I do not think dogs get "jealous" -- that is a human emotion. I do believe
that dogs understand possession, and what we see as evidence of jealousy may
indeed be nothing more than a dog asserting his/her rights over his/her
possession -- the owner. Since it is not a great idea for a dog to think the
owner is his/her possession, such behavior is best discouraged rather than
reinforced ("oh it's okay, I still love you" followed by lots of petting is
reinforcement). When I have had dogs do this type of thing, I ignore the
pushy, possessive one as a way to indicate that such behavior will not be
tolerated and does not result in regaining the possession (me, my attention)
while continuing to pay attention to the other dog(s). A friend with a very
possessive poodle simply puts in her another room behind a gate when she
growls when the other dog is receiving attention. They get the message
pretty fast.Mary-Ann Bowman Emma, Abra, Maize and the ten-pack
