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Unfriendly dogs...problem or not?

Stellamaris

Member
Time of past OR future Camino
CF1999,Le Puy 2012, 2014, CF March 2022
I would like to know is some pilgrims have had some unpleasants experiences with dogs along the camino.This time I will start from Le Puy in the beginning of september for a 2 months hike and I really feel so happy about the decision of walking again on the Camino. I did the CF in 1999 from SJPdP , it has been a wonderful experience but I had then what I could call quite an unpleasant encounter with a black '' danois''(don't know this english name).
 
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Not

At least in my experience. I think the authorities have emphasized the importance of the camino as an economic engine, and citizens keep the mean dogs contained. No merchant will permit a dog to get between his establishment and your wallet, so all of the "bar dogs" are friendly!
 
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I have yet to find a bad dog, even the Sierra de Estrella monsters in Portugal, who had spiked collars and sheep to guard.. I usually can get them belly up wagging their tail. Every so often on won't stop barking, but they stay on their land. If a dog seems like he might come after you, the mere motion of picking up a rock will stop them dead in their tracks. I have never had to throw one.
 
Thanks you to the 3 of you for the answer, Stephen that dazer seem a good idea I will ckeck for one I thonk.
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
@Stephen, did the dazer work against the wild dogs you were attacked by?

Dogs are (if any) my biggest fear along the Camino. On the Camino Francés one will be pretty safe of course. But this year I will walk in rural France (Vézelay - Le Puy en Velay), a hardly trodden path. I am considering buying a dazer.

Last year I had a big one coming after me in Northern France. He jumped through a hole in a fence and started barking and running towards me. Frightened like hell I just ran (not the wisest thing, I know). I can tell you, it is not nice running with a pack of about 11 kilos on your back. Fortunately after a 100 metres or so the dog stopped. I didn't. I was so frightened I went on running for a few 100 meters more...
 
I have walked the routes from Vezelay, Le Puy, and Arles without any dog problem. Perhaps twice there were dogs loose with potential evil intent, but they did nothing but bark. Dogs in Spain are restrained better than in France. France does not view pilgrims as valuable sources of revenue! I never saw "wild" dogs, or even "strays" for that matter. They all had a territory to protect, so when I threatened that territory, they reacted. Once I was out of their territory, they did not pursue. One very nice Pyrenees dog actually led me through a complex part of the route, from one break in the fence to the next, then stayed with me for about an hour until he/she met another sheep dog, and found it was better company.
 
Luka said:
@Stephen, did the dazer work against the wild dogs you were attacked by? Dogs are (if any) my biggest fear along the Camino. On the Camino Francés one will be pretty save of course. But this year I will walk in rural France (Vézelay - Le Puy en Velay), a hardly trodden path. I am considering buying a dazer.

There are packs of wild dogs throughout Spain: they rarely cause any problems, keeping away from humans. From time to time they are actually culled.
The dazer worked well with one pack leader who came into my garden followed by about eight other dogs. But it won't work on deaf dogs!!! So older ones may not be deterred. I also found my walking pole useful - a few prods in the face deter them, too.
I love dogs - I speak to every one I see on my walks in Suffolk, and have no problem if they jump up on me, especially if their tails are wagging and they - and their owners -are smiling!
Walking in rural France should be wonderful: I would be put off more by heavy rain than the worry of dogs. You'll be fine. Ignore the ones that bark. Enjoy the tail waggers.
Buen camino!
Stephen.
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
:D Thanks Stephen!

I have had a hell of a lot of heavy rain in France I can tell you... I love the ones wagging their tail and putting their front paws on my shoulders too! It is just the angry looking barking ones not behind a fence I am afraid of. I think it was mostly because of the bad experience I had with the one that came after me. I walk without poles, so that is not an option. And I know I should be brave and (act like I am) throwing stones, but that time I could only think of running.

Anyhow I will certainly enjoy my little Camino this year! And I will conquer my fears. At least try to...
 
I have sung the praises of an umbrella on another, more weather related thread, on this forum. Though the drift of this one is from is from Canis to Pluvia.

An umbrella, makes you look like a local (certainly works in Galicia where the natives are born carrying umbrellas), keeps the rain off, and can be "whooshed" at belligerent dogs to remarkable effect.

The lightest dazer I've seen weighed 8oz and didn"t keep the rain off.
 
Hi I am Richard the Managing Director of Dazer that sell the dazer ultrasonic dog deterrent
in over 31 Countries .
If I can be of help please email me richard@dazer.com
I shall be walking onwards from Sarria 11th Sept.

Blessings

Richard
 
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Richard---

Could you just scatter a bunch of imaginary dazers on the ground out there? Next time I have a dog problem I'll just pretend to pick one up and throw it at the dog. Easier than carrying the thing.

Thanks

PS: Make post #2 about your trip..
Buen Camino
 
"packs of wild dogs throughout Spain?" :shock: PUH-LEEZ!

