Where would I stand in this behaviour situation....

(sorry for the long post) My lurcher girl who is just over one and a half years old, is not 100% keen on dogs bigger then her.
To make it clear she was playing with a big lab one day which not on purpose bumped into her and she had a fright 'squealed' and ran to hide behind my legs the silly ******!
But since this when she meets a larger dog she will be quite quiet and rather stay by me to 'hide' until she comes out of her shell to play (shes very playfull)
But the 'incident' at a show was we came across an Alsation type (both on leads) which was fine to sniff and say hi, then she moved to hide behind me.
I informed the lady over and over that my dog was very unsure of larger dogs as her entire male dog kept jumping at and ontop of roxy sometimes in a rude gesture ! i moved further away each time whilst telling her. In the end after mine having squealed a few times she turned round with a 'nasty' growl and went at the dog and whilst trying to hold a bag, a dog thats scared out of her life and trying to move away and telling the woman to get away she let her dog carry on!
She didnt fully get at the other dog but it has knocked her confidence more in meeting bigger dogs. (this was the first time she has ever growled or shown teeth at any dog/human)
But if i happen to cross paths with some like this again, i hope nothing would happen but i guess there is a chance, what have i to stand on?
Thanks in advance to replies

All dog owners are responsible for their dogs and need to take their own dogs' temperaments into account. It sounds like you did this with the lady-- telling her that Roxy wasn't ok with bigger dogs-- but she paid no attention to you. Roxy must felt trapped. Her growl was a warning and perfectly civil in dog society. Personally, I would like the other dog's owner to be forced to attend training classes for a year.

If you have your dog on a lead and under control, you are doing everything you possibly can. If another dog owner won't listen to you when you say your dog isn't happy with bigger dogs, won't control their own dogs, or allows their dogs to approach yours when you have asked them not to do so, they are at fault-- I'm not a lawyer, so I can't say what the law is, but I can't imagine that anyone would find in favour of someone whose dog harassed your on-lead lurcher.

I am the person belonging to a large, powerful rescue dog who had no proper socialisation as a puppy, and so has never really learned his own strength (it's rather a lot; he's an Akita). He could be rough with other dogs. We took him to puppy classes, as an adult, and he *loved* them. He learned a lot about dealing with other dogs and because every situation was controlled, there was no risk. Maybe there are some classes with big dogs where Roxy could get to meet them in a positive, rewarding situation? Or some people with big dogs who might walk nicely with you? Just walking together can be very helpful to fearful dogs.

When you have a nervous dog, you have to learn to be very rude when the occasion arises. Unless you are prepared to keep your dog muzzled when out in public, you have to be prepared to tell owners who are a bit slow on the uptake in no uncertain terms to take get their dog away from yours and raise your voice if necessary to make them do it whilst walking away from them.

Unfortunately, being polite with some people just doesn't work .

Read this

http://flyingdogpress.com/content/view/42/97/

TBH I do not get into conversatioon, I just move away, her dog (and she) was very rude. Your dog is very wise, it looks up to you to sort it out (hence the going behind) so fulfil this expectation.

Yes your dog was relying on you to take control. Bella does the same now, having had a couple of frightening experiences, she dives behind my legs!

I've concluded that it is a waste of my time and energy remonstrating with or trying to reason with people who don't have control of their dogs. Their pathetic excuses just further pee me off.

Yesterday I had to physically intervene when a dog I know well went OTT. Not at my dog but at a really sweet Yorkie type who was over on my regular walking ground with her Italian owner - never seen them before and our dogs were playing and we were chatting.

Suddenly Adam, a short but very sturdy male white summat or other (who is often vocally very aggressive to other male dogs - not all of them - just some - he gets a bit pushy and shovey and gobby and definitely seems to see himself as the leader of the gang when a lot of dogs are around) well - he went nuts! Really nasty - snarling and barking and going for this little dog. The other littler dog did not retaliate at all. Owner picked her dog up and Adam continued to leap and jump and snap at the owner (fortunately a very tall girl). I was shouting and getting in between them and grabbed his harness but had to stand on his lead too to hang onto him.

When his owner reached us he just blerdy SHRUGGED and took the lead (a bit of rope) from me! Gawd - another nice dog and its owner who won't ever come to that place again.

A year ago I'd have been reading the owner the riot act about how they could have their dog taken away and destroyed if they weren't more careful blah blah ... but it's useless. If they saw any 'wrong in it' their dogs wouldn't be so out of control in the first place. They have this 'dogs will be dogs' attitude that applies not only to accepting that any male dog will fight another male (especially if girl dogs are around) but that it is cruelty to spay or neuter dogs. That it is not 'natural' to keep them leashed and not allow them to run off at will.

As I walked off I spotted the two Shar Peis (one of which is very aggressive and their owner trying desperately to get a lead on the nasty one) I just detoured a very long way round to avoid having to put Bella thro the stress of having this dog lurching and snapping at her as we crossed paths and vowed that tomorrow it will be the BEACH! And early enough that these lazy owners ain't even out of bed yet!

That was a fantastic read thanks SB

Very good article SB - thanks for putting it up.

I do not like dogs wanting to come and "play" or "socialise" with Pereg and they usually take note of her warning them to go away if they try to come into the yard. If not or if I see them I will shout for them to go away, which they usually do. My dog, my yard, my rules.

But yesterday a guy with some sort of bull breed dog on lead, decided that Pereg being outside was just asking for him to bring his dog to say hello, so he just started walking down the path, I saw him and called out politely to please take his dog away, and got the "what is the problem, he only wants to say hello and he is very good with other dogs, and look, your dog is wagging his tail".

When I asked him again to please take his dog away he looked at me as if I was crazy, shrugged his shoulders and turned to go away. His dog, on the other hand, having obviously thought it had been given permission to come and greet Pereg because his owner had started walking down the path, then started pulling towards her.

At which point I was rather rude.

As I say, my dog, my yard, my rules.

as said above, you have to learn to be rude in these situations; the other person was rude for ignoring you several times!!!

Personally if the dogs were on lead I would never let my dog over. More often than not there's a reason dogs are on lead.

Kestral can be nervous and things easily knock her confidence like big rambuntious dogs.
Where possible I try to avoid meeting them alltogether. I move kestral to the right or left where possible if it doesnt look like it will be a calm interaction.

Sounds like the owner wasnt listening and sadly I guess these things just do happen Hope your dog gets her confidence back soon.

The thing is if both dogs were on the lead and you realised the lady wasn't getting your point why didn't you walk away or step far enough back from reach of G S D before your own dog got to upset?