What to do when my dog is being chased??

my dog used to be very nervous and shy of other dogs when she was very little (shes 1 now) and now she has calmed down a bit and doesnt freak out as much and does enjoy the occasional play with other , nice dogs. although she still is nervy - especially around big dogs. a lot of the time when we are out other dogs run up to her very fast and chase her - because she runs. most just want to play but dolly clearly doesnt ..... she isnt playing when she runs away and sometimes 'screams' when the dog is really big. I dont know what to do in this situation because usually the owner cant call their dog back, and dolly wont come back to me because shes in such panic and is manically trying to get away. she is fine when other dogs ignore her or walk up camly or let her approach them but i dont know what to do in the situation when dogs come galloping over and shes being chased, which happens alot. i cant distract her when this happens..... what can i do???

I would call her back to me and put her on the lead when you see other dogs approaching. That is a clear sign to the other dog owner to call their dog back. If they don't get the message then shout politely "Please keep your dog away". If that doesn't work I would fend the other dog off, putting myself between them and shouting "Shoo, go away" or using a compressed air cannister which would make a loud unpleasant noise if really necessary. I would not allow my dog to be terrorised by another dog who "Only wants to play". You will find that regular walkers with boisterous dogs they can't control, will see you coming and avoid you.

Around here, the unwritten rule is that if both dogs are off leads then they are ok. So, in all fairness, other people cannot be expected to know that your dog is of a nervous disposition and is likely to run, simply because she is also off lead. The dog chasing her will also think her running is a big game and it can be difficult to recall dogs which are engaged in a chasing game (you mention that other owners struggle to recall their dogs).

I would also simply put her back on the lead if you see a loose dog(s) you don't know coming your way. That way even if the other dog(s) do approach (which they invariably will sometimes) you at least have control of the situation.

I really sympathise with you as I had the exact same problem with my dog when she was small, (she is also one year old now) given the chance she would run away from other dogs, tail between her legs yelping. (she had been attacked prior to this).

I would do as the others have said, put her on lead as soon as you spot another dog, it means you have to be extra vigilant, but it is really important that she does not be put in the position where she is running for her life so to speak.

She needs to have lots and lots and lots of good experiences with other dogs that are calm, with a similar disposition to her own. I have never used a pet protector spray, although there have been times when it would have come in really useful (think off lead running around the whole park, blinged up dog aggressive staffie and no owner in sight sigh). Luchi was on lead, the dog tried to attack her, luckily I was with my partner so he held Luchi whilst I attempted to distract the dog with treats, frantically searching for the owner. There have been other times when I have had to block other dogs with my body, yelling NO.

Nowadays I put her on the lead for the opposite reason, she is very friendly with other dogs, in fact too friendly, so she is put on lead until I know it is ok for her to play with other dogs

I had similar problem when first took my rescue dog(jrt x) to the local park(nearly 3 years ago). A GSD ran across to us(my dog was on lead), taking no notice of the owner trying to call it back, not knowing what to do I shook my keys at the dog which fortunately made it back off, the owner then gave me a load of verbal abuse and left. The same thing happened again some days later. Other dog walkers had had problems it turned out. Now this might be wrong and please don't try it yourself without getting better advice(I could be very wrong) but if any dogs have run across since which we don't know, I growl, a low deep growl without looking at them directly, it has stopped any dogs appoaching further, going away and fortunately so far my dog stays behind or next to me. We have met them since and they have been fine together. Folk are generaly good if they see a dog on lead they put theirs on lead too.
Am sure will be some better advice here but sometimes helps to know of other folks experiences, views, good d luck

How about really working on recall when you`re out? If you can combine it with play, so much the better.
I would train a recall with a whistle rather than your voice, because it doesn`t carry any emotion to make the situation more fraught? .

Thanks everyone for advice..... i will put her on the lead when another dog i dont know is coming towards us.

Labradork i understand that if both dogs are off lead they are both OK but my dog doesnt need to be on lead most of the time, also she is fine with most dogs, it's just when they come thundering over and it doesnt give me much time to put dolly on the lead because she's already off running. I'm not blaming the dogs that run over because some are friendly and just over excited, and sometimes, if the dog is friendly , after a while she stops yelping and starts playing , so its hard to know what to do.... alot of it is to do with the size of the dog.

Luchi , dolly was attacked before as well when she was very little..... im trying to let her have only good experiences with other dogs, and will put her on the lead when i see a dog i dont know.

i am working on recall even more than usual because she had got a lot more rebellious but shes getting better now. will try a whistle, thank you........