My dog and reactive dog

[Advicewelcome10]

I was walking my dog today she’s always off lead if we are in park woods beach etc and has 99% recall I say that because no dog has 100% recall so we were just leaving the beach coming off the sand and a dog was on lead with a woman about 15ft away aiming to walk the opposite direction to us my dog did not even look in their direction she does not go to people dog runners bikers etc she is excellent like that she was just focused on her ball in my hand, anyway the woman slowed to a stop staring at us she didn’t say anything so I threw my dogs ball in the direction we were leaving away from the woman and her dog and she started shouting “well that’s going to fucking rile my dog up!” I turned around and said pardon my dogs just chasing her ball then she exploded screaming she’s been attacked before and I shouldn’t own a dog it should be on a lead all the while her dogs barking and snarling at me as my dog and husband had continued to walk and play ball, my question is should I have put my dog on a lead? We were in an area of the beach that dogs are off lead at lot and bear in mind she didn’t ask me too leash her I would have if she asked and my dog was 15ft away and didn’t even acknowledge them but it’s left me feeling like should I always leash my dog when people pass was I wrong or was she out of order as she must have known it’s a very busy dog walking area loads off leash dogs sorry for the long winded post but I’m angry at her having a go at me and a bit annoyed I should have said do u want my dog on lead while u pass maybe hearing from people with reactive dogs or who have been attacked before will explain better why she felt she should scream and shout at me I feel for nothing.

“well that’s going to fucking rile my dog up!”

Very much sounds like a "them" problem. If someone has a reactive dog; they cannot expect a dog free zone unless they stay in their own garden; and even then other dogs will walk past and birds will fly in the sky.

At our local beach, all dogs are supposed to be on lead. Is there a rule at your beach? Also in our local council run parks there are notices saying please keep your dogs on a lead.

I have a fear reactive dog and we are addressing this with quite a bit of work. Meanwhile he wears a yellow vest. Your dog was nowhere near it and she should have carried on walking. All the daft bint was doing was making her dog cross it's threshold. 🙄
It would be diffetrnt if your dog wandered up to it.
It's a HER problem.

She sounds an absolute charmer ...

I can't work out how close you were to her and her dog though, and I would say that I always think it is a bit off to throw balls when close to other dogs that aren't involved in the game.

Not a personal issue that is going to bother my dogs, as the one who might chase it has dodgy recall so is nearly always on a lead, and both are good natured - but the person throwing the ball doesn't know that. It is something that is likely to wind other dogs up.

I think that’s a them problem really.
my dog is still quite relatively young. She loves a ball. She has no interest in any other dog, ever. Not even a friendly hello or sniff. She’ll walk right past them like she’s never seen them 😆. But the ball? A completely different story. She just wants that ball thrown 100000000 times a day. And that’s what we do. But even the if the ball were to go another dogs way, my dog is a timid little thing, she wouldn’t confront the other dog, she’d confront me as to say well what you doing about it?!

I had it recently where I was walking my dog and chucking the ball as we do twice daily. I don’t follow the paths, I’m happy to walk out of the way. I had a situation where a woman’s dog came up to my dog chasing her from miles off, showing their teeth, snarling at her. My dog was terrified, yelping trying to get away. The woman had no recall over her dog whatsoever. Luckily my husband was with me and he took charge of the situation. The woman wasn’t apologetic, just informed me that her dog was like that “because yours was running “. I hate confrontation anyway and I will not get into a slanging match with a dog owner ever…most of them are unhinged in my experience, it’s just not worth it. But I couldn’t help myself. I did have to inform her that she’s got to get a grip on that with her dog because amazingly other dogs do run over parks, that’s what they do. I turned my back and carried on walking. I’m was so upset for my dog and for me really because it had pushed me into a confrontation I didn’t want. I know my dog doesn’t really like other dogs, so I just walk her out the way with her ball. But I must admit since this I do put on a lead when walking back home through the paths etc. I don’t want that experience again either for me or her.

She shouldn't have yelled at you like that, that was horrible. However I think 15 foot is quite close so at those quarters, if there is another dog on a lead then the polite and respectful thing to do is put your dog on a lead too until there is greater distance between them. If you notice that another dog within that level of proximity has a nervous/anxious sign or you can see that the owner is working hard to manage their dog in that moment then an exceptionally nice thing to do is to keep your dog calm, away, and move them on - but that is going above and beyond what most people would do. She shouldn't have made you feel awful or been so rude though.

I usually walk my dog off-lead because he has excellent recall, but I do pop him on lead if we see an unfamiliar dog as you can never predict how other dogs (or owners!) will react.

She was horribly rude to you, though, and there is no excuse for that.

I'm struggling to picture the relative positions you were in, but I think if you were leaving the sand and going back onto public pavements/streets then your dog should have been on a lead already, and you shouldn't have been throwing the ball for her on the pavement - but I may have got the area wrong and it wasn't a pavement? I think you sound like a thoughtful dog owner though and it's really nice to read owners talking about having courtesy for others!

Just have all dogs on leads at all times, then everyone knows where they stand.

