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calling him away every time he went up to say hello
Like every sodding thing with dogs it's the timing! These owners are not saying come here as their dog comes towards me or other dogs they simply call them back (or sometimes don't even need to do that) to keep them moving. What's very apparent is the bond between dog and owner, the dog is playful and friendly yet finds it's owner more appealing. My dog walker (very annoyingly) has this with my dog.
No doubt a lot of what i've learned is through the optics of having a reactive/powerful dog and i'm sure what i'm being told is tailored to our needs however it's far from an uncommon view.
jono84
Interesting, thanks for taking the time to respond! We've only spent a few mornings with this particular circle group, but def don't recognise the suggestion that they're reactive with other dogs - Owen was that other dog very recently and everyone greeted him very nicely and they all play well. As seemingly happens every time a 'new' dog walked past. I can get that if someone has a reactive dog a big circle of playing dogs probably isn't a great place to be but I'm not sure I see (yet) any detriment to the dogs who are enjoying it. I certainly prefer these dogs being encouraged to engage with other dogs vs the ones who are so ball-focused they will refuse any canine interaction and eyes unmovingly fixed on the ball in the hope of another throw.
As the owner of a silly sweet goofy dog I love to see him play with other dogs (he loves it more than anything else) and the idea of calling him away every time he went up to say hello doesn't seem like it would be in his interests but maybe I'm unknowingly sabotaging his future happiness?