What does it mean when dogs go nose to nose?  I thought it was just a sort of greeting and investigation.  My dog is not great with dogs she doesn't know (all except those at training school) and she doesn't seem to like this.  A labrador ran straight across a field making a beeline for my dog who did a typical runner which of course then turned into the Lab chasing her.  she was just running in a big circle really as she didn't want to leave me and eventually she turned to face him whereby they went nose to nose and after a few seconds she went for him.  It wasn't like she was trying to take a chunk out of him just warn him off which worked.  By this time the lab's owner reached us and looked at me a bit surprised but to be honest I am getting a bit fed up because my dog is not approaching other dogs or if she looks like she is I can recall her easily.  Am I wrong to just to accept this and if other people's dogs approach her and she warns them off just think fair enough?

I would think if other peoples dogs are approaching your dog,and their owners seem to take their time to get over it is their problem and your dog is within its rights to give them a warning,Zanta is still a pup and she would run up to other dogs if I let her, I either put her on the lead and meet them that way and if the other owner says she can play with them thats fine,and if we get caught out and I haven't time to put her lead on I change direction call her and distract her and always make sure that if she did run to greet them I am never far behind,so far this hasn't happened,but I think its my responsibility to be on my toes where my dog is concerned and ready to sort out a situation if it arises and apologise to the other owner.

How many dogs does she get to play with offlead?

She doesn't get to play much.  Even though I took her to puppy classes and now she goes to a training school she doesn't interact very well with other dogs when we're out.  She is off lead more than on because we walk through a park, woods and open farmland but even from the start she would be scared of other dogs and run away from them even though there was no apparent reason to be scared (not attacked or anything like that).  Trouble was once she started running the other dogs would think it was a good game of chase.  There is a CKCS at training that she got friendly with so we let the dogs off in a field after class for them to play and she just got too boisterous and started nipping his tail.  If I have her on a lead when we pass other dogs she will bark at them and jump about trying to get to them (all hot air).  If she is off lead and we pass close to another dog she will run behind them and try to nip their tails or back legs. Don't know how to get around this.