My work had it’s annual picnic this weekend. Because Daniel and I were also attending The Faint concert later that night, we decided to bring the dogs along. This was a pretty big deal since Osa would need to be muzzled.
I kept her leashed and nearby at all times. She did so well! Usually Osa gets really anxious around children and loud dogs, but we stayed on the outskirts of the crowd. And whenever she was uncomfortable, she got up and moved. I also alerted anyone attempting to pet her that Sampson would be the best choice. 🙂 Only once did she bark at a little boy. I didn’t see what happened, but it looked like while she was laying under the picnic table [muzzled], he laid on the bench, hovering over her, attempting to pet her. Probably not the best decision. At least she is smart enough to issue a warning first. 🙂
I think it's great that you socialized Osa some, even with her past issues. You were super responsible about it and I bet she felt good about the fact that you trusted her enough to take her!
My pup has some issues with other dogs on the occasion-she barks at them (not sure if it's aggressive or not–I don't think it is), so I find myself avoiding situations with other dogs when the best thing to do is probably to put her in more situations (responsibly, of course) so she can mature a bit.
I've done similar things with Dixie, they can't learn to overcome if they aren't exposed to things. Dixie used to be really nervous at dog parks when other dogs would come up to her, if I had just kept her at home she'd never learn that dog parks are fun! Now she loves the dog park, she still doesn't really like big dogs so I call her back to me if I see her getting nervous, but she's so much better.