Off-leash large breeds in public places

[Edwpang]

On 2 seperate occasions(both in the early morning @ ~ 7AM), I was approached by a Lab(around 80lbs), and unknown breed around the same size, when walking my puppy. I am concerned both because I have a puppy with me, and the attitudes these guys were showing. When I told them politely they should keep their dog on leash, they just ignored me.  Granted, their dogs are quite nice, they did not show interest in me or my puppy, but what if they met with someone who were afraid of dogs. This is quite likely, since in GTA(Greater Toronto Area), a lot of people are coming from cultures that does not view dogs as lovely pets. They may have bad experiences with dogs, and may act in panic, causing the dog to respond differently. A lot of people I met even avoided my puppy on leash long before I approach them...
What do you think?

[navarre1316]

I also wanted to add that if those dogs were really nice it might have been a great socialization moment. Also don't forget your pup is going to read you so if you get all nervous and freaked out he will totally feel it and react too. If you go into like "ooh who is that? let's say hi!" and sound all cheery and happy then he will be all happy as well.

Good thought!!!

I NEVER let Navarre off leash, not because of him (although let's face it he is a dog and one day that squirrel might look a bit more inticing!) but because of other people mostly.  He was a very large, intimidating dog and even on a leash, under control, people would comment that I better know how to control my dog or I shouldn't be walking him in public!  I always worried about the other dogs.  Like you said the dogs that are loose approached you, and even though they were well behaved what if the next dog that their owners let them randomly approach isn't so well behaved, even on a lead!  You got lucky that they were nice dogs I think their owners need to think about not letting their dogs approach stangers, leash or not.

[kathryn]

I let me dogs off leash only in areas that I know there are no other dogs or people at just for all the reasons that have been stated. 

[Duramax]

i use a leash on max more for his own protection than any thing else. even though he's a huge guy he's very much still a puppy, and thinks like a puppy. but strange dogs and people never see him as a pup....well yall know how it goes. plus even a dog that is well behaved (on a walk that is by streets) could step out into traffic accidently. it's just a scarry thought. max is more of a beans than a gweck it seems. when max is alone with me he is a super good dog, but add something into the equasion and he seems to forget that there's rules. he just gets too excited. but he's 16 months old too, so that will change some yet im sure.