Thanks for the extra replies! I needed that encouragement.
I'm just going to accept what happened and work with her and we'll do our best.
As far as older, mellow dogs for my pup to be socialized around...is there anyone on this board who has one and wants to hang out? I live in Maine so send me a message if you'd like to get together.
Thanks again - so much!
All we can do now is just keep on keepin' on.
Jen

shaun, the quick answer to your question is... i was ignorant. i had no concept of my role as protector of my puppy. i had never before raised a puppy in a community with so many dogs running at large. previous puppies were raised out in the country. i had never before taken a puppy to a puppy obedience class. i had always trained by myself at home. i was pretty clueless.

you bet i make sure it can't happen again! i just got very lucky with my pup, that he had as much confidence with other dogs at a young age as he had. the dog people who met him at 12 weeks and saw him interact always commented on what great social skills he has.

in my defense, i was blindsided all three times. the first time, my pup was only 4 months old, we were in a puppy obedience class, minding our own business, when out of nowhere a golden pup, standing next to us, lashed out and slashed my pup's muzzle (he still has the scar). my pup just looked bewildered, but showed no lasting effects, except that now as an adult the only times he has had aggression towards other dogs is when we encounter a male golden, so i just keep him away from them.

the second time, we were out on forest service lands, hiking up a mountain. when we got to the top we found a woman jogging with her two unleashed adult great danes. my pup was about five months old at this time. the great danes went for him. no warning, no chance to see them up ahead and get out of the way. i threw myself between my pup and the danes and shouted them down until they ran after their owner (she didn't even stop!)

badly shaken, i hiked down the road the danes had come up (gentler grade, can see up ahead). unbelievably, another great dane and its owner were coming up the road! this dane looked just like the other two (piebald). but it was on a leash. i was about to grab my pup and hold him until the dane passed, when my pup went rushing up to the great dane, wiggling his butt with happiness and in greeting! unreal. luckily, this other dane was a friendly dog.

the last time was also out on public lands, but in an area that had, in a year's time, become terribly overcrowded with unleashed dogs and their owners. ben was playing nicely with a group of other dogs when a coonhound approached with his owner. the coonhound was offleash, he made a beeline for ben, singling him out of the other dogs, and proceeded to go for ben's throat. i raced in screaming, and thwacked the coonhound hard across the snout with my hiking staff. i rushed ben to the vet clinic with multiple puncture wounds. at this point, ben was about a year old, and i suspect the coonhound was antagonized by his adolescent testosterone smells (breeder's idea, after i told her the story.)

the coonhound's owner apologized profusely, explaining her dog was dog aggressive because of having been attacked himself. (so why was her dog off a leash?)

how i changed my thinking and behavior as a result of these experiences:

1. i quit taking my dog places where there are lots of other dogs running at large, including dog parks.

2. i started always keeping my dog on a leash, unless we were in a remote area and dogs and people approaching were clearly visible. even when off leash, he always has a tab on his collar so i can grab him quickly if necessary.

3. i trained my dog to always stay close to me in those situations.

4. i trained my dog to "down" whenever he sees a new dog on the horizon. he waits for me to release him after i've talked to the other dog's owner and ascertained that the other dog is dog friendly.

5. even when the other owner says her dog is good with other dogs, i assess for myself. if the dog is male, a large breed, and/or a breed known for dog aggression, i will not release ben. he has to hold a down-stay until the other dog is out of range.

so far, this is working well. i hope other puppy owners reading here will find my bad experiences cautionary and helpful to them.

My personal experience has shown that a dog with genetic tendencies towards dog aggression will be affected by an attack from another dog. However, some dogs that have been subjected to such attacks do not become dog aggressive, again genetics.