Originally Posted by andymt

Thanks-I accept that I might not have as much as control over my dog as my parents do, (they are the ones who trained him and look after him for the most part etc..)
So I'm going to keep him on a lead when I walk him, except when I reach some open grass parks that I know well where I can let him have a run around. Even then I will keep an eye on him and keep an eye out for other male dogs and put him back on the lead until it seems safe.
I will tell my parents when they come back from holiday (I'm looking after house and dog whilst they are away.)

Although the behaviour of the other dog's owners was outrageous, this incident has alerted me to the fact that I might not have as much control over my dog as I should, probably because he treats my parents as his real leader. If I feel patient I might try to get him to do some of the commands my parents have trained him to do, such as roll over and lift up his paw etc... Just to try and assert some leadership..

Thanks everyone for the supportive comments, and the girlfriend is completely fine now, apart from some worries about the clumps of hair pulled out by the other woman.