I´ve lived in Spain for a long time, out in the country. I walk a lot, all over. I have seen many dogs, but never one I would consider "wild." I have never heard anyone mention packs of wild dogs til I saw the above. I don´t know where you people get these ideas! There are enough REAL things going on out there to consider. Let´s not frighten people into buying gadgets they will never use on dogs that just are not there!
 
Another wild dog ready to tear pilgrims pieces. I don't know what would have happened without the fence, we didn't have a dazer.
 

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Rebekah Scott said:
I have never heard anyone mention packs of wild dogs til I saw the above. I don´t know where you people get these ideas!
I fully agree :!: Four times the Camino Francés from Roncesvalles to SdC wihtout seeing a wild dog. The two dogs encountered around Moratinos were not "wild" but taking their boss Paddy for a walk. :roll:
 
I didn't run into any malicious wild dogs, but there was a domestic one, right after where you could have taken the alternate path to Samos. It was a guard dog outside of a house that wasn't chained. It was aggressive, but I waited for more pilgrims to come along and we just kept our walking sticks up, shouted, and didn't turn our backs on it. I don't know if it would have attacked, but it definitely wasn't happy to see us.

Moral of the story: carry a pole, and safety in numbers!

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I live on the fringe of an Australian forest which has a serious wild dog problem. Along with cats, they kill a great deal of wildlife, including precious koalas. I've seen one dog kill a wallaby in a single second with a running lunge to the throat. Unfortunately, the dog did not see me, or he would never have come near me or the wallaby. My experience of wild dogs is that they have a vested interest in avoiding humans. I only see them when I'm on foot and moving too quietly for them.

I find the odd aggressive dog is actually domesticated, but badly so. If you show calm and mastery, which their owners clearly don't, they won't attack. The odd one will still try a chomp from behind, so I guess it's wise to look back a bit. I spend a lot of time on foot around animals. My experience is that they like us to be their bosses, but not shrill and bossy.
 
Beware of ultrasonic devices to repel dogs. I had one once (not the brand discussed in prior posts). The one and only time I tried it, on an aggressive farm dog, it infuriated the dog. Luckily I'd had the foresight to climb up on the hood of a car, because he really wanted a piece of me when I blew my ultrasonic whistle. Check the 1 star reviews on the rating sites (a lot of people find the ultrasound ineffective). As for the underlying problem, I never encountered a threatening dog on the Camino Frances in Spain. People do indeed keep them fenced in, God bless them. Over many years of walking, cycling and running, I have had my share of barking dogs, most of whom relaxed after I edged past whatever property they thought they were defending. But I was just plain attacked by what we Americans call a "junkyard dog" on the Via Francigena (I would have loved to have had one of the dog whisperers who claim to be able to charm any dog accompanying me, so he or she could have interposed his or her body). Luckily I was able to hit the dog with my 2d stone, when he was in mid-air leaping at me, but fell backwards and broke my wrist. A self-inflicted bummer: I should have found a way not to pass close to him (I was alone, with a large backpack). In my experience, residential dogs with very rare exceptions are barkers. Farm dogs can be more possessive and aggressive, but are rarely malicious. But dogs kept to guard commercial properties (factories, storage lots, etc.) are often chosen for their vile natures and encouraged to act badly. Beware and avoid if you see that situation coming -- I should have.
 
Any experiences with air horns? A dog trainer once told me to blow an air horn at an approaching dog -- the dog should become frightened by the noise and turn tail. I've never tried this -- if it works, then it would be an effective (and lightweight) tool to carry.
 
Down bag (90/10 duvet) of 700 fills with 180 g (6.34 ounces) of filling. Mummy-shaped structure, ideal when you are looking for lightness with great heating performance.

€149,-
Again, a real airhorn is not as good as an imaginary one. Rather than carrying the thing, and trying to dig it out when a dog is about, pretend there is one on the ground, pick it up and and throw it at the dog. In 6000 km of trail, I have yet to need to actually throw anything.
 
I had an unexpected, unprovoked attack by 5 German Shepherd dogs that came tearing out of an ungated farmyard driveway and circled me. At the time, I was walking on the furtherest side of the road away from the driveway, with my nose buried in Brierleys figuring out where my next coffee stop was to be. It was not a good situation and I was completely vulnerable.
I didn't stop, but decided to keep walking at the same brisk pace, not to run and avoided direct eye contact. I was desperately trying not to antagonise or make the situation any worse.
Unfortunately one of the dogs leapt at me, latched on and bit my thigh, and not a playful nip at that.
My subsequent scream did not rouse any local support but I'm darned sure that it was heard down in NZ loud and clear.
With that, 4 of the dogs dropped away but the attacker stayed alongside me for at least another 100 metres or so, growling, jumping up at me and still very menacing but no further bites.
Needless to say I was in complete shock after that, and with tears streaming down my face, I have never walked so fast for a coffee.
I still sport my scar from that bite 3 months later.
It was a one off incident, I couldn't have avoided it, and I regarded it later as just pure bad luck.
Prior to that, most of the Spanish farm dogs I had seen were asleep in the sun and could barely lift an eyelid as you passed. My advice is to be aware, but don't freak out unnecessarily and save your worries for where the next bar is going to be. It didn't deter me from experiencing a wonderful Camino.
 
