I'm glad I waited to post. Your words are better than mine. Even though Kaji is a scare little dog, and a happily pampered pooch, I try really hard to let him be a dog too. He gets praised for barking, and stopping.
We go hiking in the mountains, and at the trails in the park. He eats grass, much to my dismay. He rolls around in super stinky stuff, and I don't get mad. He just gets a bath afterward.
we go to the beach, the mall, and we've taken airplane rides.
All of the above would not be possible if I tried to be "dominant" over him. I don't know how to do it properly, and I think I'd end up being mean. I don't cuddle him either when he's afraid. I put him in a sit stay, and wait for the scary bike to pass, and gradually we've worked up to him being able to walk past a bike. It took us a while, but we got there.