Being attacked by dogs is probably one of the things cyclists fear the most. You might not be able to avoid being chased, but you can understand the “mindset of dogs” to handle the situation wisely.
Understanding a Dog’s Nature
Most dogs chase cyclists simply to defend their territory. When you ride past, they’re only thinking about whether you’ll invade their space. If you don’t threaten their innate territorial instincts, they won’t be interested in you. That’s why you rarely get attacked in open areas — it’s not their territory, and they’re more worried about being attacked themselves.
Understanding a Dog’s Tactics
Dogs usually emerge from hiding and attack from behind. If it’s ahead of you, it will wait until you’ve passed before chasing. You can use this to your advantage and prepare in advance as follows.
Sprint Away
Often, you can avoid an attack just by riding past quickly. The dog would rather nap than actually attack. You can tell from its posture whether it’s just bluffing or really intends to bite: if it’s trotting, barking, with ears and tail upright, it’s just putting on a show — no worries. But if it’s charging at full speed, ears and tail back, teeth showing, buddy, it means business. Still, you can use its territorial instinct to your advantage. If the road is wide and downhill, try to accelerate and ride as far to the side of its perceived territory as possible to quickly pass through its invisible boundary.
Protect Your Front Wheel
Usually, a dog that’s chasing you will run straight toward you in a collision course rather than trying to intercept you from the side. The danger is: a dog’s paws have poor grip on paved roads (asphalt or concrete), so it might lose control and crash right into your wheel. If it hits your front wheel, you could go down. So accelerate to stay ahead of its collision path and avoid hitting your front wheel directly. If traffic allows, swerve slightly to make it miss, giving it more time to adjust its direction.
Yell Loudly
Most dogs understand that humans can sound aggressive. A sudden loud yell like “Stop!” “Hey!” “Hey, you!” or even a swear word... will make them hesitate for a few seconds. If it doesn’t hear you well, raise your hand as if you’re holding a rock to throw — dogs usually get the message that this human gesture is often followed by something painful coming their way.