Understanding how to give attention to two dogs is important considering that there are risks for conflict over dog owner attention and some dogs can be prone to jealousy. Caution is needed in dogs with a history of fighting over owner attention and in these cases, dog owners should consult with a dog behavior professional for safety and correct implementation of behavior modification. In order to get a grip on how to give attention to two dogs, it helps to firstly understand why dogs are prone to competing over owner attention and signs of trouble that need to be nipped in the bud.
First, Do Dogs Gets Jealous?
Many dog owners wonder whether dogs get jealous of other dogs. This pondering makes sense since several dog behaviors seem to suggest just that, such as a dog getting in the way when another dog is given attention.
In the past, there was belief that dogs weren’t capable of feeling emotions that are quite complex such as guilt, shame, envy and jealousy. This is because these emotions require more complex cognitive processes, explains Stanley Coren, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Psychology at the University of British Columbia in an article for Psychology Today.
Jealousy is a complex emotion because it requires critical internal thought processes triggering uncertainties, comparisons and self-doubts gearing towards feelings of abandonment, something that dogs aren’t quite capable of. In order for a dog to feel jealous he would have to think along the lines of: “Based on the latest happenings, there are chances that my owner like this newer dog more than me, I need to worry about this new addition and take steps to prevent my owner to think that this dog is better than me.”
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While it’s true that it may be quite complex for a dog to reason this way, it is possible for dogs to feel a more basic or primordial form of jealousy. A 2014 study conducted by Christine R. Harris provides “meat” for this hypothesis with some proof that dogs are capable of showing a basic form of jealousy.
“Our study suggests not only that dogs do engage in what appear to be jealous behaviors but also that they were seeking to break up the connection between the owner and a seeming rival.”~Christine R. Harris
Ways Dogs Manifest “Jealousy”
While humans may manifest jealousy by secretly checking a loved one’s phones and messages or inquiring about his/her whereabouts, dogs manifest jealousy in more overt, less conspicuous ways.
Aggression is a fairly evident manifestation of possible jealousy among dogs. One dog may attempt to bite/snap at the other dog. Ritualized aggression under the form of exposing the teeth, growling and barking can be seen. Ritualized aggression encompassed threats where nobody physically harmed as long as things don’t escalate.
One of the most common ways dogs manifest “jealousy” is by engaging in attention seeking behaviors as if the dog was saying “pet me! pet me!” Dog owners report their dogs attempt to get between the owner and the other dog or may push the owner’s hand to solicit attention rather giving it to the other dog. Some dogs may also attempt to send the other dog away.
Some dogs may start engaging in behaviors that redirect their owners’ attention to them. For example, they may go grab a ball and bring it to the owner, or lie on their back in hopes for a belly rub. In more concerning forms of jealousy, one dog will park himself in front of the owner with his back to him and send the other dog away at the very first signs of approach. These dogs are resource guarding the owner.
In any case, signs of jealousy among dogs are pretty clear and most dog owners recognize them quite readily. Because jealousy among dogs may lead to aggression, if you notice any of the signs depicted above, it’s best to play it safe and consult with a behavior professional using humane, force-free behavior modification methods.
How to Give Attention to Two Dogs
[adinserter block=”2″]How to give attention to two dogs if one of them is jealous? As mentioned, if your dogs acts jealous, your best bet is to have a behavior professional assess the situation, especially if the jealousy has led to fights (or threats to fight) or one dog appears to be intimidated and displays anxious body language (tail between legs, ears back, avoidance) when around the other dog. In such a case, it is best to play it safe. Keep the dogs in separate and not give attention when in the presence of each other until seeing a professional.
A word of caution is needed when dealing with aggression or threats for aggression: avoid scolding or physically correcting Mr. Jealous when he acts out. If your dog are fighting for attention, you are already dealing with a tense situation and more tension will do no good and can even lead to a redirected bite (dogs tend to bite when they are tense and touched).
