Ever been chased by dogs while riding your bike..?? This is what I always do..
Disclaimer: Although I have been always successful in my tactic against the stray dogs, one can try the same at his/her own risk.
"You are retiring home on your bike at night. On a lonely stretch of road suddenly a pack of dogs get irritated by the sight/sound of your bike and charge straight towards you.
The look on their eyes is fierce and their incisors dangerously exposed. It seems that the primitive instinct of the dogs has suddenly come alive and they just want to rip apart your limbs..!!
"Apni gali mein Kutta bhi Sher..!!"
With countless number of stray dogs roaming around on every Indian city/town/village, I am sure that most Indian bikers must have experienced this unpleasant experience sometime in his/her life.
So what do you do for self preservation in such a situation?
- Just twist the throttle and pray that you outrun the dogs?
- Or do you lift your legs from the footpegs and pray that the mongrels don't get to sink their teeth in your flesh?
Before I reveal my "100% effective so far for me" solution for such a situation, let's try to understand..
Why do dogs sometimes chase a moving bike/vehicle?
"Apni gali mein Kutta bhi Sher!" goes a popular saying in Hindi, which means that "A dog thinks that it is the king (lion) in its territory".
Dogs are territorial animals and by chasing moving bikes, they are just trying to cement/show who the boss in its territory is. A moving bike gives them the impression that the bike/biker is scared and trying to run away from it.
So what does one do in such a situation?
Just show the dogs who the boss is..!! If some dogs try to chase me while I am riding a bike, this is what i always do..
1. I just hit the rear brakes as hard as I can so that the bike stops with a screeching noise. This startles the dogs and they just freeze on their tracks.
2. I usually just don't stop at that, but get off my bike and try to pick up a few stones or just pretend that I am picking up stones from the road. On seeing that you might be picking up some stones, the dogs will just run for cover.
Sometimes I even turn the tables on the poor unsuspecting dogs and start chasing them on my bike..!!
Warning: The above ploy has always worked for me in frightening and chasing away Indian stray dogs. But I don't how effective the same strategy would work for exotic breeds like German Shepherds and Dobermans.
But then I don't see a German Shepherd or a Doberman ever roaming around like a stray on our harsh Indian roads/climate..!!
So have you ever been chased by dogs while riding a bike?
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Disclaimer:
This is to remind that the Views or Opinions in the blog are entirely mine unless explicitly stated. The Views and Opinions published in this blog should in no way be related to any other person or organization associated -- directly or indirectly -- with me.
45 Comments:
very nice practical tip
thanks
Hahaha..Interesting read :-)
I do the same and I know it really works out !!
A friend of mine...a dog lover told me that dogs chase around bikes because they have some sort of discomfort with speeding objects...especially at night..
According to him the solution is simple...slow down and come to a stop...the dog will then stop barking....come close...sniff and move away...then one has to slowly move away from the spot and increase the speed after we are out of proximity of the dogs...
I havnt tried this yet...but u have noticed that they DO seem to get more aggressive as we pull the throttle...
yes its totally right and practical...
i too slow down my speed and sometimes make those screeching sounds and they just stop chasing me...
but complete remedy is to start chasing them on bike as they come to halt...they will then never chase ur bike....
i did and now they dont bother me is my daily route now.....
Hahahaha. Nice one man. But this happened to me not on a bike but when I used to ride my bicycle (was in 7th std I think)....and that to my 70Kg friend (now he is 120 Kg ;) ) was riding pillion...and top of that one of his legs were broken and had a plaster. Your post reminded me of that day bro. Lol.
I agree with akshun, i have been chased by dogs numerous times, i just slow down, and stop my bike. The dog also quiets down. i slowly accelerate and leave that place.
If i have had a rough day, i start chasing the dog hehehe
Nice read there. In day atleast once I get chsed by dogs. However even with pack of more than 12 dogs, I just stop. For so many years, it may seem risky but dogs never attack when you stop, atleast not me.
WoW man! you seem conveying some practical information over here! Nice one! just got into here and this was the post that made me to read it all. nywys, letme share my part:
recently my uncle was also chased by a dog in late night. somehow dog achieved more velocity then my uncle's victor and got stuck into frame.
result: i was with my uncle at hospital for about 5 hours. lol
ride better, stay safe!
regards
faizan
Delightful post!! Take a bow.
But be careful for many so called bloggers will copy it on their so called blogs.
Hi, I laughed a lot when i read title of this post.. very common but untouched topic.... okay, I always go to job in early morning and return home at evening. so, being chased by dogs is usual for me.. I like to put out my personal experiences (don't laugh!!) for this problem..:
1. Dog never chase bike/car when they are alone
2. They start chasing bike/car at the time say 1 or 2 months before the mating season, rest of time they are not so active. Because at that time, they have to prove themselves better and powerful male than the other dogs to female dogs..
3.When you increase your speed and run/ride faster, they get bolder and might even bite on your legs.
4. So, Whenever you see dog start chasing you, slowdown immediately and make shout on it. This will break its confidence and attacking strategy and it will run away.
