Tuesday Topics #40 - Barking at Puppies

Lately, our park has had an influx of puppies. I love it, because what's cuter than watching puppies play?!

The photo above is 4-month old Chloe, half lab, half pit bull. That face makes my heart melt.

Here's 4-month old golden retriever, Lulu. She is an absolute sweetheart.

And this is 6-month old Akita-Lab mix, Kia. She's a very large puppy, extremely rambunctious, high energy, and has a lot to learn in her manners. Doesn't she remind you of a raccoon with that mask on her face?

While I love having new puppies at the park, I sometimes wonder if Cabana shares my views. She seems to gravitate toward certain pals she's had for a long time, namely her spaniel friends. I've always been very confident of Cabana's ability to read other dogs' social cues and to act appropriately. But lately I've been questioning her behavior because she barks A LOT at puppies.

I first noticed the barking when Cabana would play with Kia, the Akita mix. Kia adores Cabana and seems to make a beeline for her when she arrives at the park. I thought maybe Cabana didn't appreciate Kia's roughshod attention and was telling her to bugger off.

But then Cabana did the same thing to sweet Lulu and then to tiny Chloe when they started coming to the park last week. I don't worry that Cabana will hurt any of the puppies--I know she won't. She never growls or acts aggressively toward them--she just barks. The interesting thing is that no matter how much Cabana barks, none of the puppies run away from her. In fact, they still won't leave her alone! They do tend to act submissively, though, either rolling onto their backs or licking her face or making little whimpery noises.

I have wondered if I should pull Cabana away and tell her to stop barking. But then, I think maybe Cabana is helping the puppies. Maybe she's teaching them to calm down or to read other dogs' social cues? So I haven't wanted to interfere in their doggy interactions. I did, however, check with the puppies' owners and make sure they are okay with Cabana's barking, telling them that if any of them are uncomfortable with Cabana's behavior, I would be happy to intercede.

So should I allow Cabana to "do her job" as a stable and mature adult dog? Or have I actually been allowing Cabana to be obnoxious and bossy, and should I stop her from forming this bad habit of barking at poor little puppies? I'd hate to be like a naive parent who thinks Junior is perfect and can do no harm, while he terrorizes all the neighborhood kids!