Dutch Shepherd Forum

I've noticed something and I was wondering if maybe you guys have experienced it as well. When I am outside with Hobbes and we are playing with the neighbour's dog (well behaved Rottie mix) and I stop to pet the Rottie, Hobbes will try and squeeze between us so I can't pet him, try and herd the Rottie away (which fails as he is a giant), or glare at me. Is this the starting of jealousy ?

My family's rescue Dutch Shepherd was jealous for sure. If I came home from a friends house and had petted their dog (or spent any time with it) he would sniff me all over, growl at me, and walk away and not "talk" to me for hours as if I had cheated on him and he was super offended. Wouldn't even play with me if I picked up a ball (which was his fav thing).

Do your dogs display the same thing or am I reading into it too much?

I wouldn't call what my guy does jealousy as much as a guarding behavior. I have seen him nudge other dogs away from me ONLY when he thinks I have something, such as a toy or food, and if we run into other dogs he will sometimes stand by me, "guarding" and watching (no growling). He doesn't mind me smelling like other dogs because I simply don't care if he wants to go and sulk - I think he tried to once and I probably either ignored him or just convinced him playing was more fun than sulking.

There is a guy in my PSA club who recently (like less than 2 weeks ago) got a new DS puppy and he has a 2 year old DS. Now his older DS is VERY attached to him when it's one-on-one time, to the point of extreme guarding, and if he sees him take out the puppy he'll go and pout in another room and not listen to commands, completely ignoring him. He's totally jealous of the new puppy to the point of sulking. Of course they're still undergoing adjusting to the puppy and working on spending time/training with each dog, but I totally believe these guys can get jealous.

I had read somewere that dogs dont get "jealous" . I dont know what to make of that because they do act in a jealous way. Ill have to see if I can find the article.

Sadie does that too, If I pet Thalie, Sadie comes in and squeezes Thalie away. Sadie always has to be the center. They both will sniff every inch of me If I had been around another animal but they wont get mad at me, just be velcroed to me until they are satisfied with the smells.

Yeah...they aren't supposed to have that emotion (jealousy), but if it isn't that, I'd like to know what it is. Obviously, some scenarios would be protection-mode, but some play out as jealousy...or at least not wanting to be excluded (which is different than jealousy, or can be, in humans).

I used to come home smelling like all sorts of things working at a zoo and an exotic and barnyard rescue; at first, Thor was interested but then quickly didn't care. (If I came home with a scratch or cut somewhere, he'd sniff it out, but that was it.)