Also yes attitude is everything. Stand tall, straight, don’t say much. Move your shoulders forward looking straight at them sternly and make a low “no, uh uh” noise. Raise an arm. Move slowly but firmly towards them.

Granted I haven't experienced all dogs and no trainer would (should) claim to be an expert in every situation, but a confident demeanor and some basics like do not run or turn your back generally apply for all situations. Personally I’ve never had to resort to anything physical like rocks or sticks, but carrying a spray bottle of water is actually a great idea because Asian dogs just seem to hate it. Stamping feet also works well.

I've had problems with aggressive dogs in Kep, Kampot & Koh Rong, in Cambodia, but they're a problem in many SE Asian countries

I'm happy to throw rocks at them when they're by themselves, but when there's more than one, normally head away from them & find another route, rather than risk an attack, a bite or even a scratch, which would mean multiple trips to the hospital & rabies jabs.

loads of dogs bark at me when cycling both in the past in SHV and now around Kampot....worst early morning or evening or on over cast days . they seem to forget they are supposed to be asleep in the middle of the day.

the barking ones rarely try to bite... its the buggers that come running hard and not barking that are more of a worry. I thought a while ago about an ultra sonic dog scarer" ... years ago I had a static one in a garden at doggie height and it stopped them coming in shitting in my garden. Anyway Ali express have these hand held ones for about $6 ...do not just buy the loud noise ones for $2........ I have been using this one for way over 6 months and its effective...on nearly all the dogs the older deaf ones dont seem to notice,,, but if you point it at them, and give a few quick zaps the stop barking. I covered the two white led's and infra red led with black tape, which you cant see. Range is at least 3-4 meters plenty.....

Just last week cycling on fish island around 4.30pm I came round the corner to find about 8 mutts blocking the road as I approached a couple of the bigger ones started barking and they were starting to clump together so I took this out and gave them a few pulses of it... they all shut up and just looked at me as I cycled past... coming over the old bridge it jumped out of the bag its in and I lost the battery holder... hence the cling film !

I think it's gotten much better here over the years. When I first arrived here in 2010, I had a daily problem with one dog on my way to work every morning. My primary tactic then, and now, is to kick them while riding by. After all, I'm on the street, not riding through their house or private land. And that generally works, except one time in 2010 after getting harassed by this dog for a few days too long and seeing all the Khmer guys laughing think it's funny every time, I kicked so hard, and missed, that I damn near lost control of my bicycle and almost went ass over teakettle. I decided then that I didn't need to jeopardize my safety to teach dogs and their owners, so I started open carrying an open folding knife I brought with me from back home. For the next few days I rode my bicycle with it in my hand, blade locked open, along that particular block. Amazingly, it only took one swipe/stab at at the dog that day to inflict enough damage that the dog neither fucked with me again, and the daily onlookers stopped laughing. I continued riding with my knife locked blade open for a few days in case of reoccurrence, but didn't have any more problems, so eventually I stopped carrying my knife on my way to work.

I agree that if on foot, best approach is to project confidence by following the advice given earlier. But nowadays if it happens, since I can speak Khmer relatively well now, I just inform the people as I'm walking by that if it's their dog, he's gonna get kicked very hard, and I don't give a fuck if they like it or not. Again, problem seems to be solved almost immediately. When I tell them that, they call off the dog. If you don't say anything, chances are the owners will enjoy watching and taking pride in their dog(s) instilling fear into you.

Just protect yourself more than necessary the first time, and you likely won't have to deal with it again.

jaynewcastle wrote: ↑Wed Jun 02, 2021 11:35 pm I've had problems with aggressive dogs in Kep, Kampot & Koh Rong, in Cambodia, but they're a problem in many SE Asian countries

I'm happy to throw rocks at them when they're by themselves, but when there's more than one, normally head away from them & find another route, rather than risk an attack, a bite or even a scratch, which would mean multiple trips to the hospital & rabies jabs.

I don't support throwing rocks at dogs but if only as a threat, well maybe. The chance of an errant rock hitting someone else, especially a small child, or even damaging some kind of personal property, wouldn't be something I'd want to deal with.

A stick or knife, maybe one for each hand, seems to be the best approach.

OK, rocks bad, stabbing good.

Haven't had any issue with packs of dogs anywhere except Kampot 12 years ago and Koh ring before the culling

I don't take any precautions, but should point out I don't cycle anywhere, because it's an obsolete and tortorous activity and it also appears cyclists get attacked by dogs lol

Run with a stick.

Kill persistent offenders with poisoned snacks.