american staffordshire terrier - dangerous?, page-48

Hi Sypaladin,

''In most cases dogs won't fight if they can see a way out.
It's only when they feel they have no options and their ego demands they fight.''

That's the point I was trying to make. That dogs will avoid another dog that isn't displaying sociable behaviour, if they are able to read the signs and are free to act naturally.
When a dog is restrained by a lead or strict command, it may act defensively.

An example is a large German Shepherd in my local 200 acre park, who's owner has him unleashed but constantly under his control by making him drop. When he drops he looks threatening and other dogs go very wide but once the owner took his eyes off him and he got up and jumped on my dog from behind. Luckily my dog realised there was no shame in legging it when the owner spotted the lapse of strict control. That dog has never learned to socialise with people and dogs because it's ruled by it's owner all the time.