Trip to a pet store

It happens here too and I agree with Kristine once the damage is done the damage is done. But my obedience trainer says the worst thing you can do is pick up a small dog as it will teach it that it should be scared of big dogs. I havent figured out how to reconcile those two seemingly opposing perspectives.
I seem to come across an awful lot of little dogs who come up to both my big dogs and either bark in their face or snap at them when they try to politely say Hello. Rastus gets a hurt look on his face as if to say "what did I do wrong" It scares the willies out of me, as they are just snack size for big dogs.
I've often wished for an offlead park with a fence up the middle - one side for the big dogs and one for the little dogs.

I taught and teaching my dogs to ignore other dogs on walks. Especially now that I walk two at once too much to meet another dog.

You know what I don't like dogs that are not leashed walking in town. I always say I cannot make any promises the whole flight or fight. Mine being tied cannot leave. I really love when people say my dog is good. SO! maybe mine aren't maybe I don't want my dog meeting yours! oh no got me started

Mim, some dog parks do have splits by weight Under X lbs (or kgs) in one fenced in area, over in the other. It makes the little dog people feel a lot better and I don't blame them.

Getting our collective noses out of joint because people can't anticipate our dogs aren't (typically) into eating the little dog is kind of pointless. If they don't know your dog, how can they possibly know that? If the litmus test is the dog didn't eat Fluffy, what do we do when they guess wrong? Buy them a new Fluffy?

And I do know of a few OES who do consider small dogs fair game, i.e. prey, including a rescue I fostered whose owner is on the forum and who has to wear a muzzle when at the dog park, plus one of Mad's sisters who clearly felt my friend's Havanese would make a tasty little snack. She finished her championship and was promptly sent back to her co-owners/ pet home to be spayed instead of bred because her breeder wasn't about to risk perpetuating that. But in some breeds that degree & type of prey drive is highly desirable (think terriers and sighthounds for instance).

I suppose picking the little guys up can reinforce any fear of big dogs they may have. My experience is that a greater percentage of small dogs don't know they're small, or at least refuse to concede that so many get in a big dog's face and basically ask to be eaten Even carrying them isn't a surefire thing: I've seen big dogs leap up and try to snatch the bait, I'm sorry, dog right out of someone's arms.
Mind you, when the Havanese has stayed with me in the past she runs the place. Woe to the OES who thinks she can get up on the bed if Ali's in the house. But she's also gotten hurt by her OES housemate simply by being stepped on. It ain't easy being small in a Big Dog World.

Kristine