Originally Posted by
Rollfast
Dogs are territorial and when you pass their territory they can feel threatened or protective of their owners. It's instinctive. When the owner is there with them and the dog sees no threat to them they relax.
Loose dogs have no defined territory They are also pack animals.
I've had a couple dogs on leashes snap at me-- I give them too much room for them to get me. I think that's the type of incident the squeaky hub hypothesis is trying to explain. Mind you, I don't buy the hypothesis, so don't expect me to defend it.