Be careful which dogs you allow your little one to approach. I made the mistake with Ringo (when he was a pup) of allowing him to go up to every strange dog we came upon in a walk. OR allowing strange dogs to walk up to us. Ringo got snapped at a few times and then he was no longer so friendly to other dogs.
Had I been more judicious about which dogs I allowed him to interact with . . perhaps he would still be friendly to other dogs.
Now, his plan seems to be the that the best defense is a good offense.
What I didn't realize at the time - was that Ringo did NOT need to meet every strange dog we approached; and that I should have made sure they were friendly before allowing that to happen.
It is rare, now, that I will let Lucy or Ringo get close to a strange dog while on a walk. If I see a little one playing at the park and they seem friendly - I will let Lucy play for a bit; but I am very very cautious about it now.
__________________  Mommy to Lucy, Ringo, and Matthew |