E-Bikes and Dogs

[Cowardlyduck]

Hi all,

Had a minor stack yesterday because of a dog chasing/running in front of me.

I was doing about 35kmh through a park with a bike path I often go through. I've had this same dog chase me a couple of times before, and usually manage to outrun it.
This time however it decided to employ a new tactic of stopping directly in front of me. Trying not to run over it, I locked up the front wheel on the wet grass, sliding out sideways for a minor stack off to the side. My bike (Stealth Fighter) was fine, just a bit of grass/dirt in one pedal, and twisted front mud guard.
The owner was too busy chasing the dam dog to try and discipline it, so I just picked myself up and got going again.

It seems like (maybe it's just a placebo) dogs seem to respond and chase me a bit more on my E-Bike than they used to when I was just on my roadie. Maybe it's the extra speed, or maybe it's the unusual shape.
My wife thinks that maybe the motor is producing some kind of high frequency sound that humans cannot hear, but dogs can...maybe she's onto something?

Anyway, just wondering what others experience with dog's has been on E-Bikes.

Cheers

 

[itchynackers]

Been chased before. Usually not a problem. Give it a bit of throttle and see how far this little f..kr will chase. One time I had my Cycle Analyst limiting to 2 amps. Had to pedal my ass off.

 

[dogman dan]

Chase em back. Run and the dog wins. Never let the dog win.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afDP0Trf8mE&feature=plcp

I did have to outrun the dog first though, to be able to turn around without getting bit. Once I could turn safely, game on!

 

[Philistine]

Never had problems with dogs, but last night I was coming home from the office at 3am, so the streets were deserted. But then this car screams past me at 30km over the speed limit, weaving across lanes. In the distance the car pulls up just where I would normally exit the dual lane road I am on. The front passenger gets out of the car and starts staggering drunkenly all over the dual lane road (which was no big deal because there was no traffic at all but both of us). The driver, who is clearly smashed, starts screaming at the other guy, so I slow down to see if everyone is OK. The guy was weaving over the road (who was about my size) just instantly sprints full speed at me, with a look on his face like he wanted to beat me to death with my own arm. You know the crazy hate look guys get when they are really frocked up, like a mad dog. I turn in the other direction and go full stick, because I was starting from a stop after he had started sprinting (he was only 10 metres or so away), he came pretty close to grabbing me. Even after I was clearly away he chased me for a good 50 metres with a look on his face like I had killed his family.

Alcohol is a hell of a drug.

 

[rdvi5]

Could be the sound of the motor. Dogs can not generalize (ie. human = baby, toddler, adolescent, teen, adult, elderly), but they are good at noticing small differences (ie. each form of human behaves differently). Hence the reason it is good to socialize a dog with different types of people rather than a few, assuming the dog will automatically be socialized to all humans. A dog may be accustom to regular bikes because they are everywhere, but ebikes are still somewhat rare in public by comparison. The dog would instantly recognize an ebike makes a different sound than a regular bike. Although, some dogs will chase "any" bike or car etc. The quick movement probably activates their "chase escaping prey" instinct.

P.S: Does this mean, now Police will have ebike sniffing dogs? :wink:

 

[John in CR]

Never had problems with dogs, but last night I was coming home from the office at 3am, so the streets were deserted. But then this car screams past me at 30km over the speed limit, weaving across lanes. In the distance the car pulls up just where I would normally exit the dual lane road I am on. The front passenger gets out of the car and starts staggering drunkenly all over the dual lane road (which was no big deal because there was no traffic at all but both of us). The driver, who is clearly smashed, starts screaming at the other guy, so I slow down to see if everyone is OK. The guy was weaving over the road (who was about my size) just instantly sprints full speed at me, with a look on his face like he wanted to beat me to death with my own arm. You know the crazy hate look guys get when they are really frocked up, like a mad dog. I turn in the other direction and go full stick, because I was starting from a stop after he had started sprinting (he was only 10 metres or so away), he came pretty close to grabbing me. Even after I was clearly away he chased me for a good 50 metres with a look on his face like I had killed his family.

Alcohol is a hell of a drug.

Wow! it's yet another example of why high power ebikes can be safer. Glad he didn't catch you. I carry a decent size chain with the lock connecting both ends as my onboard protection, but with a wild eyed drunk it would require a perfect hit in the head to bring him down in a heap quite possibly killing him. Any shot not knocking him out cold would probably not be felt until later, so avoidance is definitely the right move instead of avoidance.

On the topic of dogs. One darting into the street brought me down once trying to avoid it, so I'm just going straight from now on. Dogs around here are pretty streetwise or they die quickly, so I give them a Road Runner "Beep Beep", which gets their attention and out of the way, since their brain was focused on something else instead of the dangers of the road.

Dogs that prepare to chase I just steer toward them instead of away, and it snaps them right out of attack mode and into escape mode. If a dog does the chase thing on a second occasion and it's a regular route of mine, then I invest the time to confront them in a manner that I am far bigger, completely unafraid, and stand my ground until they submit, mixing some Beep Beeps along the way, so they know not to mess with the big Road Runner. I haven't run across one that's a car chaser, but for a large potential dangerous breed I would have my chain in hand just in case they're an unstable dog, but dog psychology is pretty simple.

