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Originally Posted by Potter  My question is, what do you do when you are out for a walk and happen to see a big dog that you have never met and the owner say it is friendly and wants to let it play with your Yorkie?
I have never ponder about this question very much as people usually just leash their dogs and stay away when they see there is a smaller dog coming although there are many insensitive dog owners who don't even leash their dogs in a leash park.
Today, I met a lady and a big black dog it is a lab I think not too sure. And she just kept coming at me and Pao and before she even finished her sentence asking if they can play she was already very near us and I wasn't even sure if he was friendly. She said he is but I don't know and I am thinking why do I want to take the chance? Your dog is huge will not get hurt but one snap or one step is all it takes for my Yorkie to get hurt. In the end, I quickly drag my little one further away and said that mine is not friendly and is aggressive. I felt so unfriendly and yet I am a friendly person. I am just being careful with my little one as I have seen owners who said their dog is friendly and then snap at someone's dog. I am not too sure why I wrote this but what happened this morning bothered me. I guess I am just looking for validation that I am doing the right thing and I sure hope she doesn't think I am a snob because I am not. |
I didn't read the other responses so i'm sorry if i'm repeating what was already said. I have actually never been in this situation yet. But I do know what I would do, being that I do not even allow my big dogs near the 2 yorkies when they are outside. I learned the hardway, anyway I would just pick him up or move him away and let her/him know that you would rather they aren't together because you worry to much that he will get hurt inadvertantly. I'm certain that anyone would be responsive to that and understand (I hope). I think it's fairly easy also to tell whether or not the person on the end of the leash has the control they should over a large dog and that would be a good way to dictate the behaviour of the dog. It is good to socialize them and sometimes it might be a good opportunity to introduce them. You can always hold him and ask them to have the other dog sit and let them talk to each other.
Sorry I was so long winded, but being a former owner of ONLY large dogs, I was never aware that they could harm a little one so easily accidently. So it is most likely that the other person doesn't know.