Do dog owners like it when people approach their dogs?

It depends on the dog. I own three. All three are mastiffs. The black one is the most social guy you'll ever meet: he absolutely loves people and he will greet everyone passing by in an over enthusiastic manner. Being black and being over enthusiastic, he scares to death a lot of people. read more

The owner may not like having strangers approach for the comfort of their dog or thenselves. I've had numerous dogs and I personally don't appreciate when people think it's ok to approach, call, or feed treats to my dog without asking. read more

Importantly, the correlation couldn’t be explained by the amount of time the dogs and their owners had spent living together, so it didn’t seem that the dog had simply learnt to ingratiate itself by copying the owner. Instead, the personality seemed to be part of the dog’s appeal in the first place. read more

Usually because they have learned this is rewarding. It mostly happens in puppyhood when they are cute and strangers welcome them with a fuss or even with a treat. They grow up to learn to approach people for the reward. read more