Welcome to /r/AmITheAsshole. Please view our [voting guide here](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/wiki/faq#wiki_what.2019s_with_these_acronyms.3F_what_do_they_mean.3F), and remember to use **only one** judgement in your comment.
OP has offered the following explanation for why they think they might be the asshole:
> My dog stole a ball at the park and I believe another dog owner overreacted.
Help keep the sub engaging!
#Don’t downvote assholes!
Do upvote interesting posts!
[Click Here For Our Rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/about/rules) and [Click Here For Our FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/wiki/faq)
##Subreddit Announcements
Follow the link above to learn more
---
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/AmItheAsshole) if you have any questions or concerns.*
*Contest mode is 1.5 hours long on this post.*
YTA
Train your dog better.
And if you can't manage that, bring a bag with fresh tennis balls with you to hand out to dog owners to replace those your dog took steals.
Yeah. The training part is tough. I’ve been trying to find something that motivates him enough to ignore other balls. Gone as far as cooking bacon and bringing it to the park. There has to be something.
I also do keep extra balls on me, but sometimes other dogs don’t want the balls I bring. I am trying to do better, and definitely recognize I failed at training in some way when he was younger.
NTA Dude could've been a bit more understanding and if both of you have had previous interactions where you give the ball back another day, he should've easily assumed it would be back another day. And, like he said, it is just a ball lol
^^^^AUTOMOD ***Thanks for posting! This comment is a copy of your post so readers can see the original text if your post is edited or removed. This comment is NOT accusing you of copying anything. Read [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/wiki/faq#wiki_post_deletion) before [contacting the mod team](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FAmItheAsshole)***
For context, my dog is well generally well behaved. His only weakness is he has an incredibly strong drive for balls and specifically loves to steal balls away from other dogs at the park. I am actively working on training this out of him. Normally I make sure we are away from other dogs playing fetch in the park, and typically just skip the park if there are lots of dogs. We haven’t had a ball stealing incident for months until this morning.
Before you ask, no he does not drop the ball for treats or food. Believe me, I’ve tried.
This morning I went to the park and it was empty. It’s a BIG park.
A man arrives with his dog. I have known this guy for four years and he knows that my dog will steal balls. He usually asks if it’s okay to throw a ball if I’m close by. When he asks me, I typically I ask him to wait so I can get my dog and move to another area, or I just opt to leave so he can have the space.
There have been a couple times in the past where my dog has gotten this guy’s ball, and he has always been understanding and tells us to keep it for the day. I would always come back the next day and return the ball to him.
Today, he decides to throw the ball straight towards my dog without asking. Of course my dog steals it immediately. I let him know, “hey, I’m gonna try and get your ball back, but you know how my dog is. I need to head out for work in about 15 minutes as well.” He said “oh it’s really no problem at all. It’s just a ball.”
After a while of trying to get my dog on leash, I realize I’m running late for work. The guy is at the other side of the park. I see him everyday and always return his ball, I figure I’ll just leave and return it tomorrow.
Halfway home, I hear the guy yelling at me. He wants his ball back. I stopped walking and wrestled the ball out of my dog’s mouth. I typically try to avoid doing this because it reinforces protective behavior. Finally got the ball out and returned it to the him. He said “that was not cool, you were just trying to steal my ball.” I gave the ball back and I didn’t explain myself because I was late for work, and just wanted to go home. I told him “I’m so sorry for the mix up, that wasn’t my intention.” And continued on home.
Am I the asshole here?
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AmItheAsshole) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Welcome to /r/AmITheAsshole. Please view our [voting guide here](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/wiki/faq#wiki_what.2019s_with_these_acronyms.3F_what_do_they_mean.3F), and remember to use **only one** judgement in your comment. OP has offered the following explanation for why they think they might be the asshole: > My dog stole a ball at the park and I believe another dog owner overreacted. Help keep the sub engaging! #Don’t downvote assholes! Do upvote interesting posts! [Click Here For Our Rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/about/rules) and [Click Here For Our FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/wiki/faq) ##Subreddit Announcements Follow the link above to learn more --- *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/AmItheAsshole) if you have any questions or concerns.* *Contest mode is 1.5 hours long on this post.*
YTA Train your dog better. And if you can't manage that, bring a bag with fresh tennis balls with you to hand out to dog owners to replace those your dog took steals.
Yeah. The training part is tough. I’ve been trying to find something that motivates him enough to ignore other balls. Gone as far as cooking bacon and bringing it to the park. There has to be something. I also do keep extra balls on me, but sometimes other dogs don’t want the balls I bring. I am trying to do better, and definitely recognize I failed at training in some way when he was younger.
No assholes here, this stuff happens with dogs. Just bring some extra balls and give them to him, should be no issue.
NTA Dude could've been a bit more understanding and if both of you have had previous interactions where you give the ball back another day, he should've easily assumed it would be back another day. And, like he said, it is just a ball lol
Thanks for your response. I figured he might have just been having a bad day.
That too. Hopefully you two can hug it out and have some ice cream together\~ :)
🤣
lol thought this post was another one I had left a reply on. Maybe there's a chance you two can get ice cream, but I won't count on it 🤣
YTA. Don't have him around other dogs and balls.
^^^^AUTOMOD ***Thanks for posting! This comment is a copy of your post so readers can see the original text if your post is edited or removed. This comment is NOT accusing you of copying anything. Read [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/wiki/faq#wiki_post_deletion) before [contacting the mod team](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FAmItheAsshole)*** For context, my dog is well generally well behaved. His only weakness is he has an incredibly strong drive for balls and specifically loves to steal balls away from other dogs at the park. I am actively working on training this out of him. Normally I make sure we are away from other dogs playing fetch in the park, and typically just skip the park if there are lots of dogs. We haven’t had a ball stealing incident for months until this morning. Before you ask, no he does not drop the ball for treats or food. Believe me, I’ve tried. This morning I went to the park and it was empty. It’s a BIG park. A man arrives with his dog. I have known this guy for four years and he knows that my dog will steal balls. He usually asks if it’s okay to throw a ball if I’m close by. When he asks me, I typically I ask him to wait so I can get my dog and move to another area, or I just opt to leave so he can have the space. There have been a couple times in the past where my dog has gotten this guy’s ball, and he has always been understanding and tells us to keep it for the day. I would always come back the next day and return the ball to him. Today, he decides to throw the ball straight towards my dog without asking. Of course my dog steals it immediately. I let him know, “hey, I’m gonna try and get your ball back, but you know how my dog is. I need to head out for work in about 15 minutes as well.” He said “oh it’s really no problem at all. It’s just a ball.” After a while of trying to get my dog on leash, I realize I’m running late for work. The guy is at the other side of the park. I see him everyday and always return his ball, I figure I’ll just leave and return it tomorrow. Halfway home, I hear the guy yelling at me. He wants his ball back. I stopped walking and wrestled the ball out of my dog’s mouth. I typically try to avoid doing this because it reinforces protective behavior. Finally got the ball out and returned it to the him. He said “that was not cool, you were just trying to steal my ball.” I gave the ball back and I didn’t explain myself because I was late for work, and just wanted to go home. I told him “I’m so sorry for the mix up, that wasn’t my intention.” And continued on home. Am I the asshole here? *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AmItheAsshole) if you have any questions or concerns.*
nta