I had a similar incident. I was on a section of bike path that ran by some warehouses. A doberman ran out of a warehouse towards me, barking, with it's ears back. I yelled, "Bad dog, go home". A man soon came out of the warehouse and yelled back at me that his dog wasn't a bad dog. That was a matter of opinion!

My experience has been that yelling at suburban/residential dogs can work, but farm dogs ignore all commands! I don't have enough data points, but I'm pretty sure that even house dogs, when more than 1 at a time have charged me, don't pay any attention to what I'm screaming at them when they are in "pack mode."

House dogs usually seem to stop chasing near their property boundaries, but farms can go on forever!

No one mentioned trying what I tried when I was doing a long day ride on Maryland's eastern shore past a farm where I'd had a long dog chase episode previously: I stopped at 7-11 and bought a package of SlimJims (allegedly meat jerky) and put then sticking out of my bar bag for throwing at the dogs.

SlimJims did serve as as a passive deterrent, same farm but no dog chase so never got to test the strategy as an active deterrent. A friend suggested a can of that cheese-like stuff and my grandson recommended SillyString...

I think it doesn't matter, of course, what words you yell; only the stern and authoritative tone of your voice is important.

That said, I go for the maximum insult/embarrassment factor when a large cur charges me.  "Your father was a POODLE!  And your mother was a BITCH!"

I've not had many dog encounters but so far I've remained unbitten.  YMMV.

My experiences with dogs are very different from the posts I've seen on this string, so I thought I'd share a somewhat unique perspective. 

In my 50+ years of cycling I've only had 3 memorable interactions related to dogs. I make this statement as I touch the scars on my neck and jaw from a dog bite when I was 24 years old (incident #1, and not cycling related). Incident # 2 is somewhat weird and not a typical canine interaction for me, and I won't share it here since you can read about it in my 1982 journal if you're so inclined. Incident #3 I'll save for another time; it's more of a fascinating story than scary, at least to me. 

This is a guess, but maybe the reason I've had no real dog problems over the years (with the one exception) is because I like them so much, and have absolutely no fear of them whatsoever. When I'm out for a ride and one comes sprinting towards me, instead of speeding up I typically slow down. I usually say something to it like it's my own dog.... "There you are little puppy, hey there," as if I'm just coming in the front door and I'm glad to see him. Sometimes the pooch will just continue barking and chasing me until it gets bored or until I’m out of its territory, but more frequently it will stop barking and I'll see a tail start wagging.  

Since reading the comments in this string, I've been trying to determine why my experiences are so different. I'm not sure, but my best guess is this:   if a dog can sense when a person is about to have a seizure, or when their blood glucose is getting critically low, maybe it can tell that I'm not afraid of them, or that I like them. 

I hadn't even given dogs much thought until this string, and didn't realize they're such a big problem for so many people.

I also realize that, having written this, by the time you read it I’ll probably be in the hospital being treated for multiple dog bites.  :-)

Since this thread was recently resurrected, I thought I'd add an interesting tidbit;  the average lawsuit settlement for dog bite is about $65,000 U.S. dollars.  I certainly would have sued the owner(s) of the 2 dogs that mauled me if I could have located them.  For the record; I've never sued anyone and I'm almost 72 years old now - I believe in getting along well with others, but people who allow vicious dogs to roam freely are deserving of a lawsuit. 

Here's one source; Dog Bite Settlements.   It's an attorney group wanting your business, of course, but they quote from an insurance source that should be authoritative.   Unfortunately, many times we aren't able to identify the owner of the dog, but if you can - sue the bastards for all they're worth!    

I rode for many 10's of years and many 10's of thousands of miles with no serious dog encounters - and then it happened to me.  Keep riding my friends, but stay safe out there...

I discovered a small air horn works well and does no harm to the offending dog. These can be found in Wallmart or target, ride within easy reach, and do not require changing hand position, any moreso than reaching for a brake lever.

I'm from rural Kentucky, and have ridden tens of thousands miles all over the state, so I feel like I might be something of an expert on this - after all, Kentucky is apparently the cyclist-chasing dog capital of the world :)

The only thing I want to say about this subject is to push back a little on a few comments that stated or implied that the "Halt!" pepper spray is not effective. I believe it is very effective. It basically always works for me - and I've sprayed many dogs with "Halt!" over the years. But, as with most things, you have to practice using it.

I'm so practiced with using it that I can remove it from my jersey rear  pocket, aim it, and hit a dog in the face virtually every time, without slowing down or swerving. The stream shoots pretty far, so you don't have to wait until the dog gets extremely close to your bike.

When the stream hits a dog in the face, the dog *will* stop.

Jeff, isn't the dog usually behind you when it chases you? I have never tried Halt, but it seems to me what you describe is only possible if the dog is in front or to your side. I can't imagine aiming a spray behind my back and hitting a dog in the face. Maybe it's because I ride a recumbent bike that makes it anatomically impossible to look behind me.

Yes, the dog usually is behind me, at first anyway (although not always - I've occasionally had them run toward me from the front when they seem me approaching). 

I just look over my shoulder and spray it. It's usually not directly behind me -  typically it's behind and off to one side.

Like I said - I've become very practiced at doing this over the years:)

I actually find myself using Halt less often in the last few years, probably because I've become less concerned about the dogs. I've never been bitten, and I've had one minor crash ever, several  years ago, when I collided with a dog. If I had a really scary dog encounter, I'd probably start being extremely diligent about the pepper spray again.

Jeff - my experience was exactly the same as yours, up until it wasn't!  I also had ridden tens of thousands of miles without any serious dog incidents before I experienced a serious incident ("serious incident" is an understatement).  "Halt" wasn't effective in that incident - those 2 dogs were probably rabid.  I still carry "Halt," and it will stop dogs that aren't crazy serious about harming you, if you can hit them.  You and I will have to disagree on the effective range of the "Halt" product.  I keep it clipped onto my handlebar bag, and I can get to it quickly and spray at the offending dog, though I miss hitting the dog's face at least half the time.   And if there are several dogs after you, on each side of your bike, well - maybe you can hit them all, I certainly can't. 

"Kentucky is apparently the cyclist-chasing dog capital of the world" - it may very well be so, especially eastern Kentucky.  When I rode the Transam in 2015, I had several dog chases in Kentucky.  I didn't have "Halt," or an airhorn, or any sort of a dog deterrent at that time.  I felt like I was lucky - I outran most of the dogs, and the ones that caught me weren't serious about harming me. I grew up in Arkansas, and parts of it would also contend for the title of "worst cyclist-chasing dog state;" as would parts of Mississippi, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, and other southern states.  When I was young and strong, I could outrun most any dog pack on my lightweight bicycle. But I'm older, heavier, and weaker now, and I'm riding heavy touring bicycles - I'm not going to outrun many dogs that are serious about getting at me.   I understand why some folks don't want to tour in the southern U.S.  

I certainly prefer to have "Halt" spray with me than to have nothing.  An air horn may be even more effective - I had an air horn on my Great Rivers South tour, and the couple of times when I used it, it was very effective.  I wasn't used to having it, so I only used it when I could see the dog problem coming from far enough away to think about it.  The combination of an airhorn and "Halt" might be effective for most situations.  But for me - if I someday ride the Southern Tier, or even if I repeat the Transam some day - if the airhorn doesn't work, I will be prepared to deploy bear spray.   

Wishing for the best of dog-free riding to all,