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Original poster

Who should have moved out of the way in this situation?

36 replies

Velveteal · 11/02/2020 14:42

Just had a very minor incident but I’m new to all of this and I came away feeling like I’d done something wrong.

Walking pup who’s 6 months old on lead on a normal pavement (not wide but wide enough for 2 people to cross paths comfortably).

Lady coming around the corner towards us with her dog on lead. Pup gets excited and pulls to the end of his lead (which is about 4ft long) there’s still 30ft between myself and the lady.

As she sees us approaching she shouted ‘my dog is NOT friendly’, she made no attempt to change direction and kept coming towards us so I crossed the road with pup.

So no drama at all but I thought shouldn’t she have been the one to cross over? She really shouted at me, which I understand but her tone was as if I was in the wrong. Shouldn’t she have shouted ‘sorry, my dog isn’t friendly’ and turned immediately to cross instead I had to get out of the way for her.

OP posts:
Honeyroar · 11/02/2020 14:45

She was probably worrying because your pup was at the end of it’s lead looking excited. She probably just wanted you to rein it in and have a proper hold of it. If both dogs were on a short lead and under control nobody needed to cross over.

emma123456 · 11/02/2020 14:46

I'd say you move. She sounds like she had complete control over her dog and you didn't.

Lostkeyagain · 11/02/2020 14:46

I guess if your pup was the one initiating interaction and likely to try to go over, you were right to cross over.

She could have been nicer about it but it’s better than your DDog getting a fright from an unfriendly dog; I’d much rather people warned me so I can get my dog clear.

ticktock19 · 11/02/2020 14:47

The dog I walk for a neighbour is very anxious and can sound very aggressive when she encounters another dog and I always make the effort to be the one to move out of the way - either cross the road or pull in to the side and wait for the other dog to pass. You were very obliging and it makes me wonder if she struggles to control her dog with the way she shouted.

CMOTDibbler · 11/02/2020 14:49

I would have shortened up the lead, and put pup on your heel next to the hedge, so that she could do the same with her dog roadside - this is the normal procedure. If yours won't walk past nicely, then you put them in a sit and 'look at me' while the other passes.

SilentTights · 11/02/2020 14:50

Does it really matter? I mean, I get that she was riude but no one in their right might would allow a six month old dog to walk near to a dog that may react badly - regardless of rights or wrongs, you are respsonsible for your dog's happy upbringing so do whatever it takes to do it right.

TBH she may also have been on the receiving end of a load of well meaning puppy owners trying to "socialise" their dogs by introducing them to every older dog they meet. It gets pretty stressful if your dog is nervous around other dogs for it to keep happening (and it does).

Plus, maybe her dog is not aggressive if it is just passing a dog, but just doesn't want to be jumped on and yours on the very end of the lead looked like it might so she was asking you to have greater control if you were going to pass close by. Which also seems reasonable.

People often greatly underestimate how much space (almost all) dogs need to pass each other comfortbaly - especially head on.

She still should have been more polite about it, though.

Original poster
Velveteal · 11/02/2020 14:54

SilentTights no it’s doesn’t really matter at all, like I said in my op in was a very minor incident and no drama but I’m new to this and wanted a more experienced dog owners take on it because I’m sure it’ll happen at some point in the future.

Thanks everyone.

OP posts:
SilentTights · 11/02/2020 14:55

Fair play, I didn't mean my opening para to read so rudely. I more meant that I wouldn't sweat whose fault it was but would do whatever necessary to look after my dog.

tabulahrasa · 11/02/2020 14:59

“So no drama at all but I thought shouldn’t she have been the one to cross over?”

Well no, not if her dog was walking normally on the lead... because if yours also had been you could have just passed each other without anyone crossing over.

Original poster
Velveteal · 11/02/2020 14:59

Which I think I did didn’t I? With hindsight stopping and putting him into a sit would have been a better idea but my first thought was to just divert, this puppy training stuff is all so new to me still.

Anyway, I’ll do that if our paths cross again.

OP posts:
Original poster
Velveteal · 11/02/2020 15:01

tabulahrasa he’s a work in progress when it comes to pulling ahead, we haven’t got it nailed yet but we are working on it.

