Do dogs get jealous? Study, open acess and peer reviewed.

[emma_Dad]

Abstract

It is commonly assumed that jealousy is unique to humans, partially because of the complex cognitions often involved in this emotion. However, from a functional perspective, one might expect that an emotion that evolved to protect social bonds from interlopers might exist in other social species, particularly one as cognitively sophisticated as the dog. The current experiment adapted a paradigm from human infant studies to examine jealousy in domestic dogs. We found that dogs exhibited significantly more jealous behaviors (e.g., snapping, getting between the owner and object, pushing/touching the object/owner) when their owners displayed affectionate behaviors towards what appeared to be another dog as compared to nonsocial objects. These results lend support to the hypothesis that jealousy has some “primordial” form that exists in human infants and in at least one other social species besides humans.

Posted this last night but the link was broken. Seems like only way to share the site is through a google search, its the first link in the url bellow.
Google Search for paper:


Thoughts?

[ccetta]

The link didn't work but Lucy always tries to get between me or DH and another dog if we are showing any attention nor affection to the other dog. I'd like to think she loves us so much that she can't bear the thought of us with any dog but her and becomes jealous but its probably something else. Maybe some sort of claiming us on her part? I have always read that dogs don't have human emotions but who knows?

[emma_Dad]

Posted this last night but the link was broken. Seems like only way to share the site is through a google search, its the first link in the url bellow.
Google Search for paper:

[Snowshoe]

I think I read that from a post on another site. More and more animal behaviourists are willing to concede that all animals do have emotions. Grief and love as well as jealousy. There are even studies showing plants grow differently depending on how other plants near them are treated which suggests very basic, rudimentary emotions developed to ensure survival, such as fear.

Your link worked for me, I don't think that is the same one I read a few weeks ago.

Thoughts? Of course they feel jealousy, also called resource guarding by some but to me that is nothing more than semantics. My friend's dog and her 4 year old son both resource guard their Mum. One gets between her and other dogs to prevent her petting them, the other hits other kids Mum is nice to. I guess that should be

[beth101509]

I know some people here will disagree and say I am making a human characteristic in a dog BUT I absolutely believe Oliver gets jealous. If I touch my husband (hug, lay on his leg, whatever) Oliver will jump up from wherever he is and try to insert himself in the middle. I just move him off me to show that behavior is not OK. I know people out there do make their dogs more human than they are but I also think dogs pick up more characteristics from us than we want to believe.

[fidgetyknees]

I 100% think dogs get jealous. Zola pushes Cedar out the way if I pay too much attention to her, or will start humping her (which I stop).

[beth101509]

I think I read that from a post on another site. More and more animal behaviourists are willing to concede that all animals do have emotions. Grief and love as well as jealousy.

Elephants and Orca's grieve the loss of their family members. I think Hippos do too but not 100% sure on that one.

[ZoeysMommy]

I think dogs are more capable of more emotions that people would like to think.

Having 4 dogs I have seen various degrees of what can be considered jealousy. Its not human form but its still there.

[kimbersmom]

I know some people here will disagree and say I am making a human characteristic in a dog BUT I absolutely believe Oliver gets jealous. If I touch my husband (hug, lay on his leg, whatever) Oliver will jump up from wherever he is and try to insert himself in the middle. I just move him off me to show that behavior is not OK. I know people out there do make their dogs more human than they are but I also think dogs pick up more characteristics from us than we want to believe.

I agree, but would flip it: humans share more characteristics with dogs (and other mammals) than we like to admit. We aren't as special as we want to believe...

[michael m]

I know that studies have been conducted with primates which illustrates this point regarding animal emotions. In that study, 1 monkey was given a highly prized treat (fresh grapes) at the same time as another monkey next to it was given a lesser prized food. The monkey getting the lesser prized food became frustrated and angry and pounded on his cage and the floor to show his frustration. Good source of viewing on these types of "animal emotion" studies is the show NATURE on PBS. These can also be viewed on-line on request. More recent show was animals bonding with an animal of a different species for companionship and social interactions, sometimes even choosing the different species over interactions with their own species.
Michael