The closest thing to that I have experienced was the time that I was charged by a bear while on my 36er this summer. I dismounted and picked up the uni like a club and made myself as menacing as possible. A uni is heavy enough to deal some damage and still small enough to not be to cumbersome. The bear stopped about two meters away and after a few minutes lumbered off so I never tested the uni as a weapon theory, and I hope you don’t have to either.
I’ve been bitten in the leg while riding by a dog. Ususally if a dog is making to attack me then i dismount and stand with the uni across the front of me, it makes an effective barrier. I have more of a problem with them getting in the way or running straight towards me, as their owners don’t have the decency to control them. I’ve often wondered about getting a dog whistle, anyone tried one?
Tire shredders should do the trick…might not end well for the dog though…
Here in Brazil the some postal workers carry Tasers (Eletric Guns!)…
A long time ago i was on my 26" in my home-field… And a dog chased me… A Pit Bull of my neighbor… But my father was in his trial motorcycle and the dog ran of the noise…
saskatchewanian, A bear is not a very friendly animal!.. You have luck or bears are more friendly than they seems!?
And can I quote this on my sig?
“I never tested the uni as a weapon theory, and I hope you don’t have to either.”
I Liked that!
Bye!
Wow… I can relate to nearly every post so far…
um Not the bear. 
I’ve had people find it hilarious that their dog is chasing me. How hilarious will it be for them if I UPD on TOP of their dog. That almost happened once. Stupid little tiny dog ran up to me yapping around. He was in front of me, then behind me… I would have gotten off but he was darting everywhere and I could only imagine myself squashing him. I just kept riding until they finally stopped laughing and had to run up to catch him.
Larger dogs though… I don’t know whether to get off and confront them or just keep riding hoping they won’t actually grab me. I would much rather get off when I am in control then take a chance of a UPD and be at the dog’s mercy.
Hissing sounds like a good idea. If it were an every day event I would probably carry one of those horns they use during football games.
I’m watching this thread for more ideas as it really can ruin a ride.
Excuse the double post…
But isn’t it funny that on the same day we have a thread about dogs off leashes and unis on leashes?
yeh, I think the leash thing got me thinking. As for ideas… I have considered getting off the uni and confronting them but them I think you are asking for trouble. Can’t swing a 36 as fast as a dog can move out of the way.
As for the bear… WOW!
I have considered pepper spray. Do any one you really use that stuff on dogs? Does it work? I would love to “taze” them but don’t you have to detach the leads? I think that could be dangerous in itself! Ha! There has to be some lightweight deterent we can carry. There are a lot of rural routes that would be a blast if the dogs weren’t there. As for the people laughing I have had that too with a pit bull after me. Boy was I torqued! I used a few choice expletives on them.
You can get ultrasonic dog deterrers I haven’t tried them but have heard them used for training dogs not to misbehave. I think they would be a better response than pepper spray for annoying rather than dangerous dogs, after all you don’t want some dog owner suing you for vets bills after pepper spraying their dog.
Might be a bit cumbersome to carry on a unicycle
jim
Wow I can totally imagine the comments from people who see you riding down the street on a unicycle hissing at dogs;) if they didn’t already think you were strange they would know.
I was attacked by several dogs.
I have heard that yelling “no” will usually stop a dog because that is something most dogs (and small children 
) understand. Sometimes that works. I have been successful with out-racing small dogs.
I would not attempt to mace or tazer a dog while riding my unicycle. I have found that a quick dismount and using the unicycle as a shield is most effective. It prevents injury to the rider and lawsuits from the dog owner. The dog usually starts backing off as soon as I start coming down off the unicycle.
My most recent dog experience was with a yappy poodle. The dog’s owner was on the other end of the leash and she just laughed while the dog almost got caught in my Coker wheel. 
The mace is to prevent injury to the rider. If you’re being attacked, why perform some unproven martial arts using your unicycle as a weapon, when you know a quick squirt of mace will do the trick?
Lawsuits are a moot point. If you’re being attacked, you have the right to defend yourself. If anything, you’re preventing lawsuits against the dog owner.
In my experience with dogs, dismounting the unicycle gives 'em an easier shot at my legs. I’ve only been bitten once, but that was enough for me.
I have never been attacked by a dog while riding my uni, but I have been while riding my b*ke in the countryside. While I was never actually bitten, I was snapped at several times by what I think was a pitbull. I really had to pedal hard to get away from the thing.
I have not really bothered by any dogs around my neigbourhood but I think a good deterent that I have would be an airhorn to make a dog think “WTF?! Loud noises!” and either stop or run away.
Somebody should invent something like anthrax that only affects dogs. The world would be a much better place without dogs.
Dogs always go for me too.
I ride in the woods where dogs are never on a lead and they’re generally bigger than their owners!
I ride a 24" muni, so I don’t know if this will apply to your 36" but I generally just slow right down and maybe idle for while to give the owner a chance to call them back. I learnt when I used to MTB that if a dog looks like it wants to give chase then you should just slow down or stop before they feel like the game has begun. As wheel rider pointed out, as soon as you get off the wheel calmly, the dog backs down. They’re probably just wanting to play.
So far on the muni they’ve never gotten beyond barking at my wheel, where I do my best not to watch them, they’ll go around the back and that’s a quick route to an UPD. My motto is just keep going slowly forward, if you can’t see them you won’t hit them.
The simple fact is that when a dog attacks it means it. A bark is a warning (and you will know it), but if you get bitten by a German Shepherd, and it doesn’t properly maul you, then it was playing and there’s no need for mace. If it’s not playing, then good luck getting your mace out and aiming and getting in a good shot before it does you some real damage.
I looked on line at the “dazer” that Jim mentioned. It sounded good so I bought one. I will be carrying it with me for a long time. I am looking forward to it coming in and I can try it out. There is a pack of three that ALWAYS chase me but I have got to know them and they are all bark but there is a new duo that were pups but have now come into their own and do not know when to let up. I need to set them straight fast! They are getting BIG! It really bothers me to think there are places I don’t ride because of the loose animals. I am not a uni-stud like you guys, my top speed is probably 12mph so I really can’t outrun them.
If I remember correctly, making eye contact with a mean/vicious dog, especially a dominant male dog, is considered by the dog to be a major threat and could result in a serious assault from the dog. Eye contact should be avoided unless you think you are meaner than the dog.
If you are being attacked, do you have the ability and presence of mind to maintain control of your unicycle while trying to dodge a vicious dog, avoid pot holes and bumps in the road, miss parked cars, dig the mace out of your pocket and aim at a moving target? A lot happens in a hurry. The unicycle is not to be used as a weapon but as a defensive shield between you and the dog.