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I found dogs to be much more of an issue when walking the Via Francigena in Italy: a route with far fewer walkers and perhaps the dogs have not had time to adjust to the few they see.
I've never had a problem with dogs on the Le Puy.
We have had aggressive dogs on the French , LePuy and in Switzerland routes, but none on the Primativo.
That surprises me. I walked the Via Francigena through France, Switzerland and Italy. One of the things that surprised me most was that immediately on entering Switzerland I seemed to leave aggressively barking dogs behind. No dogs wandering loose either. I can't recall a single stroppy hound in Switzerland! Then once in Italy the trouble started again. Made me wonder if the Swiss passion for order extends to clamping down firmly on anti-social pooches.
One of the things that surprised me most was that immediately on entering Switzerland I seemed to leave aggressively barking dogs behind. No dogs wandering loose either. I can't recall a single stroppy hound in Switzerland! Then once in Italy the trouble started again. Made me wonder if the Swiss passion for order extends to clamping down firmly on anti-social pooches.
Carry some small dog biscuits in your pocket. Treats can often win over all but the most vicious canines. This is good advice even in your own neighborhood.More than once I have been warned about the dogs and the usefulness of a walking pole / stick - particularly on the Camino Portugues, but I guess the situation is similar on other routes as well. (I heard that it is, or at least used to be, a known issue on the Le Puy route.) But what exactly do you do with the pole / stick when confronted by one (or God forbid, more) of them? Do you use it to hit them (which I would be hesitant to do, for fear of provoking them further), or do you brandish the pole frantically at them?
And is there any advice on avoiding being near them in the first place apart from not walking the Camino? Any particular parts of the Camino that are particularly 'dangerous' in this regard? As a very small person weighing 45kg walking alone, I can imagine how easily I could be overcome by a mad dog, hence my nervousness.
Thanks!
Carry some small dog biscuits in your pocket. Treats can often win over all but the most vicious canines. This is good advice even in your own neighborhood.
Thanks so much for sending that picture. It was fun playing with him for awhile. I lost my picture of him inside a broken SD card.This guy wanted to play chase the ball, had to be careful to throw the ball so he could get it while on his chain.
I never had a single incident with a vicious dog anytime I walked the Camino. Sure, I saw many dogs just like everyone else, but no problems and if they looked territorial or were at work moving or protecting livestock, I gave them wide berth, never looked them in the eye and moved on.
I never came across the packs of wild dogs hellbent on tearing hapless pilgrims apart as described in a couple of popular "non-fiction" walking the Camino accounts. Never had to do battle with a staff or sword.
I did have two incidents with large working dogs where they forced me to play with them. It was terrible. The first one was near Puente la Reina. A massive mastiff (he must have weighed 75 kilos) that peeled away from his flock and descended upon me and forced me to give up a sizeable chunk of my bocadillo and then forced me to play and roll around with him in the grass for a few minutes. It was horrible.
Then there was the large powerful mastiff/shepard cross after O'Cebreiro that forced me to play fetch with him with a large stick for over an hour. Throwing the stick, tug of war with it. Oh the humanity. He was relentless in his insistence on playing.
This guy wanted to play chase the ball, had to be careful to throw the ball so he could get it while on his chain.View attachment 32558
I was surprised to see no mention of anyone carrying pepper spray or similar. Is it not available or just not considered as an option ?
I really would see no use in carrying it for protection against vicious dogs for a couple of reasons, the first being you would never use it. The second being it may not even work against them (I carried it as a copper and never had luck with it against dogs, and vicious dogs at houses and in yards were a common occurrence).I was surprised to see no mention of anyone carrying pepper spray or similar. Is it not available or just not considered as an option ?
I was surprised to see no mention of anyone carrying pepper spray or similar. Is it not available or just not considered as an option ?
I've heard that actually shuts them down sometimes. They have no idea what you just did and how your size suddenly increased so quickly and they can't see your limbs or eyes. A "what the heck" moment for the dog I suppose. Fear and confusion sets in, and they want no part of it.I've encountered a few ferociously barking dogs that luckily I was able to get past. I'm considering bringing an umbrella on my next Camino (for sun/rain purposes), I wonder if opening it up and presenting a visual barrier between oneself and the dog might lessen their aggressiveness?
Oh Dear!View attachment 32573 Hoping to meet these two again later this month. My wife finds it almost possible not to stop and, if appropriate, play with every dog we meet!
One more 'vicious' dog...View attachment 32557
Lady after my own heart !!!!Oh Dear!