Beep Beep works great on stupid humans too, like those about to step in the road without looking. I think it's because the sound is so out of the ordinary, that it gets attention without the startling result of a horn that's all too common noise pollution.

John

 

[Ypedal]

Mine loves ebikes..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Aj1Lui-4Bk&list=UUJCgYcCXBAuxEgVT1bpMnyQ&index=3&feature=plcp

[youtube]0Aj1Lui-4Bk[/youtube]

 

[999zip999]

Dogman if somebody did that in my beach town you would go down in handcuffs. I guess you have to be alfa dog ?
Here we have a plastic water bowl out front and a doggie treat in some stores. And bussines shuts down to you can get the store owner back inside.

 

[itchynackers]

This summer I had a dog sprint from a driveway, into the street 100 yards in front of me. It was going after a regular bicycler coming toward me. However the dog didnt see the car coming toward it (so focused on the biker), so I witnessed the squashing of a dog. Unfortunately, so did the dog owners.

 

[Ypedal]

and That.. is why my dog is ALWAYS tied to her leash, always, no exception unless it's in my fenced yard.

she's smart as they get, but a dog is a dog.. squirrel .. mouse.. other dog.. whatever.. they are prone to just go at the worst possible time. . . . no need for that.

 

[cal3thousand]

Never had a dog chase me, but one commute home, I found a pitbull running off it's chain in the middle of Exposition Blvd... Cars were all trying to get around and honking, some almost running the confused dog over. I got behind it and blew the horn and tried to chase it to the neighborhood area, but it kept running straight down the Boulevard.

Here's another time that e-bikes help, because I was able to accelerate in front of it and to the side to corral it back towards safety.

OP: Glad you're ok, ya never know what a minor crash could turn into. Maybe try keeping a dog whistle? Personally, I'm putting a 12V boat horn on once I get my cargo bike ... Dogs, cats, cars, and anything with ears within 50 feet is going to notice.

 

[dogman dan]

Hey, dog chases me in attack mode, I'll will shut him down. Any breed, any size. Once I get faced to him, I'm gonna dominate. No dog is going to develop a habit of chasing me. Even if I'm barehanded, I'll kick any attack dogs ass easily as long as I get facing him. Even a police dog. I know the secrets. Two big dogs is different, run like hell and don't stop. It's why there is always two or three huge dogs in my yard. Scares the piss out of lowlifes to see three huge dogs.

The vid doesn't show his attitude as he chased me down the street at first. He wanted a chunk a me. That dog doesn't bother me anymore. He sees me and goes frock chasing that guy.

A dog that comes out and just runs with me is quite welcome to. I doubt your beach dogs would be bothering me. I'm a true dog lover, but I'll take out any dog going for my neck. That dog in the vid just wanted my calf, so he got to live.

 

[atom1025]

Yup I learned at the age of 12 to charge agrressive dogs. Having 3 paperoutes I was often confronted by aggressive animals sure enough it only takes one time to punk the dog out and they never chased again.

 

[Punx0r]

Go on, how do you take out a police dog barehanded? This sounds like a nugget of info worth knowing

 

[John in CR]

Go on, how do you take out a police dog barehanded? This sounds like a nugget of info worth knowing

Show no fear and have no fear. Then just use your size and weight advantage...and of course keeps limbs and digits out of its mouth. :lol: Trained attack dogs aren't out loose on the streets anyway, just a bunch of loud mouths who are easily, as atom1025 said, punked.

 

[remf]

I am a dog man too so I love a chase. When I'm fortunate enough to come across a dog that will chase, I encourage it by deliberately slowing down. A couple of times I've had biters that I've let get too close and have been within striking distance of my legs...at which point I just accelerated out of their reach. Definitely must have something to do with high frequency noise from the motor, I hear just as many unseen dogs barking behind fences with my silent hub than I heard on the noisy mid-drive.

 

[iamsofunny]

I got bit in the face last year and this year I got bit in the back of the leg.
I hate dogs. what if I bit someone? Big problem. Someone's dog bites me in the face? Oh good doggy

 

[The fingers]

I lost count of how many bites I've received over the years, for some strange reason anything that bites, stings, or pinches goes for me. My mom had this problem, and now so does my daughter. Why? I don't know. :x

 

[e-beach]

I've had this same dog chase me a couple of times before, and usually manage to outrun it.

Hey Ducks! Glad you are ok!!! Stacking your e-bike was certainly a no-good, especially for an out of control dog. Dogs like that are usually the result of really stupid owners. Somebody who knows how to handle their dog, even modestly, never has to chase the dog. The dog obeys it's master. If it happens again perhaps you should stop and have an adult conversion with the owner.

Besides, it is just a dumb dog. It thinks you are the closest thing to an antelope it has ever seen and instinctively wants to catch you. You should probably just stop and let the owner catch up.

