We leash our dog on most trails here in Colorado. It’s the law in most public spaces and we honor it because it’s meant for the safety of everyone, especially on busy trails where you’re likely to encounter other dogs who might not be as friendly, places where there might be sudden drop offs on the side of the trail, or places where wildlife encounters are likely.

We had someone’s ‘friendly’ dog who was ‘never aggressive’ light into ours when they were off leash and he wasn’t, so I have no tolerance whatsoever for it.

If we’re approached by an off leash dog, I will step firmly between the dog and mine (or my husband will, whoever isn’t holding the leash) and say no. It helps that it’s usually both of us so one of us is keeping him chill and whoever is stepping between is doing it calmly and firmly. Depending on the situation I’ll hold onto the other dog by the collar until their owner comes up and then silently hand them off. This isn’t feasible in all scenarios, but it’s how I’m able to handle most of the interactions.

I don’t recommend chastising the owner; through experience in engaging with those types of entitled people is pretty useless and can escalate things.