TrishAlexSage said:
Any experiences with air horns? A dog trainer once told me to blow an air horn at an approaching dog -- the dog should become frightened by the noise and turn tail. I've never tried this -- if it works, then it would be an effective (and lightweight) tool to carry.
I was attacked twice by dogs on the Camino Portuguese in 2011: but I carry a dog Dazer- very lightweight and effective for dogs unless they're old and deaf! Check out:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&keyw ... 6mdwktcq_b
I wouldn't be without it on a long, solitary walk. I also use a walking pole if further provoked.
Buen camino!

Stephen.
P.S. I'm just thinking about walking Lisbon to Porto end of May - and will certainly have the Dazer to hand.
 
St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
Since no one but Dazer claims it works, or has tested it, this guy did his own test.
Ultrasonic Dazer / Pet Agree Review
I decided to give the ultrasonic Dazer dog deterrent a try, having read various favorable testimonials on the internet. If you've read the whole article then you'll realize that I had my doubts about the efficacy of this device, but I was willing to give it a fair shake and see for myself.

I ordered two of the Dazer model from Tesco Shopping in Nova Scotia. This guy was recommended by KII Enterprises, who actually make the Dazer. They warned me about cheap copies of the Dazer which are made in China, so I wanted to go through a reputable dealer. You can order directly from KII, but they told me that it would take up to a week to ship the thing, so I decided to go to a dealer.

When I eventually received the package, it turned out to be not the Dazer at all, but something called Pet Agree. On closer inspection (and after confirming with KII Enterprises) it turns out that the Pet Agree is exactly the same as the Dazer, simply repackaged. This is apparently because some people don't want to have something called "Dazer" for training their pet - they prefer something with a more "friendly" name. Bizarre, if you ask me, but as long as the thing is the same inside, I'm not bothered. In fact, it could be an advantage if you found yourself confronted by a dog owner after using the device, you could show them something that looks a little less "threatening" and offensive. Hey, it's for training pets, not liquidizing their brains! See, it's called "Pet Agree"!

Anyway, on with the review: The first thing I noted was that this device should not be exposed to rain or water at all. It has a plastic case, but there are holes (for the switch). Also, the end which has the ultrasonic emitter is not sealed. KII told me that the electronics are delicate and should not be exposed to rain or other moisture. So you should take this into account when thinking about the situations you might be required to use the device. Also, it will not work from inside a plastic bag - the ultrasonic emitter requires an unobstructed line of view.

In practice, the Dazer/Pet Agree turns out to be variable in its effectiveness. On walks around Ashland, WI, where there are quite a few agressive dogs, I began with some (very cautious) tests. I started by aiming the device at distant dogs just to see if they would react in any way. Now the instructions say that the Dazer is most effective from about 5-10 feet away, but I knew that this was for deterrence - I was curious to see just how far away dogs could even hear it. The results were inconclusive - most of the dogs I tried it on (from more than 100 feet away) did not react at all. I was somewhat disappointed - I am no ultrasonic expert but I was expecting at least a raised ear or a glance in my direction. Dogs do, after all, respond to dog whistles, which operate on pretty much the same principle. But the results of this first "long distance" testing were disappointing - there was very little reaction from any dog.

Next I tried it on agressive dogs. There were three that we came across on a walk around town. The first was tied up in a yard, a few houses away. This is a very agressive dog, some kind of pitbull/terrier crossbreed. Starting from a distance, I tried to get any reaction at all (i.e. change in behavior) from this dog, but there was none. Even when I was walking by on the sidewalk about 10 feet away, this dog was still straining at the leash to get me - even though I was aiming the device directly at it and "shooting". Pretty scary. I should add that I am familiar with this dog, and could see that its behaviour was utterly unchanged from the norm (i.e. Beast From Hell).

The second dog was on one of those large, sprawling, run-down country places with 10 abandoned pickup trucks and old cars. We stumbled onto the dog's territory from a woods path, by mistake. It was a large, black dog and it ran right up to us, barking hysterically. It was about three feet away, and acting very aggressively. I tried the Pet Agree, and there was no reaction at all. We retreated.

The final dog came running out at us from a garden. It reacted to the Pet Agree by swiftly running back where it came from in a big arc. There, it peeked out at us again from behind the house, where I gave it another blast, and it kind of cocked its head sideways as if listening to something. This was actually a big relief, because up to this point I had been wondering if the devices were working at all. Obviously this dog could hear it loud and clear, and moreover it was deterred by it.

