Running off

Question
Hi i have a 9 month old german pointer who has been off the lead for quite sometime now but we have noticed over the last few weeks he is becoming alot more interested in other dog's ,he did this before and we trained him to play more with a ball,he is in no way aggressive in fact he get's growled at pinned to the floor but he wag's his tail and goes back for more, the problem is now if he wants to play he doesnt always want to come back and i think other dog owners see this big dog and think he's a threat and that he's naughty i dont want to be affraid to let him off the lead he is just overly friendly hope you can help

Answer
A lot of owners get complacent about teaching their puppies a really good recall because, at first, the pups stay close by.  But, as they mature, as you have found, the wider environment can be a lot more appealing to them.  My advice is to get Leslie Nelson's DVD, "Really Reliable Recall" and use it to teach your dog to come when called every single time!  You can get it from www.cleanrun.com.  I really can't blame the other dog owners, and it seems that you are responsible enough that you see their point of view as well, so I commend you for that.  And, it's great that you have done such a good job socializing your dog so that he is playful and friendly to others.  Now he just needs to have "big boy skills".  Good luck.