how to protect yourself (and others) from soi dogs.

[paulbj2]

There is a dog repellent spray available, I can't remember the name of it right now. It's based on essential oils and harmless to the dog. It temporarily overwhelms their sense of smell which causes them either to stop or turn and run. It even stops trained attack dogs used by the military to guard their bases! It is also issued to some postal workers, meter readers and other folk who have to enter homes and are frequently attacked by territorial dogs.

[NoshowJones]

Riding I use a small hand held canister of spray on deodorant. A dogs nose is wet and extremely sensitive. Spray downwards and allow the pursuing canines to run into the cloud. Momentarily painful to the dog without causing damage. They soon learn to detect the smell and avoid you if you regularly use the same route.

Walking I use a bloody great shovel handle which i have covered in masking tape. A large bicycle handle bar grip one end and a door stop on the ground end. (Looks like a large walking stick). Raised is usually enough to discourage however if they attack use prodding motions thrust towards them. Instinctively they will go for the stick ( kicking leg of prey animal). In extreme close quarter combat, strike hard in short sharp whacks. Don't get clever aim for the mass, the body.

Do not run unless you are an olympic champion. But back away slowly. If you run their instinct is to chase.

Avoid the temptation to use the whacker stick on the giggling or smiling local dog owner who thinks his soi dog chasing and biting the big farang is funny.

"Riding I use a small hand held canister of spray on deodorant".

Again you will always be in danger if an attacking dog gets close to you.

Personally, I think an air pistol with metal pellets is the most effective.

[GuestHouse]

Maybe the dogs in my area are different but I never seem to have a problem. I dont really mind a dog barking and dont go out of my way to provoke a bite by putting my foot in their mouths. I may coast along a bit with the peddle in the raised position while I talk to the dog in question. If need be I will stop and try to make friends.

I ride anywhere from 50 to 100 km and I am old so I am not worried about my split-times and dont mind slowing down if that is what is required. I have never hurt a dog and never been bitten.

You are are very fortunate.

The Sunday rides I take part in have on several occasions been attacked by packs of stray dogs.

There is a huge difference between being a tacked by one or two dogs and being attacked by a pack of dogs.

Your past past history of never having hurt a dog or mever having been injured by a dog is utterly irrelavent when you have a pack of dogs chasing and encircling you.

[Rob13]

Easy to tell who rides and who doesn't on this thread.

[NoshowJones]

I find it is the chase they want and to demonstrate they are boss in this area. I slow down even stop and look at them. They are no longer the top dog and cease to be aggressive. Then I cycle away slowly.

When I'm riding my bike, I do not want to have to slow right down and stop every time I am being chased by a soi dog.

If I tell you what I have really done to soi dogs chasing me, I will get these half wits posting and telling me I am sick.

[GuestHouse]

Buy a small squeezy bottle of washing up liquid from 7/11 (they have bottles that 15~20cl)

Empty the contents and replace with very strong mixture of water and ammonia - you can buy ammonia at almost any pharmacy. 5 parts water to three parts ammonia should do.

Next time the dogs get after you give them a short squirt in the mush with the mixture... they will not bother you again.

[NoshowJones]

I carry a size large hand gun and shoot them in the head at every chance....seems to keep the dogs and the locals away from me......:-)

What sort of gun? Not a real one with real bullets I hope.

Yes, your personal safety comes first, but not when you put other people at risk.

Edited June 10, 2016 by possum1931

[NoshowJones]

With the one dog that used to bark and chase me on the motorbike the most, I would ride up the wrong side of the street for a while with the dog right behind me and then swerve out of the way at the last moment so that an oncoming car is headed straight for the dog. The owner of the dog saw this one time and screamed and now, for whatever the reason, the gate is now closed and the dog no longer roams the street.

That was a good one, but only likely to happen when there is a lot of traffic about, and one of these times you may make a misjudgement.

[watcharacters]

loud whistle is effective

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YOu are a brave man.. 555

[Stevemercer]

I ride quite a lot and dogs sleeping on the road are a bigger menace (in my view). Every now and then I will get a chaser and I will try and kick it in the head if it gets close enough. You get pretty good after awhile, but still miss 80% of the time. Most aren't stupid enough to get in kicking range, but I get a satisfying blow every now and then. Dogs along my regular routes seem to loose interest after awhile or get hit/killed by a motorbike (or neighbour) if they are persistent chasers. I think there is a process of natural selection. Truly aggressive chasers won't last too long.

[happynthailand]

this is what I use, 10 baht cap gun with caps

one "BANG" and dogs run away,they seem to remember me after one bang

don't have any more dog's chasing me

[watcharacters]

There is a dog repellent spray available, I can't remember unabaited the name of it right now. It's based on essential oils and harmless to the dog. It temporarily overwhelms their sense of smell which causes them either to stop or turn and run. It even stops trained attack dogs used by the military to guard their bases! It is also issued to some postal workers, meter readers and other folk who have to enter homes and are frequently attacked by territorial dogs.