My conclusion from all this is personal and shouldn't be taken as scientific - but in my opinion, the Dazer/Pet Agree is not usable as a dog deterrent in its current form. It should be at least water resistant, and in my (unscientific but empirical) tests, it did not seem to affect all dogs (or even an obvious majority). Therefore I would feel extremely uneasy depending on it for my personal protection against agressive dogs. I don't know where all those glowing testimonials came from, but having actually tried this out on some of the local dogs I can say conclusively that it didn't work for me in many cases. I am fairly confident that the two devices we tested were working and not defective, because of the fact that they seemed to work on at least one of the dogs. Unfortunately without an ultrasonic testing device it is hard to confirm how well the things are actually functioning. I would stress again that these are personal conclusions resulting from non-scientific tests.

In an interesting end-note, I went out on my bike to see if the device would work on a dog out on a remote country road that had repeatedly chased me in the past. I had used Halt! pepper spray on my previous trip. Unfortunately, on the occasion I had the Dazer, the dog refused to chase. It saw me coming, and it just paused there, one paw in the air. Then it retreated. So obviously it had learned a lesson from the previous application of Halt!. I was both gratified and frustrated by this, since on the one hand it's a Good Thing that this dog won't be rushing into the road to chase bikes any more, but on the other hand it had been a "faithful" chaser on whom I had been hoping to try out the Dazer. Oh well! I've passed this dog on several occasions since, and it has obviously been completely cured of chasing bikes by the Halt!.

So, my conclusion remains that Halt! (or other pepper spray appropriate for use on canines) is the best thing out there for deterring aggressive dogs. I think I gave the Dazer/Pet Agree a fair shake, and was left with a feeling that while it definitely works with some dogs, I certainly wouldn't want to depend on it. Having said all that, obviously there are people out there who have had success with it - so you'll have to come to your own conclusions.
This cyclist had some additional thoughts, primarily that if it worked, there would be lots of low cost competitors!
Since I enjoy checking out posts that never get answered here goes. It has been more than three years since you posted. The way product developement cycles are these days If a little widget like the dog dazer was effective there would be dozens of varients by now. I have not heard of others so . . . Also I am a life member of the LAB and the UMCA. Am active in local cycling and compulsively read all the bike gear catalogs I get. Nada, zip, zilch on dog dazers. The only ultrasonic deterent I've heard of is a little molded plastic thingy to be stuck to your car. Supposed to generate ultrasound while you drive and scare deer off of the road. Been tested, did not work. Last, contact the postal worker or meter reader organizations and ask them. Let us know if ANY of them have any dog deterant besides pepper spray, OK?
 
newfydog said:
Again, a real airhorn is not as good as an imaginary one. Rather than carrying the thing, and trying to dig it out when a dog is about, pretend there is one on the ground, pick it up and and throw it at the dog. In 6000 km of trail, I have yet to need to actually throw anything.

No need to dig one out if you carry it on your pack belt. Where we live in the Whites, I carry "dog spray" on my belt. I did have to use it once -- I can get to it quickly, no digging in the pack needed.

I don't like bending over or kneeling if a strange dog is running full force at me. I'd rather put my hand to my waist, take what's on my belt, and use it while standing tall.
 
Just back....no wild dogs. No...
Only old men with umbrellas at their back.....and a big smile.

On several days dogs of different race following and sniffing close behind my husband.... BUT he carried the delicious bocadillo's with salmon...cheese....and tuna. :p They all left after a couple of hundred of meters since we wouldn't share this great food.

And beautiful chihuahua's and young pastor puppies..... and a big bunch of cows...but we never felt threatened! Galicia is peace and even the dogs do know that....
 
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Very reassuring, thanks.

I bought a version of the dazer, by the way (no, I don't sell them and I have no affiliation with the company, just read about it here on this forum). Recently used it on a dog that came running up to us on a mountain trail with no owner in sight. The dog jumped up on us and wouldn't get down -- my youngest became frightened when the dog wouldn't back off. I think it wanted to play but it was twice the size of my kid. I pressed the button. The dog stopped jumping on my kids, cocked his/her head, and ran back up the trail. Five minutes later, it reappeared with its owner and it did not jump on us as we passed by.

I don't advocate using anything on dogs unless you feel it's absolutely necessary, by the way. However, my oldest was once bitten by a "friendly" dog who ran ahead of its owner, so now I don't want any dogs I dont' know jumping up on us. It's nice to have something to use on them that doesn't cause any harm -- I don't think anyone wants to hurt a dog, it's not the dog's fault if it's poorly trained. That being said, I've only used this thing once and I've no idea if it would work on a dog that was bent on attacking or defending its territory.
 
