Yes! Studies Indicate That Dogs Can Get Jealous, Just Like Humans!

For years, experts have assumed that jealousy and envy were much too complex for a dog to experience. But recent studies may indicate that dogs can get jealous, just like humans!

In fact, one such study showed that dogs exhibit jealous behavior when their owners pay attention to other dogs.

The study was performed on 36 dogs, who were all videotaped during the experiment. First, they were recorded while their owner ignored them completely, instead focusing on one of three things: a noise-making pop-up book, a jack-o-lantern, and an animated stuffed dog.

The study showed that when the owner chose to interact with the stuffed dog, 75% of dogs pushed their owners, around the same percentage shoved the toy, and 20% of dogs barked or whined at the toy. The dogs also seemed to perceive that this toy was a real dog.

When owners chose to interact with the jack-o-lantern, 50% of the dogs pushed their owners and around 30% pushed the item. And when the owners interacted with the pop-up book, less than 30% pushed their owners and 10% pushed the book.

This test shows that dogs display more aggressive or jealous behaviors when they thought their owner was ignoring them for another dog. So the next time there’s another animal around, expect your dog to get touchy!

Feature Image Source: Pixabay