You may be thinking about Halt® which is highly effective. Available for sure but not in thailand.

Mace is definitely not legal in Thailand but there was no problem selling it to me legally in Malaysia. I declined buying it only because I'm not interested in spending time in a Thai jail for illegal importation of a banned substance.

I wonder why the Thai government bans the sale and use of products that are designed to protect people from attacking dogs whether those victims be falangs or Thais. The Thai powers that be obviously condone the freedom of dogs and the right of dogs to attack at will those who invade their territory in public.

I'd love to talk with a Thai government official about this and hear their logic regarding this issue.

[thaiowl]

Has anybody use an ultrasonic device as sold on Lazada for about 350 Baht?

I have a "Dog Dazer" which I bought on Amazon. Certainly makes most dogs react.

[thecyclist]

Been bitten 3 Times by street dogs, twice while biking,all in Thailand.Whatever you use it has to be painful to the dog ,otherwise they keep coming.Had one dog on my Soi which kept coming very aggressively every time I passed, throwing small stones

didn't help.One day I was ready for him with brick-sized rock and got him right on the snout.He howled, and he never attacked again.All three bites were by dogs that didn't bark,didn't even look aggressive, just suddenly snapped.So the saying, barking dogs don't bite seems to be true

[JLCrab]

With the one dog that used to bark and chase me on the motorbike the most, I would ride up the wrong side of the street for a while with the dog right behind me and then swerve out of the way at the last moment so that an oncoming car is headed straight for the dog. The owner of the dog saw this one time and screamed and now, for whatever the reason, the gate is now closed and the dog no longer roams the street.

That was a good one, but only likely to happen when there is a lot of traffic about, and one of these times you may make a misjudgement.

So might the dog.

[NoshowJones]

With the one dog that used to bark and chase me on the motorbike the most, I would ride up the wrong side of the street for a while with the dog right behind me and then swerve out of the way at the last moment so that an oncoming car is headed straight for the dog. The owner of the dog saw this one time and screamed and now, for whatever the reason, the gate is now closed and the dog no longer roams the street.

That was a good one, but only likely to happen when there is a lot of traffic about, and one of these times you may make a misjudgement.

So might the dog.

Yes, but who is the most important, you or the dog?

[NickJ]

I used to buy my CS Gas at a shop on Sukhumvit and my pepper spray at MBK.....Still see sprays for sale from vendors selling knives and weapons.

no copper is going to hassle you for spraying a dog. I went for the PS over the CS as it is better for the dog. The CS makes problems with them for a lot longer. Sounds crule....But hey Im rabies and bite free.

[smotherb]

Kicking them full force in the head works.

Yes, if you can manage it, However, longer air pimps fit nicely under the top tube and the extra length gives you more reach as they try to bite your legs.

[villagefarang]

Maybe the dogs in my area are different but I never seem to have a problem. I dont really mind a dog barking and dont go out of my way to provoke a bite by putting my foot in their mouths. I may coast along a bit with the peddle in the raised position while I talk to the dog in question. If need be I will stop and try to make friends.

I ride anywhere from 50 to 100 km and I am old so I am not worried about my split-times and dont mind slowing down if that is what is required. I have never hurt a dog and never been bitten.

You are are very fortunate.

The Sunday rides I take part in have on several occasions been attacked by packs of stray dogs.

There is a huge difference between being a tacked by one or two dogs and being attacked by a pack of dogs.

Your past past history of never having hurt a dog or mever having been injured by a dog is utterly irrelavent when you have a pack of dogs chasing and encircling you.

I only mention my past history to suggest it is not blind luck which has allowed me to ride without incident. Maybe country dogs are more well mannered or the large packs which often guard a herd of cattle or buffalo are less ferocious than their city brethren. Then again my attitude might have something to do with it. I am willing to adjust my behavior to get along with the dogs I encounter.

It is my opinion that the human male bravado which is supposed to intimidate dogs, is actually seen as fear aggression and a sign of weakness by dogs.

[bbbbooboo]

A thick length of bamboo applied to the head/flank will discourage any Soi dogs and their human equivalents

[biplanebluey]

As I live "far from the civilization", every time I have to go to the city I meet many soi dogs on the way.

I made a stick and if a dog starts barking and seems to come to me, I need only to show it and they go back.

I used pipe for electrical cables and an elastic to attach stuff on the bike.

Here are some pics of my self made "Dog Repellent Foldable Stick"

The stick unfolded ready to use:

The stick folded (3 x 25cm):

How to fix the elastic:

And the stick stored in the scooter:

Cost of the stick: less than 100 B

Time to do it: 10 min

Time to unfold it and show the dogs: 1.5 sec

Not sure I would want to stop every 10mins to keep unfolding and folding away------ while the dog is standing there wondering if to bite you or not !!!!!