I think Shirley Maclaine's book, which I thought had long since been forgotten, was the origin of the "wild Galician dogs" myth. I remember being slightly nervous on my first camino, because I still bear the scars of a childhood mishap with a dog and that has made me unnecessarily anxious about dogs (which, of course, they can identify). But this was back in 2000, and though we did see a lot of crazily barking dogs, they were all chained up.

This is not to say that there's not an occasional mishap, I do know someone who was bitten by a dog that raced out from behind a gate on the way into Negreira on the Camino to Fisterre. But it's very unlikely. I have learned that the EU imposes huge fines on owners whose dogs are reported as having bitten anyone, so the owners have taken the necessary precautions. This is true even on the remote and untraveled caminos I usually walk on -- the Invierno, Madrid, Vadiniense, Salvador -- no pilgrims but no loose dogs either. I would say not to worry about it and that the device isn't worth the weight, but that's just my opinion. It's also one of those things that won't be of any use to you unless you carry it at all times, and that would make it impossible to walk with my wonderful walking sticks! Laurie
 
TrishAlexSage said:
I bought a version of the dazer,.

So now you have bear spray, and some dubious electronic device, neither of which will be needed. The bear spray won't go in carry on on the plane and the dazer won't work. If you don't want to bend over, pretend you already have a rock to throw at the dog. The mere throwing motion will stop any dog I've seen in the camino.

Suit yourself, but I think you'll find the people who have actually travelled these trails won't be hauling any of that stuff along on their next trip.
 
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Hmmm...you might want to read my posts a little more carefully before offering such a negative reply.

Yes, I carry bear spray -- in NH, where there are bears and, unfortunately, where dogs are allowed to run off-leash ahead of their owners on the trails. One of my kids has been bitten by a "friendly" dog, and that's enough for me to carry spray. Here, in NH. Of course I'm not going to carry bear spray on the Camino.

What I will carry is a device that has already helped get an annoying dog get off my frightened child, and, from what I've read from a few other Camino posters, might help should I encounter an aggressive territorial canine. I'll also carry my usual methods of (legal) self-defense tools, since I'm walking with two young children. I understand the Camino is extremely "safe." Still. I always carry certain things when I hike with my girls.

It's fine if the pretending-to-throw-a-rock thing has worked for you in the past. That's great. That wouldn't work for me. I have witnessed attacks by dogs and there is no way a throwing-rock pantomime would have worked on those specific dogs. Since I haven't met every single dog along the Camino (nor, I'll bet, have you), I'll feel much better having something in my hand or on my belt that takes less than a second to handle and use. I hopefully won't need it, but I'll feel better carrying it. It weighs next to nothing and won't kill or hurt the dog (unlike my other methods of self-defense). If, for whatever, reason, it doesn't work, then I'll have my other methods. I do like this as a first line of defense, though. And again, I have no affiliation with the company. Just read about the device here and thought it might come in handy (and it already has).

I also hear air horns work well, FWIW. Haven't yet tried that method personally, though. Other things may work too -- I wouldn't poo-poo the dazer, though. Rock-throwing may work for some, walking sticks and/or air horns for others, etc. I think the more informed folks are, the better they can make choices for themselves regarding what will work for them. And, hopefully, nothing will be needed anyway. Still -- I'm the type that would rather be prepared, especially with two young kids in tow.

HYOH,
Trish
 
So Trish, did you catch this post?

BillinDC said:
Beware of ultrasonic devices to repel dogs. I had one once (not the brand discussed in prior posts). The one and only time I tried it, on an aggressive farm dog, it infuriated the dog. Luckily I'd had the foresight to climb up on the hood of a car, because he really wanted a piece of me when I blew my ultrasonic whistle. Check the 1 star reviews on the rating sites (a lot of people find the ultrasound ineffective). As for the underlying problem, I never encountered a threatening dog on the Camino Frances in Spain. .

Do you really want to carry that thing, every day, reminding your kids to be afraid?

I rate the dog threat up their with meteorite impact, death by bedbugs, and the occasional pervert flasher. But, I have lived and hiked and camped in in New Hampshire, and never worried about the bears either. (the last bear death in NH was in 1784). Somehow I survived.
 
If it makes you feel slightly safer taking a Dazer - take one! For heaven's sake they clip on your waist band and weigh about as much as a bedbug.
Unlike in the UK, you can get packs of wild dogs in Spain. I've used a Dazer to get a pack out of my garden. I also used it twice on the Porto > SdC camino. Once on an unchained domestic dog, once on a pack in a forest. No, they don't always work. Especially if the dog's old and deaf. But they sometimes do, and that - together with the sharp end of my walking pole - gives me a sense of security.

Buen camino!
Stephen.
http://www.calig.co.uk/camino_de_santiago.htm
 
A selection of Camino Jewellery
Thing is, you have to take the precautions YOU need to feel safe and comfortable. I'm not afraid of being bitten by a dog, but I am terrified of them running into my legs (knee got dislocated this way when I was a child). Fear is personal.

