It's been FOREVER since I've last posted on here, but I decided to check up on some things & do a little research. I have an alpha

Soooo yesterday I had the pleasure of meeting this really nice couple that had two huskies: 1 3yr old b&w male and a year old grey & white girl. I was SUPER amazed to finally meet some nicer people with huskies (some around here think you're creeping because their dog is sooo cool ) & introduced myself so I could bombard them with questions on how they raise their two & whatnot. Deep into my very thorough interrogation lol, they mentioned they take them to a dog park & I asked if I could link up with them to do the same with Koda. Long story short, I end up taking a friend with & meeting them there. I'd NEVER seen that many dogs before interacting peacefully, and I was SOO worried Koda could possibly preserve or terribly break that peace (he's super energetic & pretty strong-willed with other dogs, but great otherwise).

Once we let him into the first fenced area between the entrance and the main park area, I unhooked his lead and let him meet two or three dogs that slipped through. Once he was fine with that, I let him loose into the main area. EVERY dog followed him lol, was kinda funny to see. After a while though, I noticed some interesting behavior in him: he began mounting more obviously submissive dogs. The couple's male didn't quite like Koda's bold behavior and they had mini altercations, but we diffused them. Koda spent the rest of the short hour or so we were there dominating, getting snapped at, chasing and marking everything. By the end of the outing, though, he was veeery tired. The other owners loved him, and some of their dogs did as well, but they were definitely the submissive ones. He was pretty much a playful bully =/

How do you guys work with your dogs to get their doggy etiquette up? Are there any unwritten rules of the dog park I should be aware of? Also, how do you stop play that may be a bit too rough, or tone down a dog's aggression? He doesn't have a great concept of respecting other dog's personal spaces, how can I help him learn? I'd appreciate any first time advice that could be given, thanks in advance guys! (Noteworthy: Koda isn't altered yet, btw)

I really think your issue his him not being neutered, it will cause him to be more alpha and dominant.

Ares is almost 8 months, very submissive, but the other day at the dog park he was snapping and growling at dogs trying to put him in his place. Low and behold he's being neutered on Thursday now hah.

I am new here...but here is my opinion for what it's worth...I would definitely neuter him and work on obedience training. You are not the funnest thing in the park to him so he is going to blow you off and act a fool with no control. I would definitely not tolerate rude and pushy behavior like that because it can easily lead to a fight, and if he picks on the wrong dog he could really get hurt. When my male dog turned 7 months old he started mounting and acting a fool like that at dog parks, would not listen to me for nothin'. I was waiting until his growth plates were closed to neuter and he was a show dog so altering him at that time was out of the question. I stepped up our obedience/recall work and also had an e-collar on him, that did the trick!

One thing you could do is when the playing gets too rough or he humps another dog, remove him from that area and make him sit with you for a minute. I know this is no fun but eventually he will learn bad behaviour means time off from playing

We had the exact same problem. Tama loves all other dogs but they dont always love him... he was doing the same behaviour during play sessions. He was neutered two weeks ago at 8 1/2 months and he has been a changed dog ever since!

If you are not ready to neuter him yet, then removing him from play when he is too aggressive/dominant and marking is a good way to show him how you want him to play.

I'm definitely considering it even more now-I don't like that behavior from him especially when it could alarm the other owners. Thank you guys for the suggestions/advice. He needs to learn what is & isn't okay when playing with other dogs, so wouldn't letting them sort it out be better (as long as it's not obvious teeth baring or more serious warning signs) or should I step in at that point to try to teach him? I know I've heard another dog can be a dog's best teacher-how about in this situation?

Also, would taking group obedience classes at Petsmart help him get used to other dogs being around while he focuses on commands? He's had puppy obedience training before, but not around other dogs.