Not me.
My poor girl, it's now 6 months since we lost Jack and I wonder if this is part of her problem.
When I take for walks to areas she can go off lead her behaviour is more and more cowardly(for want of a better word) to the point she now will put her tail between her legs and make off in another direction when we come across another dog.
I have made.the decision to keep her on a lead as she probably feels more secure however it seems so sad!
Any ideas?
Karen.

Hi Dogz, it sounds as if your girl is feeling insecure since the loss of your other dog.
I would take things slowly and work on building her confidence. Do you ever walk with other dog owners ? Are there any people and dogs she was confident to be with prior to Jacks passing ?
If she is not happy in the company of other dogs I would not force her. Try and make things fun for her, playing games, and doing some training together, with lots of praise.
If she starts to get worried, do not be tempted to go there, there, act as if everything is normal, be confident and carry on as if all is fine.
Just concentrate on having fun with her, and I would not worry if this is on lead for the present, if that is what she is happier with. You can always graduate to a longer lead, and then a long line once her confidence starts to be rebuilt.
It is quite possible that she is picking up on your grief, and this has made her a little worried.
Think about what she likes doing best e.g. ball, games, tuggy toys whatever she likes, and in the places that she feels most secure and stick to those for the present.
It may take quite a while before there is any noticeable improvement, so just take things slowly, the more positive you are the more she will respond, happy sing song voice, and lots of praise when she wags her tail etc. Sometimes just telling her what a beautiful girl she is can lift them considerably. 
There are a number of herbal remedies on the market, Serene UM is one I know has worked well for nervous dogs and is sold at Pets at Home or from online canine chemists.  Good luck and do let us know how you get on.
  

Hi there,
Yes I do use the long lead now when appropriate it just seems a shame but she appears to before secure a little like a child having its hand held I suppose.
Also lots of love and fuss given. . . Thanks for the input I do appreciate it.
I wondered if a rescue companion would add to her woes or help husband would probably need convincing though as I say I don't know if this would be wrong for her at this ?

yes I do walk out sometimes though not often with other dogs, and also visit or are visited by dogs.

Karen

Hi Karen, Without seeing her it would be impossible to say if another dog would help or not. One of mine is much more confident with another dog around. If she is on her own she will stay very close to me, but when she is out with my other dogs, she will range a lot further.
I think some dogs by personality are leaders and others are followers.
What is she like with your friends dogs and others that visit ? Is she more confident then ? Or is she not happy in their company.
Sometimes the size and breed of the dog can make a big difference, my shy girl was always happy to meet and greet smaller dogs that were friendly, but bigger or more boisterous ones she was not happy with, and would disappear behind me and just peep at them.
When she came to live with us as a puppy I had a large very confident and extrovert Golden Retriever male who she grew up with, so she always relied on him and never had to worry, once he passed she was not as happy on walks, but then we bought another large gundog breed puppy, who also turned out to be a very confident dog things became a lot more normal.
I would only get a rescue if you truly want another dog, and most rescue centres would want your dog to meet the prospective new dog to ensure that they would get on together.
Dogs are by nature a pack animals so I always feel two or more dogs together always settle better. But for some owners it is not possible to own more than one, time, space, financial limitations have all to be taken into consideration.
Do you feel the dog is lonely or grieving for her lost pal ? Is there any friends dogs that she gets on well with ? If so would the owners let you borrow the dog for a few hours and see how your girl reacts, that might give you an indication if your dog needs a new companion or if that is the last thing she wants or needs.
Hope this helps, but if you can give us a bit more information or outline how she reacts in certain situations then we can try and help further.
 

She was the younger by 2 years and at home the boss!
However, when out and about he always took on the role of the gentleman and protector.
So I suppose this is all relevant to the way the situation has unfolded. Looking at your position I would want another"protector" to come in an older more confident probably male. She has always got on well enough with others, the builders dog always came to work with him and she was always happy with that......mine is very small builders a mixed breed possibly a small Anatolian Shepherd mix who tried to walk away with her bone, my girl simply jumped up and removed it from her mouth no grumbles no complaints.!
This is helping to to think it through.

Karen