You may find you don't need any dog-repelling devices, and then you can post them home or ahead to Santiago. But do what suits YOU. You will be carrying the darn thing, not asking anyone else to.
 
nreyn12 said:
But do what suits YOU. You will be carrying the darn thing, not asking anyone else to.

Exactly. People have their personal fears and should do whatever helps them deal with them. However, I would not want other prospective perigrinos to get the impression that these dog concerns are anything more than personal. Experienced pilgrims should not hesisitate to point out that there is not a big dog problem out there.
 
I was so worried about dogs getting ready for my first Camino this past fall as I have a bit of an irrational fear of large dogs. My reality was plenty of barking dogs that at first scared the hell out of me. But by about halfway through my trek from SJPD to Santiago then on to Finisterre and part of the Portuguese route I stopped being afraid of the barking dogs and often just found myself irritated that they had interrupted my moment of peace or reflection. I walked most of the time alone and had my walking poles for comfort.

For me, yet another benefit of my Camino… for sure much less nervous around large dogs I do not know.
 
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I've been threatened/chased about 5 times by aggressive dogs on the VDLP. They're not common, and you shouldn't worry obsessively about them, but rather be aware of the possibility. Interestingly, none of the smaller dogs was deterred in the least when I tried the fake-rock trick. They just kept advancing, and I usually ended up outrunning them. Once, a passing motorist picked me up to get me away.

The one time I was sure I was going to be severely injured or killed was when two enormous German Shepherd mixes ran out at me. They were behind a big fence, but were able to easily scramble over it. Their fur was raised, their teeth were bared and they were both just a yard from me. I was alone. I was afraid to jab my walking sticks at them in case it made them angrier. I sternly yelled, "Go home!" and amazingly one of the dogs immediately turned around and ran back across the fence. The one closest to me kept growling and advancing, though. That's when I tried the fake-rock trick. I was sure it wouldn't work, since it never deterred the small dogs. And as someone previously said, I didn't like the idea of bending down right in front of this dog and having my face essentially even with his. But I had no choice, and by golly, that dog turned right around and ran back. I was dumbfounded.

No one deterrent is guaranteed to work on every dog, so it's best to have a few ideas of what to do.

Melanie
 
mmm042 said:
....I sternly yelled, "Go home!" and amazingly one of the dogs immediately turned around and ran back across the fence.
WOW, a dog that understood English, beating a lot of other living creatures in the area. :D
Seriously now: dogs defend their territory. They do not attack without reason. Move calmly out of their way (don't run, showing fright), watching but not intimidating or gesturing towards them, and nothing will happen. :idea:
 
fraluchi said:
mmm042 said:
....I sternly yelled, "Go home!" and amazingly one of the dogs immediately turned around and ran back across the fence.
WOW, a dog that understood English,:

They understand "SIT!" And "BAD DOG!" too. Dogs have a hierarchy. If you run, they might come after you. If you give them an authoritative command, they realize you are part of their owners' group, and don't want to get in trouble. Sometimes they'll go so far as to ask forgiveness after a scolding.

Both of these dogs came out ferociously barking (neither were on a camino route)




OK, this one, on the Arles route barked but was friendly from the start
 

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Oh for goodness sake! You're walking across a country so not all dogs everywhere will be friendly. Be the boss! They're dogs! If the worst comes to the worst you can kick them, but sometimes even the most vocal dogs disappear behind the nearest bush if you address them. Stand tall. :twisted:
Buen Camino!
 
tyrrek said:
Be the boss! They're dogs! Stand tall.
Buen Camino!


Here are some big dogs, employed guarding the sheep, (again, off the route.) They are being told in no uncertain terms by my wife who is the boss. They went home, and I laid down, rolled over, and asked for a belly rub.
 

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Is that one on the left a Spanish Mastiff? If so, it's just like one I know, who barks like mad but if you turn and face it it runs away looking sheepish. To cut a long story short, any significant dog attacks on the Camino are rare. Buen bow wow Camino! :D
 
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Those are Great Pryenees, Pyrenean Mt Dog to the Brits. Here's a sign on the Voie Aurellian, from Menton to Arles warning that you will pass through a flock of sheep guarded by the dogs. Unfortunately, we didn't see any here, but we see them all over France, and they are easy to reason with.
 

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Ha ha! I suspect the artist is more sympathetic towards dogs than sheep, judging on how they are depicted. :D Buen Camino!
 

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newfydog said:
I had to snip the picture of this fine dog. Maybe the Spanish Mastiff tyrrek was looking for!
Yes, perhaps. They have a big double chin and triangular eyes.

Look at the lust for blood in its eyes, and the fear of the passing pilgrims! Or maybe not. :D

Buen Camino!
 
