He always seems to really enjoy greeting people though. He always approaches wagging his tail. I thought it was good to allow dogs to socialise with people so they don't get nervous..Nettle wrote:It's not okay to let strangers touch him, particularly on his head. He isn't a toy. None of us would like strangers touching us anywhere but heads are especially confrontational.
He is a works-in-progress, but honestly, it is never a good idea to let strangers pet our dogs, no matter how accommodating those dogs might be. Individual dogs might solicit touch from anybody and everybody, but most would rather be left alone.
All of us find some people threatening. Listen to your dog and be aware of his needs. He is your number one priority.
And yes of course you can let him off the lead - just make sure nobody touches him unless he knows them AND wants them to. Just as you would do with a child.
I'm contacting a local dog trainer/ behavour advisor today anyway for some help and guidance. I cant really afford it at the moment but hopefully it will be worth it in the long run..