OP posts:
Original poster
Velveteal · 11/02/2020 15:04

Why do people on this board have to be so abrasive in their replies? It certainly puts me off asking for advice so it must do the same for others which is such a shame.

OP posts:
Floralnomad · 11/02/2020 15:09

She may have just said he’s not friendly because although she was happy to pass you she didn’t want to stop and let the dogs sniff each other , I would do the same because my dog is not good with pups although he’s perfectly safe to pass on a pavement .

DogInATent · 11/02/2020 15:11

She was giving you advance warning to shorten the lead, and to either move to one edge of the path so she could move to the other - putting yourself between your pup and her and her dog.

She probably didn't recognise you as a regular dog walker already familiar with her and her dog (we all get used to which other dogs need caution to pass), or thought that because your pup was bouncing around at the end of the leash you were one of the "he only wants to say hello" idiots types.

Neither of you needed to cross. You're on the learning curve of dog walker etiquette.

I'm similar to the other walker in my reactions. I'll alert other dog walkers that my dog doesn't like to be bounced at head-on. I'll stop and allow someone coming towards me to fit a leash if their dog is loose, or to get control of it's not. And I'll react to what they do in terms of pavement position. Usually I'll stop at a convenient point and make my dog wait on a shortened leash against my leg whist you pass. There's a few I will cross over for, but only because I already know their dog is more reactive than mine and from experience that there's no peaceful means of passing each other.

Original poster
Velveteal · 11/02/2020 15:12

Floralnomad ah yes ok, so that would explain why she didn’t stop or go to cross, she could have been saying don’t let him sniff rather than don’t let him pass. That makes sense.

OP posts:
SittingInMustard · 11/02/2020 15:13

Has anyone been abrasive? I don't see any rude replies, just factual ones.

Original poster
Velveteal · 11/02/2020 15:18

Yeh I do find people very abrasive on this board. On most threads where people are asking for advice there’s always some blunt and often rude replies often from the more experienced dog owners. It’s not like that on the puppy support thread which is nice,

It’s fine but its not my style. I’m just not a good fit for it.

OP posts:
tabulahrasa · 11/02/2020 15:24

“he’s a work in progress when it comes to pulling ahead, we haven’t got it nailed yet but we are working on it.“

Well yeah, he’s a puppy Smile

But if he’d been able to just walk past with you, without trying to greet the other dog nobody would have had to cross, so it should be you crossing is all I meant.

AgathaX · 11/02/2020 15:26

As others have said, it sounds like she was asking you to rein your dog in and get him under control by your side. Pulling four foot ahead and straining on the lead isn't good, so it was fair enough.

Honeyroar · 11/02/2020 16:55

I can’t see many blunt or abrasive replies, apart for perhaps one which was apologised for. I thought I was giving a helpful reply.

LochJessMonster · 11/02/2020 17:00

As the owner of a dog who is not dog friendly, I always move away from the situation. Even if the other dog is doing the most perfect heel or sit.
My dog is the one that is going to react, so I remove us from the situation. It's part of having a reactive dog.

frostedviolets · 11/02/2020 17:07

I would not be at all happy if I was walking on a pavement and in front of me another dog approaching ran and hit the end of it's 4 foot lead ahead bouncy and wanting to interact.

Your dog wouldn't be under control and mine would be stressed and possibly react badly.

They should be walking near enough at heel when passing on pavements imo

Original poster
Velveteal · 11/02/2020 17:17

We were 30 foot away! He didn’t run, he wasn’t bouncing!! He’s a tiny puppy. We crossed the road. I’m not happy to be shouted at by someone with a reactive dog!

Thank you for all the constructive replies. I’ll continue to train him not to pull and I know for next time that I was correct to cross over or another option would be to have put him into a sit.

OP posts:
jinxpixie · 11/02/2020 17:26

I always take action to ensure my dog is comfortable in any situation so I would have crossed over BUT if your dog was reacting to mine on a long line I would also be vary that your dog may have stepped off the pavement to interact with mine. So I would have spoken to you to clarify this

ProfessorHasturLaVista · 11/02/2020 17:29

I would have put my reactive dog in a sit to the side and said she wasn’t friendly as you approached.
There isn’t really a Right Or Wrong though.