I only once had a problem with dogs.
My experience is that the dog in the farmlands attacks on sight if you walk into one of those first meadows.
I never had the problem later on. I let the meadows be the meadows and just walked up to the houses. He didn't attacked me. When he's out of sight you can explore as much as you like.
-I don't really think this is a solution. It's just what I experienced.