It is time for me to 'come out' publically on this forum.
Yes, I am a fully paid up member of DA.
(Dogs Anonymous)
If there is a dog, I will gravitate towards it and love it and want to take it home.
Kanga has made it quite clear that there will have to be some ground rules on our joint Camino experience.
NO encouraging dogs as I can't afford the fares and Rabies injections home to Australia.
NO because I already have two gorgeous dogs.
NO because it might be a stray and we will both feel terrible for eternity.
NO because Spaniards have a different ethos about dogs and some of them are working dogs...just like in Australia where they are treated much the same and tied up yet not particularly mistreated.
NO because............ (sigh)
ARRRGGGH! The bones are *just* out of reach!@Tigger, are you sure you don't want to walk with me instead of boring old @Kanga?
My last dog died almost a very long time ago and I still can't help but see certain objects only as things to play fetch with.
I deal with dogs on the camino by respecting their space if they're working dogs, scratching the chins, ears, backs, or bellies of those who are obviously friendly pets, and definitely letting the sleeping ones lie.
And feeling compassion for the ones (like this one) who have to watch an endless parade of friends walking by but can't get out to play.
I was surprised to see no mention of anyone carrying pepper spray or similar. Is it not available or just not considered as an option ?
Wow, thank you everyone for sharing so many good pieces of advice, great stories and nice photos! When I saw the first reference to 'lovely dogs' above, I immediately thought it was a sarcastic remark, until I kept scrolling down...
It seems that the recommended strategy can be summarised as follows:
1. Avoid pre-dawn departure if possible.
2. Stay on the Camino and away from private property.
3. Ignore any barking dog and avoid eye contact.
4. In the unfortunate event of any close encounter, tap my walking pole forcefully. (However, with the rubber tip on, I doubt that my pole could produce anything more than a muted thud...)
5. Open my umbrella.
6. Pick up a rock.
7. Throw the rock.
8. Yell in a foreign language (I may try Chinese).
Have I missed anything? (I don't have any taser, unfortunately!)
Get yourself an ultrasonic dog repeller. Harmless to the dog and you cant hear it . Have a look on line. I carry one all the timeMore than once I have been warned about the dogs and the usefulness of a walking pole / stick - particularly on the Camino Portugues, but I guess the situation is similar on other routes as well. (I heard that it is, or at least used to be, a known issue on the Le Puy route.) But what exactly do you do with the pole / stick when confronted by one (or God forbid, more) of them? Do you use it to hit them (which I would be hesitant to do, for fear of provoking them further), or do you brandish the pole frantically at them?
And is there any advice on avoiding being near them in the first place apart from not walking the Camino? Any particular parts of the Camino that are particularly 'dangerous' in this regard? As a very small person weighing 45kg walking alone, I can imagine how easily I could be overcome by a mad dog, hence my nervousness.
Thanks!
Most dogs I encountered while walking in Spain and France were quite friendly, however I did run into "iffy" situations three times. I had read to swing your pole slowly and rhythmically back and forth in front of your body, between you and the dog, while keeping your face towards the dog. I didn't have poles or a stick, so I swung my water bottle instead. That worked well in the first case, with a barking dog blocking my way on the road. He stayed at a "safe" distance" let me pass him on the one-lane road, although he eyed me warily the whole time. I guess the theory is that it's harder for the dog to focus on you, with that movement in the way, and if they try to lunge and bite, they'll more likely bite the pole (or stick or bottle) than you. A different time, I saw a man stomp his foot and say NO firmly at the dog. That worked, and that particular dog was snarly and snapping at us. I was terrified that time, and not sure I would have had the guts to stand my ground against that dog, but it worked. So the next time, on my own, I tried to imitate the man, but the dog would only stop snapping at my heels for a moment, then start up again as soon as I started walking again. So I had to keep stopping, stomping, and saying NO, every few feet, until I got out of his "range," and then suddenly he stopped. That one was a much smaller dog, so the bottle didn't seem adequate to get "in between" us without me bending over double, but a pole/stick would have probably worked better and made me feel safer. But like I said, the majority of dogs I encountered were big softies just wanting a pet.But what exactly do you do with the pole / stick when confronted by one (or God forbid, more) of them?
LOL And I enjoyed the many soft dog photos too.He didn't bite, but left slime and worried pilgrims.