He's just not hungry. He ate a couple of early- bird peregrinos this morning, and now is sleeping it off. :)

ps---Note to those with dog phobias-----we aren't mocking you, just showing the trails have more good dogs than bad!
 
fraluchi said:
WOW, a dog that understood English, beating a lot of other living creatures in the area. :D
Dogs are excellent linguists. My ex-girlfriend was Polish and her dog understood Spanish. 'Sit down', 'Lie down' etc. She was amazed and called her mother through to watch. 'Ares understands Spanish!' I was cracking up laughing. Obviously it's how you speak and gesture to them that matters, just like people. :D Buen Camino!
 
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I had an unexpected, unprovoked attack by 5 German Shepherd dogs that came tearing out of an ungated farmyard driveway and circled me. At the time, I was walking on the furtherest side of the road away from the driveway, with my nose buried in Brierleys figuring out where my next coffee stop was to be. It was not a good situation and I was completely vulnerable.
I didn't stop, but decided to keep walking at the same brisk pace, not to run and avoided direct eye contact. I was desperately trying not to antagonise or make the situation any worse.
Unfortunately one of the dogs leapt at me, latched on and bit my thigh, and not a playful nip at that.
My subsequent scream did not rouse any local support but I'm darned sure that it was heard down in NZ loud and clear.
With that, 4 of the dogs dropped away but the attacker stayed alongside me for at least another 100 metres or so, growling, jumping up at me and still very menacing but no further bites.
Needless to say I was in complete shock after that, and with tears streaming down my face, I have never walked so fast for a coffee.
I still sport my scar from that bite 3 months later.
It was a one off incident, I couldn't have avoided it, and I regarded it later as just pure bad luck.
Prior to that, most of the Spanish farm dogs I had seen were asleep in the sun and could barely lift an eyelid as you passed. My advice is to be aware, but don't freak out unnecessarily and save your worries for where the next bar is going to be. It didn't deter me from experiencing a wonderful Camino.
This is an old post, but wow... what a scary experience... In such a situation I might die from a heart attack instead of dog bites...

I wrote here before. Dogs are still my biggest fear on the camino. The quiet caminos at least. Last weekend I had been training for my camino in the Ardennes in Belgium. We met two dogs in the woods barking and walking towards us. No owner to be seen. We went straight off the path and walked in the other direction until the dogs stopped following us. Heart beating in my throat.

The advices I found are a bit confusing. From throwing stones, kicking and using a stick until standing still and stay as calm as possible not to provoke the dog to attack. I guess it is all about common sense. As far as I still have any sense in such situations...
 
This is an old post, but wow... what a scary experience... In such a situation I might die from a heart attack instead of dog bites...

I wrote here before. Dogs are still my biggest fear on the camino. The quiet caminos at least. Last weekend I had been training for my camino in the Ardennes in Belgium. We met two dogs in the woods barking and walking towards us. No owner to be seen. We went straight off the path and walked in the other direction until the dogs stopped following us. Heart beating in my throat.

The advices I found are a bit confusing. From throwing stones, kicking and using a stick until standing still and stay as calm as possible not to provoke the dog to attack. I guess it is all about common sense. As far as I still have any sense in such situations...

Throw rocks. I find it works well. Usually the act of reaching down for a rock is enough to put off the smarter dogs.

Just watch out for owners ... they refuse to consider that their stupid off leash pet could ever harm anyone. Throwing more rocks at the owners has limited results.
 
Hi I am Richard the Managing Director of Dazer that sell the dazer ultrasonic dog deterrent
in over 31 Countries .If I can be of help please email me richard@dazer.com I shall be walking onwards from Sarria 11th Sept. Blessings Richard
Hi Richard! Only 1 post in three years?!?!
How did you get on? Did you Dazer any dogs ;)
Do you plan more caminos?
We need to hear from you and your experiences.
Buen camino!
 
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We saw plently of dogs on our camino, we had no problems, as it seemed the norm for them to be tied up !
 
I have sung the praises of an umbrella on another, more weather related thread, on this forum. Though the drift of this one is from is from Canis to Pluvia.

An umbrella, makes you look like a local (certainly works in Galicia where the natives are born carrying umbrellas), keeps the rain off, and can be "whooshed" at belligerent dogs to remarkable effect.

The lightest dazer I've seen weighed 8oz and didn"t keep the rain off.
Did you know that in Galicia after living here for a year we automatically grow an umbrella out of the top of our heads!
 
I am not an "animal person", and I think what people like me call "wild dogs" are really just barking and menacing (to the unfamiliar) but not wild in any sense. And as my friends tell me, the dogs sense your insecurity. When a dog plops himself in my path and starts barking, I just stop walking and back up and wait for someone to appear. That was a slight problem last year on the Olvidado when it was a shephard dog in the mountains outside Cistierna, but finally after about 15 minutes the shephard appeared. It was a beautiful day and the scenery was amazing, so I just sat down and ate an orange. The people who come to my "rescue" always tell me that the dogs don't bite and that I just need to walk on by, but I'm too afraid to do that.

