Please Keep Your "Friendly" Dog Away From My Puppy

We were late to socialize my cockapoo, Bailey, because she hadn't been given her proper shots when we bought her. This meant she was only able to get out and about at four months. My hybrid dog is now nine months, and although she has been for plenty of walks and met dozens of strangers, friends, and family, she is still a big puppy, who hasn't fully come to terms with socialization yet.

I get nervous when I'm walking her in the woods and another dog comes flying around the corner. I don't know how Bailey will react. If it's a big dog she's usually terrified and I have to lift her crying into my arms. If there's more than one dog Bailey will get enthusiastic, and because I'm still training her she doesn't always obey me when she's overly excited and there's an outside stimulus. So I worry that it will annoy other dog owners if I can't get Bailey to leave their dogs alone.

Something that other owners will often say is "oh no, my dog is really friendly, there's nothing to worry about." While this may be true, dogs are still animals and we can't fully predict how they will react to different situations. If a dog runs up to Bailey she gets scared, and she hates other dogs sniffing her butt and gets quite annoyed when they do so. I don't want to have to apologize to another dog owner for Bailey growling at their dog for something she's uncomfortable with, when if their dog was on their leash it could have been prevented. While she is still being socialized I don't want her to grow to fear other dogs, especially because we walk her often in places where she constantly meets other dogs out for walks.

Bailey looks like she's a good few years old due to her size but she's still a puppy. I'm still training her and it annoys me when other dog owners let their dog loose to play with her. I don't care how "friendly" your dog is, it disrupts her training. I want to be in control of her socialization so that she views other dogs as playmates rather than threats, and this is difficult to do when big dogs run up to her. She socializes with other dogs and I often stop up for a chat with another dog owner in the woods or the beach and the two dogs investigate each other. The difference is this is on my terms and Bailey is meeting dogs in a controlled environment and doesn't view other dogs as something to be scared of.

Obviously sometimes this can't be helped — and I'm guilty of it, too. If Bailey is off her leash in the woods and she spots another dog and gets excited, all my calling her name and chicken treats in the world can't get her back to me. This is why I act fast and if I have her off the leash and see people in the distance, I call her to me and put her back on the leash until the people have passed. This is whether they have a dog or not. It's good dog walking etiquette. You don't know how people or animals will react to dogs or they to yours. I just wish everyone else would be as considerate.