Originally Posted by
tandempower
[...]
The best way to treat dogs is to talk to them in a friendly way, as if you were a friend of their owner. Say things like, "hey, boy" "good dog," etc. and tell them they better go home or they're going to get hit by a car. If they go into their play/puppy mind, then they might want to run with you or play, but they're less likely to attack, I think. Of course you can never be sure what they're thinking or what they're going to do, and owners should not allow their dogs to get loose, but it happens sometimes and I find that their bark gets a lot less tough when they are out in no-man's land instead of on their own property.
I suppose you're right, but it can be hard for me to respond in a calm and controlled manner when a strange dog is right in my face barking, and the owner is more interested in cussing me out than in controlling her dogs. I have a fear of dogs even though I've always had a dog of my own. And I've been bitten three times, which has reaffirmed my innate fear. So it's a situation I really don't like at all!