I avoid the dog park. Maia barks at other dogs who are playing and jumps around like an idoit. She means no harm that is just what she does to get them to include her. Rocco jumps over smaller dogs back and forth and occasionly he has kicked another dog on accident. I can see that smaller dogs would get hurt, not mortally wounded, if he accidently stepped on them so I stop him from doing this if I can catch him.
Rocco does not back away from another male if the male snarls at him which has caused two fights. No broken skin on the other dog, just a lot of wet dog fur, but Rocco has walked away bleeding both times and guess who got blamed for the fight. My dog because he was bigger and reacted to a dog in his face snarling. Luckily Rocco is good with verbal commands and I know how to break up a dog fight without getting hurt by grabbing my dog by his hind legs toward the groin area squeezing and pulling him back toward my side. Rocco didn't go after either dog again once I got him, he avoided them but both owners yelled at me and I am easy to cry when I get yelled out so we left both times.
Maia being a female is a different story. I can't predict her behavior around an angry dog. She has run before and she has lunged but luckly I was right there and grabbed her collar before contact was made. If another dog bothers Maia, Rocco will pin the other dog gently and then walk away, it is pretty cool to see but I am sure it is scarey for the other owner.
I just don't understand why some people don't see the fault in their own dog just because they are smaller. I am by no means saying my dogs are perfect, they are not by any means. Rocco plays too rough and loves chasing other dogs and pulling their legs out from under them. Maia guards her stuff and snarls to protect it which I have heard to part her breed, part being an unspayed female.
As for protecting, Rocco is more interested to see what the new person might have for him and jumping on them if they are men. Depending on the person, Maia is too interested in hiding from them or beating Rocco to them. They big, mean barks though and run at people (to greet them but new people don't know that is what they are doing).