If I may say a bit more about the dog culture of their owners. Interestingly, in dog culture, especially the attitude of dog owners towards other people, walkers, hikers, the current reality and mess of Slovenian society shows nicely.
On one side responsible people who want to live their lives according to their principles, inclinations, pleasures,... solve their problems and also not be victims of others' problems, don't want to be in the way of others nor others in theirs. Their motto: live and let live! They take responsibility for their actions, but strictly watch not to be scapegoats due to others' irresponsibility or suffer from their mistakes. Intentional or unintentional, doesn't matter. Let the culprit suffer because of them.
On the other side, irresponsible people, those who were never able to successfully solve their problems and consequently enjoy life. People for whom delegating responsibility to anyone is familiar and seeking substitute satisfactions (including bullying others to heal their mental wounds). Instead of solving their problems they direct energy to finding culprits and substitute satisfactions. On the other hand they let foreign responsibility be pinned on them when not necessary. Weak people, wimps. They don't know how to say NO! But they juggle the concept of responsibility skillfully, invent thousands of excuses why something didn't work and direct resulting anger at random fellow humans (weaker ones of course). They desperately defend such lifestyle. All means allowed to satisfy traumas, unfulfilled wishes, dreams,.. Dog terror is perhaps just one of them.
Since I started moving more in nature (hiking is part of it) I started meeting more owners and their dogs. Interesting how culture of people and nation is seen in such banal things as - dogs or attitude towards them and other people, fellow walkers, hikers,... Exactly through this the culture and character of Slovenian is seen and e.g. of Italian or Austrian. With negative and positive traits. For all three mentioned nations, no mistake.
As for pepper spray, nowadays it's nothing special to carry it. Only those fear it or oppose who can't do what they want because of it. It not only protected me from many rabid dogs and rabid owners - maybe it saved my life in completely non-dog situations in civilization far from nature. Maybe... Because thanks to it I'll never know what a psycho would do to me who came towards me in wrong direction on bike path and after our bikes collided started threatening with fists then when spray did its job started calling me(!) psycho. Thanks to that same spray I'll also never know what a robber would do to me with his knife on one of my Europe trips after demanding in broken English to give him 'all I have'!