[dotpoom]

A size 11 boot.

[hawker9000]

They only chase you but never bite and if you stop they will stop to and loose interest. I find it that thai dogs seems to be very afraid of long sticks for some reason. If a dog is bothering me ill just pick up a stick and raise it high and make some sounds and they will walk away. You should never run though. If a dog bites, grab their ears firmly and twist then as hard as you can. They will let go and be submissive. Hitting a agressive ticked dog wont help.

I admit. Dogs can be pretty scary in thailand. Especially stray dogs in packs on dark nights or early mornings.

Strongly disagree. Some few definitely WILL bite! But if you can read their minds, bully for you! And the most dangerous ones - the possibly rabid ones - will be the ones most likely to bite! If you do get bitten, the only prudent course of action is to assume the animal IS rabid and get medical attention without delay. It might not be the most pleasant experience, and rabies might not be as prevalent in Thailand as it used to be, but death from rabies is an agonizing way to go. (It doesn't take long to pass the point of no return either. Once you show any symptoms, you're already done.) With that as the risk, I don't understand why anyone would want to play the odds with these creatures.

[wicketkeeper]

On foot simply bend down to pick up a stone. It doesn't matter if there is no stone available. Simply the act of bending will discourage all dogs.

Works all over the world. On a bike just keep going.

[jippytum]

As I live "far from the civilization", every time I have to go to the city I meet many soi dogs on the way.

I made a stick and if a dog starts barking and seems to come to me, I need only to show it and they go back.

I used pipe for electrical cables and an elastic to attach stuff on the bike.

Here are some pics of my self made "Dog Repellent Foldable Stick"

The stick unfolded ready to use:

The stick folded (3 x 25cm):

How to fix the elastic:

And the stick stored in the scooter:

Cost of the stick: less than 100 B

Time to do it: 10 min

Time to unfold it and show the dogs: 1.5 sec

That's a good idea you really worked that out .You should patent the design and set up a stall outside the casualty dept when people without one exit after having the rabies jabs

[Toscano]

I cycle in a rural district and have suffered from dogs rushing out to bite me , which they did on one occasion . Subsequently a friend gave me a heavy steel telescopic baton , basically about 8 inches long , but when swung into action extends to about a metre . Dogs are immediately frightened off , if one got close enough to be hit on the head it could kill them . I mostly carry it in my bicycle basket , but when approaching risky areas i take in my hand .

[JLCrab]

With the one dog that used to bark and chase me on the motorbike the most, I would ride up the wrong side of the street for a while with the dog right behind me and then swerve out of the way at the last moment so that an oncoming car is headed straight for the dog. The owner of the dog saw this one time and screamed and now, for whatever the reason, the gate is now closed and the dog no longer roams the street.

That was a good one, but only likely to happen when there is a lot of traffic about, and one of these times you may make a misjudgement.

So might the dog.

Yes, but who is the most important, you or the dog?

Well what you are suggesting hasn't happened. The problem with all these stick and repellent type answers is that it suggests pre-meditation if someone ever were to challenge you for harming a dog. At least with kicking them with your shoe you wouldn't have to make an excuse for wearing a shoe. Penalties for harming a dog in Thailand can be severe.

[JLCrab]

As I live "far from the civilization", every time I have to go to the city I meet many soi dogs on the way.

I made a stick and if a dog starts barking and seems to come to me, I need only to show it and they go back.

I used pipe for electrical cables and an elastic to attach stuff on the bike.

Here are some pics of my self made "Dog Repellent Foldable Stick"

The stick unfolded ready to use:

The stick folded (3 x 25cm):

How to fix the elastic:

And the stick stored in the scooter:

Cost of the stick: less than 100 B

Time to do it: 10 min

Time to unfold it and show the dogs: 1.5 sec

<photos snipped>

That's a good idea you really worked that out .You should patent the design and set up a stall outside the casualty dept when people without one exit after having the rabies jabs

It is a nice simple inexpensive design but I wouldn't go too far about the patent thing:

[HerbalEd]

Mix some nam plik (chilly paste) with water and load this in a squirt gun. One or two squirts to the face and the dog won't bother coming close ever again.

Soaking the chili peppers in vinegar works a lot better and it will keep much longer than water/chili mixture.

[HerbalEd]

They only chase you but never bite and if you stop they will stop to and loose interest. I find it that thai dogs seems to be very afraid of long sticks for some reason. If a dog is bothering me ill just pick up a stick and raise it high and make some sounds and they will walk away. You should never run though. If a dog bites, grab their ears firmly and twist then as hard as you can. They will let go and be submissive. Hitting a agressive ticked dog wont help.

I admit. Dogs can be pretty scary in thailand. Especially stray dogs in packs on dark nights or early mornings.

They "never bite"??? Then why the instructions on what to do "if a dog bites"?