Have you ever been pleased/relieved to be told a dog “is friendly”?

[lingle]

Or to hear more about the dog’s age, training, “people who don’t like dogs” or that said dog is “just having fun”

I personally haven’t - it’s very annoying because I’m often thinking about work/solving a work problem, or getting away from the stresses/conflicts of everyday life when on a walk and if a dog needs to be called away I prefer the owner to just say “sorry” so I can say “no problem” and then we can each get on with our day.

of course the dog owner can curse my failure to embrace the chance to praise their dog/ask what breed it is afterwards - not on my time.

The absolute last thing I want to encounter (aside from an aggressive dog) is a "friendly" one. Code for badly trained. I don't want your horrible mutt jumping all over me thanks. If you absolutely cannot help but tell me about your dog's personality traits, I would like one that is nonchalant or aloof thanks. This would please me much more than the dreaded "He's just being friendly"

Sorry that smile was at grouty.

I don't think I've ever met a dog that wasn't friendly.

Usually the dog has already run amok and jumped up, knocked over a small child, frightened a dog nervous child etc etc. so the damage is already done.

I'd rather an owner said "it's ok he's well trained" rather than "he's friendly".

It depends why they are saying it!

I quite often say my dog is friendly for 2 reasons
1: People ask if they can stroke her
2: she is a large black dog (greyhound) and some people won't walk past her on a path despite being on a lead walking to heel or we are stopped letting them past. So I simply say she's friendly and fully under control.

Soubriquet is off their rocket

I think saying the dog is fully under control is much better Scottish.

of course if a person asks to touch the dog that’s different too.

Just now I saw a white bull breed dog minding it own business and being walked properly.

Then suddenly a brown bull breed dog coming down a side street walking it's owner started barking madly and aggressively at first dog while pulling at the lead.

First dog completely ignored second dog.

Guess which dog I felt was friendly and which one I didn't want to be anywhere near?

“I would like one that is nonchalant or aloof thanks.”
rofl - see also cats

No but someone said it to me yesterday and it was just funny. The owners overheard me saying "he growled at me!" As we walked past two dachshunds sat in a trolly at a garden centre. I didn't expect the owners to hear me but the man turned around and said "did he? No he's friendly. He doesn't normally growl. Sorry, look!" [dog rolls over because he's rubbing his belly]. I had to explain that I just thought it was funny he growled because it was in response to me saying "look at you. How cute are you?"

Un my book, an owner clarifying that the dog is friendly is an owner who has a poorly trained dog or a dog out of control.

I don’t give a shit about their friendliness if they are jumping at people, approaching my dog too fast or walking all over our picnic. It is just bad dog ownership, if you have no control over your dog keep him on a leash when distractors abound.

Yes, I live in an area where lots of properties have guard dogs and there are hare coursers and strays. I very much want to know if I'm about to meet a dog or fight a dog.

It’s what shit dog owners say to justify poorly trained, out of control animals.

My dogs are infinitely friendly and I would never dream of allowing them to run up to anyone, let alone a stranger in a public place. It comes when stupid people own animals.

What is a hare courser? Sounds terrifying

I took my dog along a popular seafront promenade today. She behaved extremely well, ignored people, and even didn't bother with other dogs for a bloody change . She had probably a dozen people stop us, say how beautiful she is, and ask if they could say hello..she obliged when they asked. I was complimented on how well-behaved she is.
Only one dog owner let his off lead dog run towards her... she didn't react though and I loudly said,'Away!' And 'you really don't want to' the owner grabbed his dog smartish!
I don't let her approach people unless they initiate it.
Off lead dogs running towards her are an utter pain..I'm quite loud at saying 'no' and 'put your dog on a lead!'

No. It piss3s me off, because it almost almost means that the dog has just jumped up smearing muddy paw prints down my clothes, or worse still, tearing them, or wiped its snotty slobbering muzzle on me.

It's the stupid owners that really piss me off though, not the dogs themselves.

Really? You're lucky. I was attacked by a dog as a child and still have the scars now - I'm 51.

My dog is friendly enough, but excitable, especially when there are young kids running about (he's a border collie) so I walk him on the lead. There are certain dogs he likes, so I can walk directly past them. All other dogs I approach with caution with him. When he's off leash, and we are doing ball work, he is 100% focused on the ball!

Yes as I’m not going to stand and have a dog snarling and barking at me. We’ve had dogs chase the horses and the sheep while the owner is screaming “they’re friendly”. I adore our dogs but have absolutely no time for owners who cant be arsed to train their dogs to recall or behave.

Forgot to say she stays on lead!

Having been attacked by someone else's 'family pet' as a child and scarred for life, I will never believe that a dog running towards me barking is friendly.

I'd much rather the dog owner just apologised.

I do find it reassuring personally, I’m not a dog person, I don’t trust them and prefer to keep my distance. They are unpredictable animals but I find it slightly reassuring when an owner calls out that their dog is friendly as it bounds up to me, it makes me less nervous that they’re going to take a chunk out of me! Not totally at ease but more comfortable.
I’d just prefer for dogs not to exist really because I think they should be free to run off lead - they’re animals and need exercise and freedom as much as we do but I just don’t like them and my kids are a bit like me in that they find them unpredictable (I guess because we aren’t dog people and never grew up around them so we don’t know their signs!), if they just weren’t here then none of these issues would occur!
(Joking slightly here, dogs have amazing purposes in specific circumstances!!)

It's just an opinion.