Whether they actually see you interacting with another dog or they just smell one on you, your dog may become jealous. Jealousy in dogs can stem from their loyalty to you, as they see you as their leader. There are several reasons dogs can get jealous of each other, especially if they share an owner.
When jealous, dogs may see one another as competition for your attention and love. While jealousy doesn’t necessarily mean your pup is aggressive or possessive, these are things that jealous behavior can lead to. It’s important to be able to spot dog-on-dog jealousy in your home.
It may not always be easy to identify if your dog is jealous of the other dog in your home. However, there are some tell-tale signs your dog is jealous that you can look for. Read on to learn about these signs, the usual causes for a jealous dog, and measures you can put in place to help your dog(s) not feel jealous.
Do Dogs Get Jealous of New Puppies?
Bringing a new puppy into your home brings a lot of change for you as well as your dogs. This is especially true if you are going from a one-dog home to a two-dog home. It’s true that this can cause jealousy in your current pup.
In fact, your dog can get jealous even when you’re playing with a stuffed puppy. It’s always important to prepare your dog for changes in their environment, but especially one this big. Don’t worry, there are ways to correct and even prevent this behavior, which you’ll learn some of later on in this post.
Can Puppies Be Jealous of Older Dogs?
You may be surprised to see that after just a few weeks of joining your family, your new pup begins to act jealous of your other dog. Though maybe the less common jealous dog scenario, it’s definitely a possibility. There are a few reasons this might happen.
When you get a new puppy, chances are you just want to snuggle and hold it all day long. Puppies require extra time and attention to get used to being away from their mother. After a few weeks, they may get used to this heightened level of attention from you.
It’s important to remember how formative those first few weeks together are for your new pup. After a few weeks, you may not feel the need to hover over them anymore, which could be seen by the puppy as you caring for them less. As a result, they may feel inclined to act out and compete with the older dog for your attention.
Signs Your Dog is Jealous of the Other Dog
It’s important to know the difference between your dog taking time to get to know a new dog and it being jealous. Your dog may also feel the need to be protective of you in front of this new dog. This behavior isn’t necessarily jealousy.
Signs your dog is jealous of your new dog include:
- Aggression
- Pushy behavior
- Resource guarding
- More accidents inside than normal
- Growling
How Do I Deal With Dog-On-Dog Jealousy?
Sometimes, your dogs might just need time to work it out by themselves. It takes a minute for dogs to establish a dynamic and develop a bond. However, there are some things you can do to facilitate their connection in both scenarios mentioned in this article.
Current Dog Jealous of New Dog
If you’re still preparing to bring your new puppy home, one step that can make a big impact on your current dog’s behavior. That step is to go slow when introducing them to your new puppy. A gradual introduction can help your dog adjust and prepare themselves for a new dog to enter their life.
PetMD suggests you start the introduction by giving your current dog a piece of cloth with the puppies scent on it. Next, allow them to meet very briefly on neutral territory, so outside of your home. Gradually increase how long they interact over the course of a few meetings, which can all be done in the same day if needed.
If your dogs have already met, that’s okay. Some things you can do to minimize jealousy in your current dog is to give them treats when you give the puppy treats. It’s also probably a good idea to keep affection and attention even between the two of them.
New Dog Jealous of Current Dog
The first thing you should do for your new puppy is to establish a routine for it. This routine should cover all the puppies needs including exercise, play time, feeding, and social bonding. Setting aside time dedicated to having your dogs interact with each other every day can help them get to a place where they do so on their own.
Social bonding is a great step to prevent jealousy in puppies, but what if it’s too late for preventative work? Let your puppy know right away that jealous/pushy behavior doesn’t work. You can do so by getting up and walking away.
Punishing your pup for attention-seeking, jealous behavior can actually reinforce the behavior. This is because even if it’s negative attention, you’re still giving them attention. Instead, try positive reinforcement for the behaviors you want them to do.
Does Dog-On-Dog Jealousy Go Away?
Unfortunately, a jealous dog probably won’t back down on their own. Their jealous behavior may even escalate if they become increasingly unhappy with the situation. As their owner, it’s important that you provide them with proper training and care to get rid of their jealous behavior.
However, you’re not alone. If you’re in a situation where one of your dogs is jealous of the other dog in your home, or they’re both jealous of each other, there are professionals and online resources that can help. By learning to work proactively with your dogs, you can avoid jealous behavior.
We are fostering a collie/aussie 10 years old. Our 3 year old shepherd/husky mix is not thrilled. They seem ok then before you know it, they get into a scrabble. Showing teeth and movement. We hope the foster finds a home soon. Is there such a thing for dogs as sundown, like elder experience?
Thanks,
AMalo
Hi Angela, we understand your frustration, and yes – elder experience is a thing. As we wrote in the article – Sometimes your dogs might just need time to work it out themselves. We appreciate your comment!