Training pets can often cause headaches for owners, but those with more than one fur animal might have noticed that dogs can quickly catch onto behaviors when another one shows them the ropes.
One family discovered that was the case when their foster pup, Tomato, wouldn’t leave their golden retriever’s side. Tomato looked up to the family’s dog, Bubbles, wanting to follow her every move. And whether Bubbles realized it or not, she was promoted to be the pup’s teacher.
In the August 18 TikTok video by user @arlolovesbubbles, Tomato couldn’t sit close enough to Bubbles. Attached to his role model, he wanted to be the best student and show that he too could be a well-behaved dog. Tomato looked over to Bubbles and copied her exact move as she went from sitting to lying on the couch. He even readjusted his paws as she did.
As precious as it was to watch him echo her moves, Bubbles wasn’t too thrilled. She shot her owner a look that clearly showed she was over having a shadow attached to her hip.
In another clip posted by @arlolovesbubbles, the foster pup couldn’t get close enough to Bubbles. He walked over Bubbles and then plopped right next to her as Bubbles was about to take a rest. Bubbles tried readjusting to get comfortable, but the foster only followed. She was forced to snuggle whether she wanted to or not.
Tomato wanting to follow in his big sister’s footsteps could be linked to what scientists call allelomimetic behavior, also known as contagious behavior. An article from Psychology Today shared that this behavior occurs when dogs model their activities on what they observe from other canines. They’ll want to be with the other dog, mimic their moves and follow their lead.
Puppies especially have tendencies to imitate the behavior of other dogs. This can significantly help with training as older dogs already know the commands you want to pass onto the puppy. Once the pup watches the older one follow the command, they’re more inclined to do the same.
Viewer Reactions
The TikTok clip amassed more than 75,000 views, 13,400 likes and 149 comments as of Monday.
“Omg so cute. He’s just learning how to be a good boy lol,” said one TikTok user, while another wrote: “Such a good role model for the puppy.”
Someone pointed out: “The side eye at the end.” Bubbles was totally over it.
A viewer writing from the pup’s perspective commented: “He says, ‘If I do what he does, they’ll keep me.'”
Others begged the foster parent to keep Tomato. Luckily, the owner told Newsweek via TikTok that Tomato has since been adopted.
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
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