Reception
In its original broadcast, "Bart's Dog Gets an F" finished thirtieth in the ratings for the week of March 4–10, 1991, with a Nielsen rating of 13.8, equivalent to approximately thirteen million viewing households. It was the highest-rated show on the Fox network that week. Since airing, the episode has received mostly positive reviews from television critics. The authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, wrote that it was an "enjoyable episode heightened by both Tracey Ullman's Miss Winthropp and Frank Welker's muted dog noises." DVD Movie Guide's Colin Jacobson said the episode "presented an odd viewpoint, since never behaved this badly in prior episodes, but consistency never exactly was the hallmark of the series." He also commented that Tracey Ullman "offered a great performance as obedience school owner Emily Winthrop," and concluded by saying that the episode overall "provided yet another consistently fine show." In a review of the second season, Bryce Wilson of Cinema Blend said "Bart's Dog Gets an F" felt "a bit flat", but "but even in lowest points, humor is easy to find." Doug Pratt, a DVD reviewer and Rolling Stone contributor, was also positive about the episode: "The viewer is treated to an inspired dog's prospective of the world, in very grayish tones, with the humans speaking gibberish; another poignant character effort." Jacobson's favorite line of the episode was Homer's ad about Santa's Little Helper: "Free to loving home. World’s most brilliant dog. Says ‘I love you’ on command." Reviewing for The DVD Journal, Dawn Taylor thought the most memorable line was Flanders's description of the Assassins sneakers: "They've got Velcro straps, a water pump in the tongue, a built-in pedometer, reflective sidewalls and little vanity plates."
In promotion of The Simpsons Sing the Blues, the music video for the album's second single, "Deep, Deep Trouble" premiered shortly after this episode's first broadcast.
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