Do Dogs Get Jealous? | Dog Behavior

For decades it has been assumed that humans are the only species that experience jealousy and the unique emotion of unfairness, however, a recent study done at the University of California San Diego claims to show that dogs do feel jealousy. The study was performed by having humans engage with three different objects in front of their dogs: a book, a plastic jack-o-lantern, and a realistic looking stuffed dog that moved and made sound.

The results show that, when the human was paying attention to the fake dog, their dogs were much more engaged and more likely to show behaviors such as, trying to touch their owner or the stuffed dog, trying to get in between them, barking, biting, and whining. These behaviors were not as prominent with the other objects.

You can read more about the study and conclusions at the BBC.

The researchers took these behaviors to mean that dogs do experience jealousy, but is that what’s really going on? In fact, this study may have revealed more about human behavior and how it affects dogs.