Do dogs feel jealousy?

If you’ve ever wondered if dogs feel jealousy, the short answer is yes. It’s safe to say that you didn’t just imagine the behaviour change when you were playing with another dog or the fact that they did everything they could to get your attention.

A 2014 study was completed which monitored the behaviour of dogs when their owners engaged with three different objects in front of their dogs. These items included:

The results showed that when the human was paying attention to the fake dog, their dogs were much more engaged and demonstrated jealous behaviours such as trying to touch their owner, trying to get in between them and the fake dog, barking, biting, and whining. These behaviours were not demonstrated when the owner played with the other objects.

●       New dog: Introducing a new dog into the home can be an exciting time but your dog may not share the same sentiment. Believe it or not, your dogs’ jealousy comes from a good place. It’s their steadfast loyalty to you which may leave them feeling betrayed when you form bonds with another dog.

●       New baby: Dogs are clever creatures and will recognise when someone else is getting all of the love and attention. It’s important that you manage the introduction of a new baby in stages and ensure your dog isn’t ignored as a result of the newest member of the pack. The good news is it’s common for dogs to build bonds with the baby quickly and become very protective of their new family member.

●       A new person in your life: When someone new is introduced into the dogs' environment, who is constantly around, they may feel as though they are being left behind when that person visits. This can be seen as a sign of betrayal and must be managed in the right way if you want to keep a harmonious home.

Your dog may act out in the following ways if they are feeling jealous:

●       Pushy behaviour: When a dog wants more attention they can try to force their way onto your lap, or try and squeeze in between you and the object you are giving attention to. This is their way of demanding your attention.

●       Aggression: A step up from pushy behaviour, dogs can become aggressive and acting out by growling, lunging, biting, and in serious cases, attacking the object or person they are jealous of.

●       Doing tricks: They may suddenly feel the need to show you all of the clever tricks that you’ve been praising them for. If they get desperate for your attention, they may resort to showing you who really is ‘a clever dog’.

●       Misbehaving: Whether it’s destroying furniture, jumping all over you, or doing all the things that they know get under your skin - misbehaving is a surefire way to get your attention.

If your dog is demonstrating this type of behaviour due to a change in their environment, we recommend you seek professional advice from a dog behaviourist or veterinarian to help manage the situation and consider steps to train the behaviour out of them and ensure they know that they are loved and not forgotten. After all - the reason they are jealous in the first place is that they can’t handle someone else enjoying all of the things they love about you.