because you have to run away from evil dogs. Thats a plus.
posted almost 2 years ago
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Got attacked by a pack of feral dogs in Tuscany a few years ago. They came out of nowhere and my rear flank. Lead dog got a piece of my calf before I knew what happened. Turned around and there were 6-7 of them and ready to dismember me. No where to run, no trees to climb, no where to hide. I reached down and picked up a couple rocks. First one missed. Second one drilled alpha dog between the eyes and he went down with a crack and screeching yelp. The others beat a hasty retreat as I reloaded. Moral of the story, practice your aim.
posted almost 2 years ago
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Lots of loose dogs in my rural area. First, don't run or try to outrun the dog--running triggers a prey response, so they will continue to chase you. Crossing to the other side of the road is a good idea. Stop running. Yell Stop! or Go! or Hey! and point back where they came from. Don't make eye contact--this is an aggressive act. Walk slowly, if the dog continues to advance, stop, and turn towards it, but don't make eye contact. Resume walking. Eventually, you will get beyond the dog's territory, and it will head back home. As a last resort, or a first resort if you prefer, pick up a rock (or pretend to pick up a rock if there aren't any rocks nearby), and make like you're going to throw it. Most unleashed dogs have been pelted by rocks more than once, so if true, these dogs will usually beat a hasty retreat.
posted almost 2 years ago
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I confront them. Once they understand who is boss they are either friendly or run away. 99%
posted almost 2 years ago
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I generally run away from dogs chasing me in a fast manner. lol
posted almost 2 years ago
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