Jealous behavior in dogs

Dogs can show jealous behavior due to, for example, a change in the family composition. There may be a pet or a baby. The attention then goes mainly to the new family member, which can make the dog jealous.

With a new family composition, the dog will also try to increase in ranking. All this causes unwanted behavior. To prevent this, the dog must remain at the bottom of the ranking. But it is important to make time for the dog and to give positive attention.

A dog’s natural behavior

In nature, dogs live in a pack with a certain hierarchy. The leader eats and mates first, thus producing more offspring. Because a leader has more rights, he will always defend his position. In the domestic circle, the dog regards the family as a pack. In this pack, the family members must be at the top of the ranking, the dog comes at the bottom.

When the composition of the family changes, the dog will try to rise in this ranking because that is a natural behavior. The dog will demand attention, often when the new family member gets it. Unwanted behavior can also be caused by less attention being paid to the dog.

This can cause the dog to show jealous behavior, but because the brain of a dog works differently than the brain of a human, he experiences this emotion differently.

To prevent behavioral problems, the dog should always be at the bottom of the ranking. A clear ranking is created by:

• That you, as the boss, determine the layout of the day.
• That the dog is always the last to go through the doorway
• Eat yourself first, then the dog can eat
• Don’t walk to the dog but let him come to you
• Obedience training, he must follow given commands
• That he is not at the same height, so not on the couch, chair, or in bed.
• That you as boss win every game and determine when it starts and ends.
• Brushing the dog

The ranking

Without the presence of the parents, the dog considers children (up to the age of 12) lower in the ranking. Therefore, never leave them alone with the dog. With an unclear ranking, the dog does not know where he stands and this causes a lot of stress.

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Preventing Jealous Behavior

You can prepare a dog for the new family situation by involving him in the activities and letting him know that things are about to change. Let him sniff baby clothes or toys from a new pet.

The arrival of a baby

• Involve the dog in the activities by talking to him in the meantime.
• Let the dog come to you while you are nursing the baby.
• If the dog gets less attention, you don’t have to feel guilty right away. A dog senses this and will ask for even more attention.
• Respond immediately to jealous behavior to prevent the problems from getting worse
• Never leave the baby alone with the dog.

The arrival of another pet

• Divide the attention equally between both animals.
• Pet both animals at the same time
• A dog must learn to share attention with other animals. He can learn this by letting him play with several dogs so that he does not always get all the attention.