On top of this, consider that dogs live in a world of associations. If Mr, Jealous gets reprimanded for acting jealous there are risks he may further dread the other dog as he may deduce that when the other dog comes near the owner, he is corrected, when we want instead to form positive associations.
So how to give attention to two dogs when there is a history of jealousy? There are several options. Each case is different and therefore one method may work better than another. When in doubt, consult with a professional for an individualized plan based on your situation.
An Important Foundation Skill
[adinserter block=”1″]An important skill that all dogs belonging to multi-dog households should learn (where resource guarding food is not a problem) is the :”let’s go grab a cookie!” cue. This cue needs to become strongly fluent so that it can be used for redirection as needed in those situations where things seem to be slightly “heating up.”
It first starts to be trained when both dogs are indoors in a calm state. The owner suddenly gets up from sitting and says in an upbeat tone “let’s go grab a cookie!” while rushing to the cupboard to get a cookie (or other goodie) to dole out both dogs out of a cookie jar. Most dogs don’t need much training as they voluntarily follow owners who get up and rush somewhere as their instinct tells them something is going on.
The behavior is practiced several times a day until it becomes very fluent with the dogs responding quickly, almost reflexively. Next, criteria is raised and the cue is practiced when the dogs are a bit distracted such as when they are paying attention to a noise, and then when they are playing with each other. Once responsive indoors under distractions, the training can move on outdoors when sniffing in the yard, and then when they are about to bark at some trigger or notice a person approaching.
The goal is to get a very reliable response, so that “let’s go grab a cookie” can be used anytime there appears to be tension among the dogs (such as the dogs beginning to fight over owner attention) and the dogs can be redirected from each other to another activity. It’s important to use the cue at the very first signs of tension, as once the dogs are fighting, it may be difficult to distract them from one another.
Teaching Dogs to Patiently Wait Their Turn
For mild cases where the dogs get along most of the time, but sometimes when attention is given, one dogs gets in the way, there is an easy solution to help Mr. Jealousy feel better about the situation: train him to wait his turn to be pet, but giving him something valuable to do in the meanwhile. This requires your dogs to know who to hold a solid sit/stay and down/stay on a mat.
So for example, you would call your dogs, ask Mr. Jealousy to go lie on a mat and provide him a stuffed Kong to keep busy, while you pet your other dog. Make it a routine. After several reps, he will look forward to watching you pet your other dog because it has come to signal oncoming goodies!
Or if your dogs aren’t prone to resource guard food, you may call them, ask both of them to sit-stay, pet your other dog while you feed Mr. Jealousy some tasty treats every now and then rewarding him for being patient. You won’t have to give treats all the time, only initially to let him get the point and then every now and then you can reward to maintain the behavior (and prevent it from extinguishing). When treats are on not used, make sure you praise him for being patient when he waits his turn.
If you have company at home, it may also help to have a routine where one dog owner pets one dog while the other owner pets the other. Dogs should be discouraged from breaking their “sit-stays” as being pet. Then, the dogs can be “swapped” if desired, taking turns, although some dogs just have their own favorite owner and are content with just sticking to one rather than swapping.
Rude Behaviors Lead to Zero Attention
Another method is to make the attention contingent upon both dogs being present and behaving. So let’s say you are petting the other dog and Mr. Jealousy shoves his way pushing the other dog out the way. At this point, as soon as he engages in the first signs of his undesirable behavior, you would mark the behavior with a word such as “ooops!’ and quickly get up and leave. Without you present, Mr. Jealousy is suddenly left with nothing to “discuss about.”
If done repeatedly and reliably in a timely manner, Mr. Jealousy through trial and error will likely learn that his behavior causes his favorite owner to leave, while when he behaves appropriately he gets praise and attention.
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References:
- Harris CR, Prouvost C (2014) Jealousy in Dogs. PLoS ONE 9(7): e94597.
- US San Diego News Center: Dog Jealousy: Study Suggests Primordial Origins for the ‘Green-Eyed Monster’
- https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/dogs-fighting-over-owner/