Dogs rank among humanity's most cherished companions, sharing our homes and mirroring our affection. But does this bond include jealousy? Researchers at the University of Auckland investigated by observing dogs' responses when their owners interacted with a perceived rival.
Over 80% of dog owners report witnessing jealousy in their pets—vocalizations, agitation, leash-pulling—during attention to other dogs. This study builds on that, revealing dogs display jealousy even toward an imagined rival: a lifelike artificial dog.
“Research confirms what many dog owners know: dogs show jealous behavior when their human interacts with a potential rival,” says lead author Amalia Bastos, PhD candidate at the University of Auckland. “We examined if dogs, like humans, can mentally simulate jealousy-inducing scenarios.”
Dogs mirror human-like jealousy akin to a child vying for a parent's attention. In humans, jealousy ties to self-awareness, fueling interest in these complex emotions in animals.
The team tested 18 dogs in scenarios pitting owner interaction with a realistic fake dog (rival) against a neutral fur cylinder (control).
Dogs watched their owner with the fake dog, then a barrier blocked the view. Even sight unseen, dogs strained vigorously on leashes when owners petted the hidden rival. With the cylinder, pulling was far less intense.
Bastos's team identified three hallmarks of human-like jealousy: it targets social rivals, not objects; stems from interaction, not mere presence; and persists for unseen interactions.
“These findings affirm dogs' jealous behavior and offer first evidence they mentally represent such social scenarios,” Bastos notes. “Prior work conflated jealousy with play or aggression by not isolating non-interacting rivals.”
“We can't yet claim dogs feel jealousy exactly as we do, but they clearly react to these triggers—even invisibly.”