My dog has decent recall around other dogs; scents are a different matter, so I'm selective about where he is let off lead, but if I spot a leashed dog, even in the distance, he goes on his lead until we are out of sight. He has no interest in strange dogs, but I've worked with reactive dogs, and I know that sinking feeling you get when you spot an off-leash dog.

The woman shouldn't have been rude, but tbf, throwing a ball in front of a leashed dog is asking for trouble and a bit inconsiderate. We save ball games for when we're alone, and I'll always ask if another off-leash dog comes into our vicinty whether it's still OK. If balls are a dog's "thing," they can cause unnecessary aggression/tension. It's not worth the risk. You can argue a dog with a thing about balls shouldn't be off lead, but that won't help when you need to split up a dog fight.

Thank you all for replies the beach is off lead dog friendly September to March as we were leaving the beach it leads to sand dunes and a very big grassy with paths area then the car park if we were to leave somewhere straight to a normal path/pavement I definitely would have clipped the lead on and as for the ball I should have waited to throw it but we had passed by her in the opposite direction as she stopped then I threw it with the intention of carrying on away from them (her dog was already barking growling before I threw the ball) but from reading your comments I will be more considerate and pop her lead on if we see another dog on lead that isn’t very friendly or reactive just for peace of mind thanks again

OTT reaction from her but agree it's basic dog owner etiquette to put your dog on the lead if someone else's is. I have a reactive dog and am fortunate almost every dog owner I come across leashes theirs when they see mine is on lead. It removes an extra layer of stress which I'm grateful for.

If her dog was barking then your dog was already too close. You might think 15ft reasonable but the dog was clearly communicating that it wasn't, for them, in that situation. Throwing the ball was really ill advised at that point and would have just added fuel to the fire.

Woman was OTT and should have advocated for her dog better, by making space themselves if 15ft proximity is problematic, but you could also have shown more consideration to a dog and owner that were clearly uncomfortable (and it's great that you've acknowledged that).

I have a reative border collie - and of course his love in life are balls!. However, I don't think you've done anything wrong OP. The local beach we goto is year round dog friendly, and we always come across off lead dog walkers throwing balls. I have the reactive dog and it's my responsibility to manage that. You were walking in the opposite direction, with your dog who was under your control so I don't understand what the other woman's issue was. She could have just kept walking - which is what I do!

Her reaction was completely OTT. I don't think it's a good idea to throw a ball that close in the direction of an unfamiliar dog though. In an open space like a beach, if your dog can reliably not approach other dogs, I think it's fair enough to leave a big distance between you and the other dog and not leash. 15ft is on the close side and would be safer to leash at this distance imo.

I have a reactive dog and I can usually walk her past other dogs on the opposite side of the road without her barking so long as they're on a lead. If they're off lead, then that's a red rag to the bull and makes keeping her calm significantly more difficult. It's a me problem at the end of the day and I wouldn't confront another owner as it's my dog with the issue!

To meet their physical and mental health needs, dogs should be trained and then allowed off lead (if it is safe to do so). You clearly know bugger all about dogs if you think they should all be on leads.

If I see a dog on a lead I put mine on lead out of courtesy, because I've had reactive dogs and I know how stressful it is not knowing whether your off lead dog will stay away or is 'really friendly - he just wants to say hello!'. Yeah. Mine does not want to be hello-ed, though.

So I think you were technically reasonable but still - unreasonable.

Sounds like the owner is as reactive as the dog.

I have a fear reactive dog. We tend not to walk where dogs are allowed off the lead.
Its not your problem that my dog has issues.

She sounds absolutely bat shit crazy !!

your dog was no where near hers

no need to leash yours or stop playing with your dog.

she needs to work on her dogs reactivity

I have a rescue that is reactive to other dogs but this wouldn't bother me as you were going away from the dog.
It only bothers me when people allow their friendly dogs to run right up to ours. Even then I'm never rude about it but it does make the walk more stressful.
He has a yellow coat that says nervous rescue. He only barks but it sounds so loud and aggressive.
We mostly walk him in very remote places or hire dog fields as we realise it's not other people's problem.
You sound very thoughtful so I wouldn't worry.

Thanks for all replies I walked my dog this morning she did go off lead but each time I saw a dog on lead (twice) I clipped her on just for their piece of mind it’s not a problem I just wish the woman had said he’s reactive please put yours on lead until we’ve passed I absolutely would have although my dog had carried on with my husband and passed her already by the time she was swearing and screaming but it’s a lesson for me to be more cautious and understanding for reactive dogs and how their owners must be worrying. I appreciate everyone’s perspective on this it’s been very helpful for me!

My dog doesn't like other dogs running up to her. She'll ignore them quite happily if they ignore her - and I really appreciate that most dog owners will leash their dog when they see mine (who is always leashed).

As long as your dog is under control I don’t see an issue. I tend to recall mine and have them very close or put on a lead. More to keep my dog safe than anything else.

The ball chucking thing is a bit more annoying though. It will frustrate a dog on lead if your throwing a ball and it can’t run or sees another dog running. Far away that’s different but it is annoying when people do that really close and my arm nearly gets ripped out the socket.

If I see another dog on a lead then my dog gets put on. If thy are off lead then I don't either. That's it really