Dog Jealousy: It Happens!

There have been many studies that have confirmed that dogs do get jealous.  It may not be the same level of jealousy that humans experience, but dogs do feel envy.  How do you know if your dog is feeling jealous?  Some of these behaviors may stick out to you!

– You greet a friend or family member with a hug.  The next thing you know, your dog is forcing themselves into the hug as well!

– The dog on your lap growls as another dog (or even family member!) walks by.

– You are giving one dog attention and the other dog pushes them out of the way.

We are sure that you have encountered this behavior before!  There are several reasons why jealousy exists amongst dogs.  Most of the time, it is caused by changes like a new schedule, new pets or people in the home, a new baby, or even a new neighborhood!  As you can see, dogs experience some of the stressors that us humans do.

Regular training practice will help!  If you reinforce behaviors like “leave it”, this will help establish leadership and polish up skills you will need to manage situations of jealousy.  Be sure to involve the object of jealousy in your regular training practice.  This will help the dog get used to their presence.  This is especially important when it comes to dog-on-dog jealousy.

Do not be afraid to call a behavior specialist if your own training does not help.  They will work with you to determine the root cause of the jealousy while tackling it day by day!