Dogman is right though. You can not let the dog win. You must be the alpha dog. A friend of mine is a dog trainer and he never lets his dogs walk in front of him. He says that if they do they think they are the lead dog.

If you want to, have fun with it. Chase the dog while growling and barking at it until the dog gets tired. Try to scare the piss out of him. If the owner doesn't like it, let them know that you don't like crashing because the dog is aggressive.

Or, if it happens enough times, the other tactic is to keep some sort of dried beef product in your pocket for the next time the dog chases. So when the dog starts, you just stop and feed the dog and make friends with him.

Anyway glad you are ok!!!

 

[e-beach]

Chase em back. Run and the dog wins. Never let the dog win.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afDP0Trf8mE&feature=plcp

AAAAAHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAA HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAH AAAAAAHHHHHAAAAAAAA!!!!

Great camera work!!! I have forgotten what beautiful sky's you have in New Mexico!

 

[Cowardlyduck]

Thanks for all the comments guy's. Some good suggestions there, and cool stories.

I might just try stopping next time...there are usually a lot of dog's and dog owners around in that park so I don't wanna start chasing one...could lead to a pack of dogs, or an upset owner.
That or I could just try kicking at it whilst riding.

Cheers

 

[999zip999]

How about a sqirk gun with hot sauce ?

 

[amberwolf]

I don't get chased much these days, but there is one stupid chihuahua whose owners do not keep secured, and it just wanders as it wishes, on my ride home from work just south of Dunlap, on I think it's 28th Ave or Dr. It chases everything that moves, and doesn't know how to back down. I just ride faster than it can run, so I don't accidentally end up with it wrapped in my spokes or something.

There used to be three of them, but a few months ago there were only two, and lately there is only one. I suspect there won't be any, eventually. I saw a kid chase one of them on his BMX once, and the dog just ran straight for the bike, and the kid crashed trying to not run it over.


I'm pretty sure that if mine were out in teh street they'd chase stuff, too, but I make sure they aren't out without my control of them.

 

[dogman dan]

Yeah, the small dogs are different for sure. We have a pack of three that run right through the gate bars in my neighborhood that regularly run out to "attack" me when walking a huge dog past thier place on a leash. Too funny, since the "attack" never gets within 30 feet of us. Stupid little taco bell dogs at least know they'd be a one chomper if they got in range. Zero threat, totally ignored. Not worth the effort teaching them shit.

Ok here's the attack dog secrets. Starts of course with attacking them back, and not only showing the dog no fear, but ACTUALLY having no fear. They know act when they see it, and they know balls when they see it. So most will fail that test. My first dog at age 10 was the biggest most dominant male dog I've ever seen. I had to learn to show no fear or get eaten. So it comes natural to me.

Then there are two techniques that work if a dog goes for your throat. One is for your dog, or one you don't have to worry too much about. The other is for the trained attack or police dog, or the Cane corso or mastiff that will actually eat you. Both presume you already are facing down the dog.

If your own big dog goes for your throat, you grab him by his throat with both hands as he comes up. Using his momentum like judo, you keep him coming up till you have him up in the air with all four feet off the ground. A dog is a 4x4, but with feet a kicking in the air he's now pretty helpless. Once you have him up, you have to keep him there till he submits completely. He's gonna be heavy, so hopefully there is a handy wall or fencepost nearby. Then you can walk him over there and start giving him some smart raps on the back of the head on the wall till he submits. It's also possible to deliver some nice distracting knees to the stomach or balls as you walk him over there. If the dog is not really that threatening, then you can alpha down him instead of the wall. Pit bulls might have to actually be choked into unconciousness or knocked the frock out before they submit.

Secret 2 is for when you really are about to be killed by a dog. Anything beats having your throat torn out by a mastiff. In this case, what you do is just about the same, using the dogs momentum as he lunges for your throat to your advantage. A dog trained to go for an arm gets handled the same, but you have to grab sooner and lower and get his 4 feet off the ground.

If you are really that threatened, you feed the dog your least favorite hand, for most people the left hand. Punch down the dogs throat as hard as you can, while simultaneously getting him by the back of the head. Get your balled fist as far down the throat as you possibly can, and your life depends on keeping it there.

A dog simply cannot bite down with a baseball size thing stuffed into the back of his jaws. One really fully opened as far as it will go, the dog cannot bite down again with any force at all. Not even a Pit Bull can do it. But if you miss, you'll get a hand bitten right off. If you let him twist away, you'd get fingers snipped off as your hand leaves his mouth or worse. Then you have to use feet and knees, and start breaking every rib the dog has. Hopefully you can frock him up enough to start submitting, but a really dangerous dog I wouldn't stop kicking in his ribs till he's dying or dead.

This works on ONE dog. You get attacked by two cane corso's your'e frocked. A pack of pit bulls will devour you. But any one dog can be handled if you are willing to lose your left hand rather than your throat.

 

[JennyB]

I'm really glad that the worst I have to face are the Border Collies that try to turn you as you're riding uphill.