As it turned out though, three of the beardies - one who always bullies Jasper - had been left in their cars so there were just three other dogs, all of whom Jasper knew and he seemed really pleased to see them
Then I saw the table with cakes on 
and quickly got his lead on. He stood very calmly while I had a cup of coffee and chocolate refrigerator cake.I let him off lead as he then wanted to play with the other dogs and though he tried to check out the table a few times he didn't kick up any fuss when gently edged away, even with a bit of a pull on his collar. On past behaviour, I half expected him to be obsessed with the food, ignoring the other dogs, and turn nasty if physically thwarted. He was interested in the food, certainly, but I think accepted it wasn't for him so he might as well play with the other dogs instead.
He's also been nervous of children in the past, but he coped admirably with a 2.5-year-old with cake and crisps in his hand... Jasper would sniff the food, the lad would lift his hand up in the air (not realising that all this did was bring it up to Jasper's nose level), and shriek and flap a little. He does know this child - he's nicked three apples off in in the past so probably regards him as a food dispenser
He was neither upset by the lad, nor trying to get the food off him (though finding it difficult to remove his nose from it!), and came back to me every time I called him off to avoid it becoming too much for him.We moved on when the owners of the incarcerated beardies wanted to get them out for a play, but he seemed happier on the rest of our walk through the wood than he had been for a long time