I have gotten a little better walking by steer/cattle/cows, but I still stop for dogs.

I would be surprised to find any untethered dogs on the heavily traveled caminos, it's just too much potential liability for the owners. They tend to be in places where no one expects a pilgrim and the dogs are just out doing their jobs.

It's much more fun walking with people like Rebekah because she works magic on the dogs without saying or doing anything that I can see. :)

Buen camino, Laurie
 
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Only one on the Portuguese. My hiking sticks came in handy. The dog was the type that sneak up behind you and bite.
 
I would be surprised to find any untethered dogs on the heavily traveled caminos, it's just too much potential liability for the owners. They tend to be in places where no one expects a pilgrim and the dogs are just out doing their jobs.
That's it. I am only (a bit) scared about the first and the last part of my Big Journey (a fortnight away...). The first ten or eleven days or so, before reaching Le-Puy-en-Velay and the last ten or eleven days, which I will most likely spend on the Camino de Invierno. On the Chemin du Puy and the Camino Francés I don't expect any attacks from dogs. I can't imagine there are dogs around that have already bitten 10 pilgrims and are waiting for number 11...
 
That's it. I am only (a bit) scared about the first and the last part of my Big Journey (a fortnight away...). The first ten or eleven days or so, before reaching Le-Puy-en-Velay and the last ten or eleven days, which I will most likely spend on the Camino de Invierno. On the Chemin du Puy and the Camino Francés I don't expect any attacks from dogs. I can't imagine there are dogs around that have already bitten 10 pilgrims and are waiting for number 11...

Well, if it's any consolation, Luka, when I walked the Invierno I only had a dog experience once, and it was in a village early in the morning. A group of them howling and barking in front of me. But they made so much noise that it woke someone up. A woman came out in her pajamas and shooed them all away so I could pass. I think she was angry that I hadn't done it myself, but I explained that I am afraid of dogs and she thought I was crazy, but she wasn't angry anymore. :)
 
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I'm with @Tincatinker - an umbrella is the only thing needed. Not that I've ever had a problem with dogs in France or Spain. On the Camino Frances the dogs are so bored by pilgrims they don't even bother to open their eyes. Except, for some reason, in Belorado. Which seems to have the noisiest doggy chorus every night. What is that about?
 
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To all of you above who ridicule the issue, as someone has said- fear is personal- so have a little respect. And to those of you swapping photos of cute dogs, perhaps YouTube might be a better platform for that.

I finished Frances last month and currently halfway through the Camino Norte. I'm a solo walker. Dogs were pretty much my only worry while planning and preparing, and there are other pilgrims like me.

That is not to say that we're necessarily afraid of dogs in general. But there are unchained guardian dogs in some places and they are there for a reason. Just as being afraid of a scruffy looking man in a dark alley doesn't mean I'm afraid of humans. No need for ridicule.

Those 'unchained' ones, however, are very rare. The two places where I found myself waiting for other people to pass were both industrial estate/farms. Nothing extreme but you might consider walking that part with others. One was just before the ascent to Villamayor Monjardin and the other half way between Najera and Azofra. Someone else mentioned before the part before the alternative route to Samos.

For the peace of mind (not much else in practice), I carried a whistle and a pepper spray. Also carrying walking poles improved my confidence greatly.

And no, there are NO WILD DOGS on the Camino :)

Hi, daretolive, and welcome to the forum.

I share your fear of dogs and have two big scars on a knee to explain why. I don't think anyone intends to ridicule, but I know that experienced dog people sometimes find it hard to understand why we are so afraid. I walk a lot of solitary caminos and have had to deal with the dog issue a fair amount. Check out a couple of these recent threads,

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/luka-on-the-invierno.35038/
https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/santiago-the-guide-an-amazing-dog.35389/

There is a lot of good advice on these threads from experienced dog owners and I have learned a lot from them, and I think they have come to see that my fear is something I have very little control over (having walked most recently from Rebekah, owner of more dogs than I can keep track of, I have benefitted a lot from her guidance on this issue). Buen camino, Laurie
 
I would like to know is some pilgrims have had some unpleasants experiences with dogs along the camino.This time I will start from Le Puy in the beginning of september for a 2 months hike and I really feel so happy about the decision of walking again on the Camino. I did the CF in 1999 from SJPdP , it has been a wonderful experience but I had then what I could call quite an unpleasant encounter with a black '' danois''(don't know this english name).
It was fear of dogs that kept from me Camino for 38 years from 1977 when I was a student in Santiago until October 2015 when I walked Sarria to Santiago. I am pretty phobic. There were some very scary ones about but they were chained or caged or busy with cows. There was one huge Alsatian in the middle of the road at one point when I was walking alone but I watched another pilgrim go by and the dog never even twitched so I followed suit. There were other times when there was a little snarler on a wall but I kept with other folk and was OK. It still scares me but I wouldn't let it stop me now. Buen Camino!
 

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