Imagine bringing your dog to the local park and letting them off the leash when they spot another dog, or even a child, and run over for a sniff.

You pet's tail is wagging, and it looks like they're having fun.

"It's OK, my dog is friendly," you say.

That may very well be true, but what do you know about this other dog, or child, or how they may react when approached by a strange dog off-leash.

One mother wants dog owners to take more responsibility after she said two large, off-leash dogs came up to a group of children at a birthday party on the Sunshine Coast on Tuesday.

Off-leash rules Make sure your dog is under your control (for example, your dog will return to you when called)

Make sure your dog is under your control (for example, your dog will return to you when called) It's not a nuisance to other dogs and their owners

It's not a nuisance to other dogs and their owners Its droppings are disposed of in the bins provided

Its droppings are disposed of in the bins provided It's registered with council, wormed regularly, and its vaccinations are up to date Source: Brisbane City Council

"They [dog owners] had no control over their dogs," the woman, who asked not to be named, said.

"When we asked them to keep their 'uncontrollable' dogs away from the children playing on the play equipment and the baby on the rug, we were met with swearing, rudeness, and rude gestures.

"What a lack of courtesy and lack of respect for local laws that also govern dog parks.

"We were instead told that these dogs were friendly. We don't know those dogs, nor do those dogs know those kids."

Dog behaviour specialist Grant Teeboon, also known as The Paw Man, said it was all too common.

"Some children are not comfortable with dogs that just come up and invade their space," Mr Teeboon said.

People make "visual assumptions" when allowing their pets to approach other dogs, one expert says. ( ABC Open contributor Dave Hall, Surf and Turf Images )

"The dogs don't know this, the dog may have interacted with children who are part of the family it lives with and run up and climb all over them.

"But other children can be quite intimidated and quite fearful of these dogs.

"The dogs may be friendly but that doesn't mean that the child won't be terrified."

He said off-leash dogs could cause stress in children, causing them to run and scream, which the dog sees as an invitation to play.

"If the child then does the wrong thing, the dog may come up just to play in a friendly manner but the child becomes stressed," he said.

"And when a dog chases a child, they don't capture them with their paws, they capture them with their teeth, albeit in a friendly manner.

"And if that child pulls their arm away, hey presto, we have a dog bite situation where there was no malice on the part of the dog."

'This animal should not be off its leash'

Late last year, Lara Barnshaw was walking two family dogs along the dog beach at Palm Beach on the Gold Coast when one of them was attacked by a large dog.

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The 15-year-old Lhasa apso ended up in emergency surgery, costing $2,000.

"The owner had no control of this animal and should not of let it off its lead," Ms Barnshaw wrote at the time.

"My husband had to full body jump on this dog, put his hands in the dogs mouth to make it release my mum's dog."

Mr Teeboon said dog owners often made "visual assumptions" when allowing their pets to approach other dogs.

"They automatically assume someone walking a Labrador, because those dogs have such a good reputation, that is must be friendly and approachable," he said.

"But quite often people have very friendly and approachable-looking dogs that do not tolerate other dogs getting in their face.

"Really even if your dog is on-leash you shouldn't approach another dog either with your dog or on your own without asking permission of the person in control of the dog.

"Some dogs have issues, they may have been attacked by other dogs, or may be a rescue that suffered abuse at the hands of people, and you're making it very difficult for the person controlling the dog if you just walk straight up and put your hand out."\