Running off to say hi! to other dogs

[Tharras]

Oscar is now 5 1/2 months old and in many aspects of his charachter and training he is doing really well. The thing which concerns me is where we walk him (on an old golf course) there are many other dogs and he is getting into the habit of running off to play with them. Sometimes he'll run quite far to say hello! And when he knows another dog is close his focus goes out of the window! Whilst i appreciate all pups need to play and dont have much focus and i know its not always his fault as other dogs run over to him, is this something we should try to prevent or is this a natural stage and something he will grow out of? This is my first dog and I am keen to work him so i dont want to ruin things at an important time in his life. He is not ball toy orientated and we have yet to find thal all elusive high value treat that he will always come back for. Any help tips ideas or previous experience would be greatly appreciated!

[PennyB]

Its probably a good exercise in teaching your dog better recall - he won't grow out of things like this you have to teach him like most things - some dogs may not appreciate him running up to them and you may then have a dog who is injured or other bad experience

Interestingly mine weren't ball oriented either but in their case its also about my own enthusiasm to play with them as well - now they are very ball oriented - sometimes its up to you to encourage things in your dog

Recall is the key here though - I find walking in different directions helps, whislte training and lots of other ways - often its best to find your own way but be enthusiastic about it - if you sound bored or less excited then so will your dog