Try it... Ride safe..
Regards,
Gaurav Nayak
Thanks a lot to everyone who has shared his "doggy" experiences here..
Awesom man!!!!!
I agree with Akshun; when a dog starts chasing, u should slow ur speed and give an impression that u are stopping; see the dog will stop at it's place too; then u can move ahead either slowly or speed up instantly depends upon u after the stopping of the dog; u can get down after stopping and make a shooooo sound and act as picking a stone....but it is better idea when the dog is little far from u and just started running towards ur bike; if u cross very near from it and it starts following u..i would suggest one to use the throttle and not using the breaks..... ( i practically experienced these in rural area's of M.P)
@mit.
jab kutta piche pada ho to iska matlab usko lift chaiye...samje
I should have read this 2 days ago, coz the first night I speeded across them and they chased me , I got away somehow. But the next night I moved very slowly past them and still they chased me. Now I'm afraid to even take that route. Please help
Hi,
Your trick of slowing down works. In bangalore there are millions of canines out there and you will get really irritated. Sometimes they attack from hidden location. I race when they attack from hidden location. When they run towards me I slowly go near them and give them a kick. Usually I wear hard shoes after I had a accident.
@Above,
Yep bro.. it works on our "desi" dogs.. just don't be afraid and show them who the real boss is :-)
This is not just a problem in India, but is common the world over. It has something to do with the spinning wheels, which dogs don't seem to like. In the US, riders are taught to slow as the dog approaches, and then speed up quickly. The dog(s) will change their angle of approach to intercept your bike, and when you speed up again, they won't be able to re-adjust in time and you will pass safely.
A key to this, and something that will solve some other issues with riding on Indian roads, is to not be going too slowly to begin with. If the road is relatively empty, and traffic is flowing normally, you should be traveling at or slightly faster than the average car (and thus far faster than most dogs can run). If you're putting along at 20kmph in the left lane, you're being really unsafe. Going slightly faster than traffic ensures that no one will come up behind you and attempt a potentially unsafe pass. Additionally, ride in one lane or the other. I'm in Odisha, not around Bangalore/Delhi, but all too often I see bikers riding right on the lane dividers, not quite leaving enough room on either side for faster vehicles to get by. Since faster vehicles are inevitable, and will inevitably try to get by anyway, you suddenly have a really unsafe situation. If you're completely in one lane or the other, you leave a lot more room for yourself to avoid road hazards like dogs, bicycles, elephants etc. and you won't irritate car drivers who are bad enough as it is.
nice idea...adding to it..
basically dogs have very sensitive ears, they are very sensitive to the sound...especially high frequency annoys them a lot. so hi throttle means more speed,high frequency sound, and more noise from roads disturb the dogs and they start chasing, if there is a dog which constantly chases u every day, just try this next time...u dont have to stop, just pass the area with less throttle,speed,noise...kepp all constant, and just neglect the dog, do not scream or make any fearful sounds from ur mouth, just observe next day...it will not chase again, if that chases u again, repeat it 2 more days when u pass, next time onward dog will get used to u passing like an elephant...
I apply decompressor in my bullet wen i c dogs,
suddenly thy get socked n start running away 4m me...
acordng to me they do this type of behavior because somebody troubled them on bikes wen thy r puppy...
Hey bud.. nice topic.. stoping and pelting stones works all the time! but try outspeeding the dog if it looks Rabid or Mad or something..
"" acordng to me they do this type of behavior because somebody troubled them on bikes wen thy r puppy... "" ---> HOW Cute :P
I think how to avoid being chased by dogs is very subjective. Almost all of the above advice works like a charm if it just 1 or 2 dogs, but I have my doubts when they are in a pack. Dogs are social creatures & draw courage from the pack. So the slow down method & the stop and throw stones method puts the rider in an extremely dangerous situation.
I've been in situations where I've been chased by aggressive packs of 6 to 8 dogs a couple of times. A scary proposition. The only thing that worked was to zoom out of there. The shouting and kicking didn't work.
Has anyone tried any other method, do share ;-)
I'm an American living in India. I just wanted to let people know that dogs have rocks thrown at them all the time here. If you reach down or even pretend to throw a rock they will cower and run. That's not the case other places. They will not see reaching for a rock as a threat and if you pretend to throw a rock at them they will think you are playing fetch the ball.
@Tavison,
that's an interesting insight :-)
Thanks a lot
@ Tavison:
Ya agree..Nobody throws stones at doggies in US :-)
@ Peynag:
Very nice & different posts..i prefer speeding my bike if road is clear...Once i had used my buzzer to distract them..That worked..
ha ha .. i have recently started riding fz-16 & my locality indian dogs doesn't seem to like. today morning i was being chased by a canine...i was moving at a very slow speed (10-15kmph) on congested street..my reaction ..i just pulled up my legs ...drove slowly...then raced ahead...not a safe option to stop specially if they are in group..try horn to distract!..one more thing which i personally experienced... do not do extravagant maneuvers(bike swerving , throttling, ) while approaching them ..they get really pissed off.
