My dog (Border Collie/patterdale/staffy cross) does the same thing!! You're not alone The only times she doesn't do this is if she has a ball in her mouth.

I've always been concerned about her behaviour when she does this because she really seems to be bullying the other dog into playing on her terms- she growls at them too. Having said that, most dogs jump out of the way initially and then come over to investigate, tail wagging, I think that if she meant it in an aggressive manner they would get the hint and do one! Is this what happens with yours?

I used to have a parsons terrier and selma used to bark at her to get her to play and it would work! - so I think there is a bit of learned behaviour in her case. On walks I've seen lots of lively terriers do the same barking/yapping whilst they're playing so I worry less about it now. It's so hard to tell what a dog has learned before you get them. I keep a close eye on selma's body language just in case and all her doggie buddies just accept her as the noisy one!

Are you able to let your dog off lead to see if he barks then?

Regardless of age, castration or whatever, two dogs that are strangers to each other will greet nose to nose and see if they agree with each other's company. If they are acquainted then they will meet flank to flank or nose to bum.

ahh, thank god he's not the only one, I was starting to think I had a freak of a dog lol!!!

i'd love to be able to let him off, but he'd be completely in a world of his own if we did and I doubt he'd come back! It'd be good if I could perhaps meet up with a friend in the park who had a calm but playful dog, to see what the reaction would be if we let them off in the tennis courts together (they're the only fully enclosed places in the park) but the problem is, I don't have any friends with a dog like that they're all over exciteable staffies, and I don't fancy risking a fight with one of those!

When we first got him, I took him for a walk, and I was talking to an old couple who had two dogs, and he completely ignored them, so i'm wondering if it's just because of a lack of socialisation, perhaps he's just a bit rusty on it. It's difficult to work on it at the moment because I only get one free day a week, so I don't get chance to get him down to the park much myself. I'm gonna really try and hammer it over easter and summer though, get him sorted while i've got plenty of time to spend with him. I'd love to get him socialised, then I can start working on his recall so that I can let him off to play with other dogs. It's like a big circle of training

__________________

R.I.P Buster - Causing mischief over the bridge, sleep tight soldier