MI'm walking the via de la plata at the moment (Seville to Santiago) and have had a few situations with big barking dogs running towards me; one even wriggled under what I thought was a secure fence to come bounding up to me, it was the size of a small shetland pony, I was terrified! I knew the advice never to look them in the eye, I certainly wasn't going to turn back so...I sung to the dogs, in a gentle soothing voice, just hymns or a pop song that was in my head, even when they were jumping up, I sung and they calmed right down and trotted alongside me as docile as anything.
I'm walking the via de la plata at the moment (Seville to Santiago) and have had a few situations with big barking dogs running towards me; one even wriggled under what I thought was a secure fence to come bounding up to me, it was the size of a small shetland pony, I was terrified! I knew the advice never to look them in the eye, I certainly wasn't going to turn back so...I sung to the dogs, in a gentle soothing voice, just hymns or a pop song that was in my head, even when they were jumping up, I sung and they calmed right down and trotted alongside me as docile as anything.
Seriously off post so will probably be deleted but my brother in law tried using one of those flashlights on a snoring fellow bunk mate. It did stop him snoring. He turned over to get away from the light and in the process let out a large fart.I was wondering how those super bright "tactical" flashlights might work for chasing away dogs. I found a thread on this topic on a forum devoted to discussing those lights. Most responses said they were ineffective.
The webpage I read is at http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...ective-Are-Flashlights-In-Keeping-Dogs-At-Bay
Seriously off post so will probably be deleted but my brother in law tried using one of those flashlights on a snoring fellow bunk mate. It did stop him snoring. He turned over to get away from the light and in the process let out a large fart.
PS never had a problem with dogs on the CF but was so hopeful it would happen at Foncebaddon. Alas...
Now this makes sense to me, because when I sing, dogs howl. They do! Must be trying to cover the noise that's coming from me. But if they are howling they can't be biting, I guaran-told-ya.I'm walking the via de la plata at the moment (Seville to Santiago) and have had a few situations with big barking dogs running towards me; one even wriggled under what I thought was a secure fence to come bounding up to me, it was the size of a small shetland pony, I was terrified! I knew the advice never to look them in the eye, I certainly wasn't going to turn back so...I sung to the dogs, in a gentle soothing voice, just hymns or a pop song that was in my head, even when they were jumping up, I sung and they calmed right down and trotted alongside me as docile as anything.
More than once I have been warned about the dogs and the usefulness of a walking pole / stick - particularly on the Camino Portugues, but I guess the situation is similar on other routes as well. (I heard that it is, or at least used to be, a known issue on the Le Puy route.) But what exactly do you do with the pole / stick when confronted by one (or God forbid, more) of them? Do you use it to hit them (which I would be hesitant to do, for fear of provoking them further), or do you brandish the pole frantically at them?
And is there any advice on avoiding being near them in the first place apart from not walking the Camino? Any particular parts of the Camino that are particularly 'dangerous' in this regard? As a very small person weighing 45kg walking alone, I can imagine how easily I could be overcome by a mad dog, hence my nervousness.
Thanks!
Never turn your back on a dog coming at you
Except, that is, at one spot where there were four unlocked dogs guarding cattle. We were almost past them all when the alpha dog gave the command, and the others charged us. Frightening, yes, but by following the directions above, we escaped unscathed (albeit, with our hearts in our throats).
I'll go just a bit farther off the grid and mention a friend of mine from the Peace Corps who lost a finger to a donkey when he petted it; he was and will forever be remember as "Donkey John."Yeah Im too new to have met 'the wild dogs of Foncebaddon', but my mate got bit by a donkey there. Maybe we could start the rumor off about the 'wild donkeys of Foncebaddon'?
That is exactly what I did. It was somewhere in Northern France. An angry, barking dog jumped through an unexpected hole in the fence and came after me. It was just a reflex to start running. Stupid, I know. While I was running with my 10k pack on my back, I thought: 'I am not gonna win this...'. But there he was, St. James. The dog stopped, still barking fiercely. I might have run out of his territory.And never, NEVER run from a dog, or any canine for that matter. Running triggers the chase-reflex and practically guarantees that you'll be bitten.
Mark, I can't tell if you are joking or were really at the mercy of those dogs! If you were forced to roll around, then yikes! Hope I never have an experience like that. On the other hand, if you're "messing with us", just know that I am quite gullible!I never had a single incident with a vicious dog anytime I walked the Camino. Sure, I saw many dogs just like everyone else, but no problems and if they looked territorial or were at work moving or protecting livestock, I gave them wide berth, never looked them in the eye and moved on.
I never came across the packs of wild dogs hellbent on tearing hapless pilgrims apart as described in a couple of popular "non-fiction" walking the Camino accounts. Never had to do battle with a staff or sword.
