My Dog Gets Jealous Of Other Dogs

[aussielover]

My dog has started getting jealous of other dogs when I interact with them or pat them.

She jumps on me to get my attention and its a full on all feet off the ground jump which is quite naughty. To me, I think it is her way of saying 'hey what about me'? do you think this is the correct interpretation?

I do let her jump up on me when I am playing with her, so I probably need to stop allowing this. She does not jump on other people only myself.

I suppose it is also best to have her in a sit stay when I do go to pat another dog as well.

What is the chance that this behaviour- possible jealousy, will escalate into aggression towards other dogs? She has never acted aggressively to another dog before and generally loves other dogs. The behaviour is not really directed at the dog but at me.

We are booked in to see K9pro (not for this issue) in early June, so I am not really wanting to see another behaviourist in the mean time.

[corvus]

Erik doesn't like it when I talk to another dog and give them all my attention. God forbid I should make baby noises at them. He will bark at the dog. I have no concern that it will escalate because I just put him in a down and he's happy to do that. But in a sense I'm reinforcing his behaviour every time I cue a down. He loves doing downs and he loves training. I just did exactly what he wanted me to do. So I try to be proactive and cue it before he gets as far as barking. Problem solved.

I knew a dog when I was growing up that didn't appear to have an aggressive bone in her body until a kid in her family taught her "sick it" and started setting her on other dogs as a game. I think it only really worked because she already got a little bit guardy of her people around other dogs and so there was something there to encourage in the first place. This behaviour got worse, even when the kid grew out of that kind of thing and left home. This dog roamed the streets and you couldn't afford to give her any attention if you had your own dogs around or she'd go for them. When all the kids left home she had no one to look after her and no one in the neighbourhood could take her because she wasn't good around other dogs. Eventually someone without dogs took her in and her last few years at least were lived in comfort and happiness. I guess the moral of the story is that if a dog is in any way rewarded for aggressive behaviour it is likely to escalate. Even though your dog isn't behaving aggressively and is not directing her frustration at the other dog, it seems sensible to just make sure you know what's reinforcing to her at those moments and make damn sure you don't accidentally reinforce it unless you know where you're going with it.

[Erny]

Hi Aussielover. I know what I do when one dog tries to stop me from paying attention to another (I don't let that happen) but what I do and the success of it IMO relates to what relationship you have with your dog. If your dog has a strong perception that you don't have the right to interact with other dogs but you insist on doing so on the basis of some internet advice, you might find yourself setting up a challenge that will end in tears.

There could be other things happening also/instead - we can't tell from where we sit.

So my best advice, although it might sound to you like a cop-out, would be to wait until you see Steve at K9 Pro. He'll have the advantage of being able to observe you, your dog, the relationship you share AND the intensity of your dog's belief in this undesirable behaviour and on the strength of that will be the better one to advise you.

I don't know what 'other' behaviour you intend to see Steve about - perhaps it and the one you describe here are somehow inter-related. However I think you would be wise to let Steve know it too is a problem. Perhaps he will have time to help you with that as well, if not set a prioritisation that is the most sensible.

In the meantime, because I don't know you nor your dog nor the intensity of the aggression, the only advice I feel I can responsibly give you is to avoid setting up the challenge that you do, by not interacting with other dogs directly in front of your own dog at the moment.

It would not hurt (in fact, it would be helpful) if you began working the "Triangle of Temptation" program (pinned at the top of this forum) and observe the NILIF protocol. If you're unfamiliar with the latter, this is simply about having your dog do something for you first before you do something for him/her. A simple concept - the hardest part is remembering - humans are creatures of habit too and their downfall is often not remembering and therefore being seen by the dog as inconsistent and therefore unbelievable.

ETA: Sorry - reread and notice your dog is not aggressive about this but is jumping up and trying to interrupt and redirect your attentions. As Aidan has said - yes, this could escalate. Even though I let my imagination run off track by thinking your dog had already shown aggression, my answer would remain the same. If your dog's antics were ignored or stopped, it is possible that they might escalate. Even if your dog's antics are not ignored or stopped, this could send the wrong message to your dog and your dog's confidence in being able to direct your activities could see the behaviour escalate to worse things. Or ..... it might not. We don't know your dog, is what it boils down to. So I'd still recommend you avoid the situation until you get to see Steve.

Edited April 17, 2011 by Erny

[Aidan3]

I suppose it is also best to have her in a sit stay when I do go to pat another dog as well.

What is the chance that this behaviour- possible jealousy, will escalate into aggression towards other dogs?

The probability of it developing into aggression towards other dogs is higher with this behaviour than without it, whether or not it will turn into something serious is not something anyone could say without knowing your dog or seeing how it develops.

Sit-stay is a good option if your training so far is up to it. If "attention to another dog" predicts "attention to her" then that is a good thing, so long as it doesn't require misbehaviour to get it. If your dog can sit-stay while you give attention to another dog, then she is doing something good and being rewarded for it. If she is getting attention by jumping on you and demanding it, then that could lead to escalation, frustration and other unwanted behaviours.

[corvus]

Sometimes it's not so much the dog doesn't think you have the right to interact with another dog, but that they are frustrated by being excluded. Erik behaves the same way if a dog plays with Kivi and ignores him. The biggest risk in my mind is the arousal that comes with frustration. The more aroused he gets the more likely he is to do something aggressive or at least outrageously rude. He is generally sensibly inhibited around other dogs, but why risk it? To me, it has little to do with my relationship with my dog and more to do with my dog's personality and how he copes with frustration. My previous dog resource guarded me when she had been deprived of me for a few weeks or months. That was more about what she valued. Then again, if you are in the habit of deferring to your dog (which I doubt you are!) it may well be that the dog is trying to control your behaviour to best suit her and refusing to let that work may encourage a serious challenge. If she's that kind of dog, though, I imagine she will have tried that by now over something else and learnt whether it works or not. Erik tried it a couple of times before he was 6 months old and had a good solid NILIF structure established.

[aussielover]

Thanks, I will definitely raise it with steve.

She has a good sit stay and we have practised this before in obedience where she will be in a sit stay and I will go and pat all the other dogs, so I know she can do it.

She is already doing TOT- I am able to walk out of the room for several minutes and she waits for my command. I try to do NILIF but as you said, it is hard to remember all the time!

She is a good girl but since she has been rejected as a guide dog, the rules have become more relaxed (now allowed on the bed) and additionally, I am away for 4 days out of 7 now and she is with my parents, who love her but are not at all strict with her! Which may be adding to the problem.

My mum just loves dogs, but is way too soft- she even thinks making Minny wait for her dinner as part of TOT is cruel (but i still make her do it!).