Apparently, dogs engage in behaviors that are indicative of jealousy, as opposed to previous assumptions. Like humans, jealousy in dogs is a primordial emotion. Unlike humans, dogs experience jealousy without the need for complex cognitions, such as romance.
A study published in PLOS ONE, and conducted at the University of California San Diego, provides the first empirical evidence of jealous actions in dogs, and hints that jealousy might exist in other social animals.
Experiments
Researchers Christine Harris and Caroline Prouvost devised a social situation involving 36 relatively small dogs videotaped in their own home setting. Owners ignored their pets on purpose in favor of three different items: a stuffed animated dog that barked, whined, and briefly wagged its tail, a jack-o’-lantern, and a pop-up children’s book that played melodies.
The owners were instructed to treat the toy dog and jack-o’-lantern like real dogs by petting and talking to them with affection. As for the book, the owners were asked to read the text aloud.
Findings
The study found that dogs exhibited more jealous actions when their owners showed affection toward the toy dog compared with the other items. Most dogs sniffed the rear end of the perceived rival, while some dogs positioned themselves between their owners and the toy dog to disrupt the interaction. Aggression and attention seeking behaviors were also present.
Discussion
Researchers hypothesize that the resemblance of an item to another living being and the amount of affection and attention it receives are two factors that contribute to jealousy in dogs.
Future research might include non-animated stuffed dogs, other stuffed animals, and human dolls. Future studies might also explore jealousy in other animals.
Feature Image Source: Pixabay