can we both be right...or both wrong?

Actually I think she's trying to say that if you can't train your dog not to run up to other dogs while it's off the leash, at least until the other dog is deemed non-aggressive or the owner says it's okay, then you could take your dog someplace where ALL the dogs are off-leash, like a dog park. >O.o<

Training your dog not to run up to other dogs until you release it to go meet them is very useful. It could prevent a dog fight if the other dog is aggressive. Also, what if there's a person in the park working on training with their dog (hence the leash), and yours runs up and interrupts? I can't imagine a dog owner being too pleased with that.

I don't think that's what meliani means faramir - I think what she means, and what I agree with, is this: if your dog runs up to unknown people and dogs while off lead, rather than playing w/ the other offlead dogs or sticking with you and you can't call him off of a "run to meet the person/dog" action then he should be leashed as common courtesy.

If your dog doesn't bother unknown people or dogs and/or he comes immediately when called, even off of greeting, then it's perfectly fine for him to be off lead. It's all a matter of training and respecting other people.

ok...but the situation i am describing is an off-leash dog area...not fenced in...any dog who comes in the area might be approached...a dog is not going to know how to make a distinction of whether the other dog is on a leash or not...the dogs are continually going up to each other at random.

And that's the problem...the approach, not whether the approached dog is on lead or not. A strong recall allows you to call you dog away from approaching a leashed dog and avoid conflict.

I thought I made myself clear in my post but I will elaborate...
 
1. I do not allow my dogs to be off leash unless they are in a fenced in dog park. My dogs are nuttier than Payday bars and do not have a solid recall. Because they do not have a solid recall, I have enough respect for my fellow man and their dogs to keep my dogs on leash when we are out in public. While I know my dogs are friendly, the thought of seeing a 100lb Rottweiler running in their direction is enough to give some people a panic attack. While I know my dogs are friendly, an off leash dog barreling towards a leashed dog is enough to put that dog on the defense and I wouldn't want a fight to ensue. Most importantly, because my dogs do not have a solid recall, the thought of my dogs running off never to be seen again is horrifying to me as I love my dogs more than life itself.
 
2.  If a dog does not have a solid recall, it has no business being allowed off leash in a public place not counting a fenced in dog park. Unfortunately, where I live there aren't any dog parks nearby so I walk my dogs leashed to the parks nearby. My dogs know the "ignore" command and we can walk past off leash dogs without a problem. It becomes a problem when the off leash dog comes running my way and is totally disregarding it's owner's call to return. Even if the dog is friendly, it's rather foolish to assume that the leashed dogs are friendly because you never know and it would be a damn shame to have to find out the hard way and it will be the dogs who suffer.

ORIGINAL: meilani

If the dog doesn't have a solid recall then it shouldn't be off leash. I never allow my dogs off leash in public areas, with the exception of dog parks, because my dogs don't have a solid recall and I know that some dogs and a lot of people are afraid of off leash dogs and it would be rather rude of me to subject others to that. It irks me when an off leash dog barrels my way. For one, I don't know if this dog is friendly or not and that scares me. Two, I'm walking a Rottweiler and 2 Boston Terriers who think they're tougher than the Rottweiler and if they see an off leash dog barreling our way, they get on the defensive and quite honestly, if I see an off leash dog running my way, I'm going to put my Rottweiler in front of my Bostons and I because I would rather him put the chomp on an off leash dog than to have an off leash dog put the chomp on me or my Bostons.

As far as the "vicious" Poodles go, as long as they are on leash and they are under their owners control, they have every right to walk in the park. If you can't control your dog not to run up to them then you'd have no right to get mad at them if their Poodles attack your dog.

My point exactly

ORIGINAL: faramir

ok...but the situation i am describing is an off-leash dog area...not fenced in...any dog who comes in the area might be approached...a dog is not going to know how to make a distinction of whether the other dog is on a leash or not...the dogs are continually going up to each other at random.

I taught my dog to "stay with me" if we're walking around off-leash. That means to stay within a 5-10 foot radius of me until I say "ok" to release her. She WILL not run off when I tell her to "stay with me," and if I release her and she begins to walk toward another dog I don't know, I tell her to "c'mere" and to "stay" while I ask the other owner if their dog is friendly etc.

A dog might not be able to tell the difference between a leashed dog and a non-leashed dog, but we sure as heck can, and I think it's our responsibility as dog owners to control our dogs, whether they or on or off the leash. >u.u<