I did have two incidents with large working dogs where they forced me to play with them. It was terrible. The first one was near Puente la Reina. A massive mastiff (he must have weighed 75 kilos) that peeled away from his flock and descended upon me and forced me to give up a sizeable chunk of my bocadillo and then forced me to play and roll around with him in the grass for a few minutes. It was horrible.
Then there was the large powerful mastiff/shepard cross after O'Cebreiro that forced me to play fetch with him with a large stick for over an hour. Throwing the stick, tug of war with it. Oh the humanity. He was relentless in his insistence on playing.
It shouldn't be, I agree. But I just couldn't get over my (mostly irrational) fear. I came to the Invierno to enjoy walking in solitude, but I wasn't enjoying myself. That time fear won, but I will get over it, I will.There are many reasons not to walk a Camino, but dogs are not one of them, IMO.
It shouldn't be, I agree. But I just couldn't get over my (mostly irrational) fear. I came to the Invierno to enjoy walking in solitude, but I wasn't enjoying myself. That time fear won, but I will get over it, I will.
ha ha...Mark, I can't tell if you are joking or were really at the mercy of those dogs! If you were forced to roll around, then yikes! Hope I never have an experience like that. On the other hand, if you're "messing with us", just know that I am quite gullible!
I too, have an irrational fear of large dogs. I was bitten by a rottweiler ten years ago on the underside of my upper arm. It punctured and bruised pretty bad, but thankfully no scars. It was unleashed and the owner said as it ran towards me, "Don't worry, he won't bite."I am another one of those who has a ridiculous irrational fear of dogs, which comes from an awful childhood bite. I am not even brave enough to bend down and pretend to pick up a rock. I walk solitary caminos most years, and frequently come across dogs that have planted themselves in front of me and are barking loudly and sometimes meanly. My technique is always the same. I stop in my tracks. I start to yell, "oiga, oiga" to get the attention of the owner. The dog keeps barking but since I have stopped at the point that he started barking, he doesn't advance towards me.
At some point all of that commotion will bring out the owner. She/he inevitably says, "pasa pasa, no hace nada." (go on, the dog won't bite.) But I always just stay put and tell the owner that I am afraid and that I will go on once she comes to get the dog. It always works.
There are many reasons not to walk a Camino, but dogs are not one of them, IMO.
Don't get me wrong about dogs. I see the owning of a large one to be a responsibility akin to owning any other weapon. I have no tolerance for large vicious ones that attack unprovoked, or that are allowed to run dangerously loose by their owners. I ran into my share of them as a cop, and we had to send one to Valhalla from time to time when no other options were available.I too, have an irrational fear of large dogs. I was bitten by a rottweiler ten years ago on the underside of my upper arm. It punctured and bruised pretty bad, but thankfully no scars. It was unleashed and the owner said as it ran towards me, "Don't worry, he won't bite."
It shouldn't be, I agree. But I just couldn't get over my (mostly irrational) fear. I came to the Invierno to enjoy walking in solitude, but I wasn't enjoying myself. That time fear won, but I will get over it, I will.
What makes that an irrational fear?!? Seems quite rational to me. I'm petrified of dogs and now this thread has made me feel quite uncomfortable with my upcoming walk.I too, have an irrational fear of large dogs. I was bitten by a rottweiler ten years ago on the underside of my upper arm. It punctured and bruised pretty bad, but thankfully no scars. It was unleashed and the owner said as it ran towards me, "Don't worry, he won't bite."
It is illegal in Spain (and most of Europe).
Welcome to the forum by the way!
Davey
I never had a single incident with a vicious dog anytime I walked the Camino. Sure, I saw many dogs just like everyone else, but no problems and if they looked territorial or were at work moving or protecting livestock, I gave them wide berth, never looked them in the eye and moved on.
I never came across the packs of wild dogs hellbent on tearing hapless pilgrims apart as described in a couple of popular "non-fiction" walking the Camino accounts. Never had to do battle with a staff or sword.
I did have two incidents with large working dogs where they forced me to play with them. It was terrible. The first one was near Puente la Reina. A massive mastiff (he must have weighed 75 kilos) that peeled away from his flock and descended upon me and forced me to give up a sizeable chunk of my bocadillo and then forced me to play and roll around with him in the grass for a few minutes. It was horrible.
Then there was the large powerful mastiff/shepard cross after O'Cebreiro that forced me to play fetch with him with a large stick for over an hour. Throwing the stick, tug of war with it. Oh the humanity. He was relentless in his insistence on playing.
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