Which European countries have big, mean shepherd dogs guarding sheep, goats and houses in rural areas? (I can think of Albania, Romania, and Bulgaria, but let me know if that is right.)
And which European countries generally don’t have dogs running around scaring off random cyclists and trekkers passing through rural dirt roads?
I am mostly thinking of guard dogs with owners rather than stray dogs, but you can also talk about the strays.
The reason I am asking this question is because I am thinking of cycling and running throughout random rural roads in European countries. However, I am not sure what kinds of dog precautions I would have to take in each European country. For example, I’m sure that cycling through the rural roads of the Netherlands would be a different experience than in Romania, although of course, both are definitely very nice countries in their own unique ways!
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No wild dogs here in Sweden, it’s not allowed to have (guard) dogs that are free to roam around however they like. They have to be hindered in some way. Only well trained dogs that arent like attacking random people (which means its not well trained) are allowed to be walked unleashed between March-August. You can use rural dirt roads here as well, if you’re cyclist especially. Only cars can be be stopped from using private rural dirt roads. Allemansrätten reigns supreme in Sweden.
The most dangerous situation I had was in Moldova. But basically all of southeastern Europe is problematic, even though actual encounters are rare, maybe once a day or so, but they can be very unpleasant and difficult to assess. Also in the Baltic region and in Poland I had dogs chasing after me as a cyclist, although rarely. When you approach a free-roaming dog biking, you never know how it will react. Most are quite chilled, but some snap at you or chase you or suddenly start barking aggressively.
A cyclist there in Moldova told me his method is, as soon as the dog runs aggressively next to you, to kick him with your shoes full force in the muzzle. I never had to do that, but once a dog was extremely aggressive, but luckily it was run over by a car.
I had pepper spray with me, but never used it. If you take it with you, you have to place it so that you can use it within seconds.
I have never had problems in the Nordic and German-speaking countries, Benelux, France, Czech Republic and Italy.
But if you are not afraid of dogs, I would not let them take away my cycling in the more dangerous countries. I was in all Balkan countries on the bike and would do it again.
Well, I think it depends on in which countries you have to have a leash for a dog. It can happen anywhere that someone doesn’t pay attention and just let the dog run freely.
Almost every farm has a sort of guard dog, they are just start barking if you pass, just don’t get too close
In center Italy, region Abruzzo, there’s a local breed of Sheperd that are extremely dangerous. Pastore Abruzzese. White, beautiful, big and very very scaring.
There’s no street dogs here. Roaming dogs get caught and put into a shelter. Lots of farmers have dogs but they’re kept inside with fences and gates.
We don’t really do tyoical “rural” here anyway. A typical rural road here is a relatively straight tree-lined road with a farm every kilometer or so and water-filled ditches on either side with crops or pastures next to them. Also it’s all asphalt and no dirt roads. You’d mostly have to look out for cars, tractors and trucks because rural roads are usually quite narrow.
Cycling through rural Portugal you will eventually face stray and owned dogs, but generally they are not particularly aggressive nor big
The biggest issue I ever had with animals when cycling here was when a cow escaped from its enclosure and tried to headbutt me
Where I live (central italy) there are shepherd dogs which breed is usually [Pastore Maremmano](https://www.dogalize.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/pastore-maremmano.jpg), in general they’re not dangerous since they’re always accompanied by the shepherd man, they can be dangerous if they’re alone and you accidentally got into the territory they’re defending, if you are on the road going your own way they do nothing
For sure if you are alone and walking by foot they can be scary and you never know how they would react, anyway it’s not something that happens everyday
When you go real rural you can possibly find a couple of farm dogs roaming the farm and also the street in front of it but they’re always friendly in my experience.
That’s not an issue in Denmark. Some do have shepherd dogs, but they won’t just run around randomly at night. Dogs have to be leashed, prevented from leaving the property (usually by means of a fence), or be escorted by their owner on the roads where they may be unleashed. Biking here is safe and fun
i have never seen any stray dogs and the only place i have seen a stray cat was at a farm
Shepherd dogs are barely a thing here and I don’t think there are any stray dogs at all.
Quite a few dog owners in suburban-ish areas are really bad at locking their gates though.
Stray dogs are being swept up in Germany, and letting your dog roam freely is illegal. So this is a complete non-issue. As a cyclist, you have to take care of leashed dogs however because some dog owners unfortunately aren’t in control of their own dogs. Ring your bell well in advance.
There are no stray dogs here, all gogs found alone in public are taken into shelters. Cattle on pastures is feneced-off so there’s no need to have shepherd dogs. The only real issue can be occassional pet dogs without leashes, although they are usually not agressive.
We got followed by a stray dog all the way up a mountain in Montenegro once. It was perfectly peaceful with us, but back in our campsite it got a bit too playful with a young kid who got scared and started bursting into tears. The campsite owner beat it (the dog, not the kid) hard enough with a walking stick that he’d probably have been charged with animal cruelty anywhere in Western Europe.
Haven’t seen anything like that anywhere in the EU. The worst you get is puppies who sometimes come up to you to sniff you and try to play with you, or in rural areas where dogs start barking at you as soon as you get anywhere even close to their owner’s house. And thankfully rabies has been eradicated in Western Europe so that’s not a danger
It’s not something that happens in Ireland. Sheep dogs are very loved over here, good reputation.
Eastern Europe has a bad reputation with it’s overall treatment of dogs and lots of strays from Romania etc. get adopted in Western Europe.
Like most western European countries, lost stray dogs are taken to the pound to be re-homed or reunited with their owners. Owners must have a dog licence and the dog must be microchipped. We don’t find stray dogs walking the streets often, and there are no feral dogs and no rabies.
>I am mostly thinking of guard dogs with owners rather than stray dogs, but you can also talk about the strays.
It’s not something you see much of either here. The only common sheep dog is the colly which works with the farmer to herd, but does not do guarding. It’s pretty rare you see any dog without their owner.