Your dog at the dog park acts like Bebe’s Kids
Keeping your dog, and other dogs, out of mischief at a dog park
You try to deny it as much as possible. Maybe you look the other way when it happens. Or, maybe you try to blame it on someone else. But at some point, you’re going to have to admit that your dog is kind of a jerk to other dogs. And denying it isn’t going to make the situation any better. The dog park was a peaceful place, full of dogs running around and enjoying themselves. Then here comes your pet acting like Bebe’s Kids.
I’ll be honest. I’ve seen a couple of dogs that are as comical as that trio, my favorite being a Coton de Tulear/Poodle mutt who saw his pup-roommate (an American Eskimo) peacefully enjoying the view at the top of a dog park slide. That puppy took off running full speed. Pow! He pushed the American Eskimo to the bottom of the slide and landed on his butt. I hid my face in my shirt and tried hard not to laugh. What an asshole — cutest dog ever, but a piece of work.
ADVERTISEMENT ~ Amazon
As an Amazon affiliate, I earn a percentage from purchases with my referral links. I know some consumers are choosing to boycott Amazon for its DEI removal. However, after thinking about this thoroughly, I choose to continue promoting intriguing products from small businesses, women-owned businesses and (specifically) Black-owned businesses who still feature their items on Amazon. All five of my Substack publications now include a MINIMUM of one product sold by a Black-owned business. (I have visited the seller’s official site, not just the Amazon Black-owned logo, to verify this.) If you still choose to boycott, I 100% respect that decision.
Recommended Read: “What makes some dogs act like Mean Girls (and Mean Boys) at dog parks? ~ When dogs declare their dominance, should owners be concerned or assume it's just part of wolf descendant nature?”
The American Eskimo shook it off, scowled and strutted away to a pile of pebbles. The puppy was on his tail again and kept running in front of him, blocking his way. At that point, I scooped the puppy up — who wiggled around and licked my face — and found a toy for him to play with. I took turns going from one dog to the other. They could walk together peacefully, but it was a fight to the finish anytime these two were in the dog park.
I loved that wiggly mutt so much. He was a clear favorite of the two and the best snuggler. But it didn’t take more than 30 seconds to see who got along with other dogs better between the two. The poodle was clearly Leon. The other dog was a furrier, warmer mix of LaShawn, Kahlil and Pee Wee all rolled into one. But as with the 1992 film, all it (usually) takes is a little bit of tender loving care (TLC) and some pet training to get the average dog to behave in a park full of other dogs.
Top tips to improve dog park behavior
Here are a few tips to keep in mind before you step foot in any dog park: