Have you ever played with another dog around your dog or played with a different dog when you're taking a walk? Many dogs don't like it when they're not the center of their owners' attention. Whether it's a new baby or the cute little dog next door, there's a good point that your dog doesn't want to share your love with anyone else. Some people may think that jealousy is a human-only feeling. But it's not true.
A few years ago, researchers at the University of California, San Diego, found that dogs showed jealous actions when their owners showed love toward another dog.
For the study, researchers watched videos of interactions (互动) between 36 dogs and their owners in their homes. Researchers had the owners pay no attention to their dogs but play with a robotic dog, which was treated as a real dog. Owners talked to it sweetly and shared everything with it.
About 60% of the dogs were likely to touch or push their owners when they were interacting with the robotic dog. About one-third of the dogs tried to get between the owner and the robotic dog and some even barked at "the other dog".
"Our study suggests that dogs not only show jealous actions but also try to break up the relationship between the owner and a seeming competitor," said Professor Christine Harris, one of the researchers.
Therefore, your dog might act differently when he's trying to get your attention and maybe experiencing feelings of jealousy. For example, he may draw your attention by licking (舔) you, or he may suddenly run into the bathroom to get attention or even to show displeasure. So if you have more than one pet, be sure to give them the same attention so that any of them will, not feel forgotten.
