We've all heard a little kid get jealous and yell out, "It's not fair!" But what about your "fur kids"? Do dogs get jealous? And if they do sense unfairness, what can dog parents do to work through it and treat everyone the same? The truth is, dogs can get jealous and how researchers determined this is an interesting look into how dog's behave.

Fido Figures Out Fairness

For a long time, it was assumed that humans were the only species that recognized unfairness and exhibited jealous behaviors when they felt they were treated wrongly. After studies showed that monkeys protested unequal treatment, a research study by behavioral scientist Friederike Range looked at whether dogs too might demonstrate jealous behaviors, reports NPR. When participating dogs were asked to give their paw, all dogs responded to the request. Over time, researchers started rewarding some dogs with food and allowed other dogs to watch but not get a treat when they performed the same task. Those that did not get the food began to hesitate in handing over a paw. Eventually, many of the dogs that were not rewarded stopped cooperating at all. Range's conclusion was that dogs feel human resentment if they think someone else in the pack is being treated differently.

If you have a several dogs in your home, you might also have recognized that if one dog gets a treat, they all expect a treat. In homes with multiple dogs, it is important to try to keep things fair. Over time, jealous dogs could start to demonstrate undesirable behaviors — and they could be more than just refusing to give a paw.

A dog's jealous behavior likely stems from the fact that they are pack creatures and while they see you as their pack leader, they are always jockeying to be next in line. This doesn't mean that they will exhibit aggressive behavior toward one another, but it also doesn't mean that one of their feelings won't get hurt if they perceive some unfairness. This behavior can be exhibited toward humans (like new babies in the home) as much as other dogs.