"Every dog has his day"
And if it is really his day then he will bite you.
haha
homeless or street dogs recognize to pick rocks as warning signal. But German Sheppard and other kind of breeds will attack no matter what.
over the last 10 years of riding on very few occasions have i found myself in a situation where a dog or pair of dogs have given chase while i've been on a motorcycle in the United States; maybe once per year. on those few occasions its more often been while i've been riding on a two-lane country road (never happened to me in the city, or on highway or freeway). the tactic i've used is exactly what was recommended to me in our required motorcycle license course. slow down slightly, but not enough to cause a following rider or vehicle to collide with you from the rear -- basically, just gently roll off the throttle. as you roll off the throttle the running dog or dogs will have to change their trajectory of attack, after maybe three seconds of throttle roll-off, then simply roll back on the throttle to speed you were going a few seconds ago. in my experience the dogs always seems to slow and turn toward the bike (instead of running along side it) and then when i roll onto throttle they have to turn again and so you are in effect forcing them to make two-turns while you remain going straight. theyve always give up immediately. -ride well
1. When I was a kid, I used to slow down my bicycle and yell at the og at pitch of my voice. That worked every time .
2. A friend of mine was followed by a pack of dogs for 1 km . He was on a bike n just speed it up.
3. Another friend of mine was followed by dog on street while he was on activa . He speeded it up n tried to take a turn in high speed as if he was riding r15. Result was that he hit a telephone pole n activa's silencer broke n it sounded like bullet's
4. From my personal experience , speeding up is not advisable. I was chased by 3 dogs . I had no other choice than to speed . I escaped but that was a narrow escape . I think my " Yelling Technique " is Better ! :)
NEVER CONFRONT AN AGGRESSIVE PACK OF DOGS !A pack of aggresive dogs can rip you apart.
if its only a couple of small size dogs or a lone dog you can stop and shoo it off , but if the dog turns out to be rabid it will not be an effective tactic as it wont be scared off in its rabid state.
best method is to judge the situation and respond accordingly.
HI,
GUYS ONE OF MY FRIEND TOLD ME THAT DOGS HAS SOME IRRITATION WITH SOUND OF BIKE SO WHEN A DOG START CHASING YOU YOU JUST PRESS CLUCH ENGINE WILL STOP MAKING NOISE AND APPLY BRAKES AND SLOW DOWN THE DOG WILL STOP.
i simply chase them back and run them over
run over 1 dog
others will stop chasing bikes for their life
----I THINK THE RIDER SHOULD STEER THE BIKE TO SIDES(IF HE/SHE IS LOWER SPEED) THEN TRY TO KICK THE DOG, AS DOGS ARE VERY DELICATE(SOFTER THAN GOATS) THE DOG WILL BE HURTED. THE DOG CAN NOT CALCULATE THE SPEED SYNCHRONIZATION OF HIS AND THE BIKE'S, AND CAN'T PUT HIS TEETH TO THE FOOT OF THE BIKER. AGAIN MOST OF US WEAR GOOD FOOTWEAR. BUT THIS IDEA IS NOT SO EASY FOR SLEEPER WERING RIDERS WITH SOFT PANTS.
---ANOTHER IDEA IS TO STOP> THINK IT IS A FOOT BALL, NOT A DOG(NO MATTER SIZE, IF YOU ARE OUT OF OPTIONS)LIFT YOUR LEG, HIT WITH EXTREME FORCE TO ITS FACE.> THE DOG WILL FLY AWAY> HE WILL NEVER BARK NEXT
I am doing this trick from my bicycling days, but thanks for openly sharing it. Its a full proof plan...
:-)
I follow simple rules, avoid smaller roads or roads that have less traffic. Dogs are rulers here. But there are exceptions. There is one dog near my house that chases every other vehicle, takes charge of a dense traffic zone.
I have been chased, fortunately i have had traffic clear ahead of me, i just use clutch to unleash extra push to get out of the mess. Now with my 650cc bike, i just shoot through before the dog realises that the bike is already gone. Amazing to see confusion and disappointment in his face in the rear view mirror.
That is good.. But how to deal with a dog on the road ahead, as you move it is very probable that it would try to cross the road and come directly under the front wheel destabilizing the vehicle ?
best way to deal with this is to IGNORE the dog & maintain the speed you're at. the dog isn't gonna bite your leg.. believe me.
i jst kick d doggg
Help to Nature
Go slow, silent, cool
It's dog's world too..
Love gods creation..
Help poor animals...
Ha ha ha..i have chased them so many times too.
"Apni gali mein Kutta bhi Sher..!!" Hahahahaha very True!
NW member here.
There were two dogs on my street who used to chase me on my street. I never really cared and would ride on knowing that dogs arent faster than bikes. :P
But one day, one of those dogs got stuck inside our house compound(dogs don't know how to open gates, do they :P). I opened the gate and let the dog out. Both dogs haven't chased me since. They look at me whenever I go by, but never make a sound. :)
Hi.I am writing a book about street dogs and I wish to use one of your images of dogs running after bikes with due credit to your blog.Kindly confirm-Vineeta Arora
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