Dogs, Runners, Cyclists - We Can Exist Together!

What has happened to the notion of the UK as a nation of dog lovers? To judge from the media recently most dogs are savage and not to be trusted, and most dog owners are selfish people bent on spoiling everyone else's day.

As dog walkers, our own experiences are of people who simply don't understand how to be around dogs. Cyclists or runners in open country, for example, who startle owner and dog by zooming up behind them without warning, and are then highly critical of a dog who reacts apparently aggressively by barking at them (or worse).

Yet if the animal was a horse, everyone knows you slow down and take things easy around to ensure the safety of rider and their mount.

When we were young we were brought up around dogs. At the risk of sounding like a Hovis advert, things were different in those days: everyone had a scruffy dog and it was normal for dogs to play out with the kids of the neighbourhood. You grew up knowing how to behave around them.

We seem to have lost that.

The increasing number of dog 'incidents' in the news suggest that people have forgotten that a) dogs are dogs, and not designer items to own - as in our first blog post, and b) we need to behave appropriately around them.

For runners and cyclists bearing down on dogs off the lead, with their owner, it is really quite simple: make sure the owner knows you are there. Give the owner chance to make sure the dogs are not going to be startled and react badly - as you approach, slow down, ring your bell and/or give a cheery 'hello'.


There is good advice here for runners for the occasions when a dog barks or reacts badly, but much centres around the sort of common sense things most dog owners know:

• Don't carry on running/cycling - dogs have a 'predatory chase drive' and will chase you
• Ignore the dog (be boring, don't engage with it)
• Hi-Vis vests and jackets upset dogs, be aware of that (our Leo hates the Lollipop man!)
• If the dog attacks, if possible let it have an item of clothing if you can get it off
• If the dog knocks you over and attacks, roll up to protect your face neck and abdomen

Incidentally, advice on many US websites seems at odds with what dog trainers in the UK would suggest. They suggest that an aggressive response is likely to get the dog to back down - a bit of a gamble in our view! But equally many of the US sites assume that runners will be carrying Pepper Spray or a firearm to use.

As if to underline the problem, Victoria Stilwell is heading up a conference aimed at preventing dog bites, click here for details.

Ultimately we've all got to use public open space together safely and enjoyably and all of us: cyclists, runners and dog owners need to give each other space and patience.