This dog is so freaking jealous!

[HangingOver]

Hola,

It's Hanging, from the never ending Pod thread. Just throwing this open to the whole Dog House to get a range of ideas.

So I have an 18 month old Podenco. About 2 months ago, we took in FILs two gundogs, Melty and Wiggle.

Melty is 11, Wiggle is 5. Melty is her Mum. Melty is the absolute perfect dog. She is sweet, gentle, no problem. Wiggle is insane. She's also insanely jealous. She takes Pods toys, bones and chews, then lays on them protectively. Most of all she's jealous about me. If I make a fuss of Melty, Pod or even DP, she has to scramble onto my lap, panting and give them the stink eye.

When they arrived it was only supposed to be for a few days so I haven't really put any ground rules in place, except keeping them largely to their own spaces and making sure they eat apart etc.

Pod is not a jealous dog. In fact, he ignores me most of the time. I've never have a jealous dog. What gives? What should I do?

She isn’t ‘ jealous’, dogs don’t have human emotions, she is merely trying to show the other dogs that she is leader of the pack as she has first access to you. Train her- this taking charge will lead to huge problems if one of them challenges her or indeed if you do. Also please remember that you are the leader of the pack, she is an animal and is following her instinct to control . Good luck

Is that definitely true? My dog trainer said the leader of the pack/alpha dog way of thinking has been debunked?

Thank you for this, that’s interesting, I must look into it more x

No, it's bollocks.

Thanks again @Bupster you've really helped me reframe everything. So now I chuck the kong miles away in the longest grass and get her to wait next to me, then I signal to release and whoooosh off she goes sniffing. Fabulous!

It's complete nonsense. The original piece of research that led to the whole idea was based on adolescent wolves in a zoo in the 1940s - even the guy who published it said it was rubbish. Wolves are a different species to dogs, and even they behave in different ways in the wild to when they're trapped in a barren environment with other adolescent boys - packs in the wild are led by parents, and other members feed the pups; any wolf that behaved like an 'alpha' would probably be ostracised in short order. Studies have suggested that in dogs, by contrast, high 'status' is based on who is the friendliest.

ANYWAY. Dogs do feel very strong emotions, just not the more complex ones like guilt which require a moral code they don't have. They absolutely get jealous, but not envious - they want to guard what they think is theirs, especially if they're afraid it'll be taken from them, but they're not going to get in a strop because one dog has a nicer collar, if you see what I mean.

Ah this is absolutely brilliant! @HangingOver , I'm so glad!

I can confirm ddogs do not feel guilt.. Not 1 jot.
Not any sign of remorse whatsoever..

they want to guard what they think is theirs, especially if they're afraid it'll be taken from them, but they're not going to get in a strop because one dog has a nicer collar, if you see what I mean.

I'm pretty sure Pod and Wiggle were jealous of Meltys new haircut tho 😎

Stunning 😍