Why is my Yorkie so jealous? (3+ reasons)

In this article, we will answer the following question: Why is my Yorkie so jealous? We will give you four basic reasons why a dog can be jealous and we will teach you how to best handle dog jealousy. 

Why is my Yorkie so jealous?

Your Yorkie may be jealous of several reasons such as territoriality, protection of resources, boredom, or play.

It is not easy to define what jealousy is, however, we can understand as “jealousy” a set of emotions and feelings that appear when a social figure they consider important is threatened by a third party, whom they perceive as a rival.

Jealousy is common in gregarious animals, such as humans or dogs, and has an important adaptive function. However, they are also complex emotions, requiring the individual who experiences them to have high cognitive abilities that allow them to reason and compare with past experiences.

Thus, dogs may experience jealousy towards other individuals, but not towards inanimate objects. Even so, the use of this term is highly disputed, due to the few studies that exist, and there are doubts about whether this behavior is comparable to that experienced by humans.

However, it is essential to point out that there are other behavior problems that can explain some behaviors that we would consider “jealousy in dogs.” To understand this behavior a little better, in the next section we will explain the behavior of jealous dogs.

The behavior of jealous Yorkies

As we have already mentioned, there are few studies that talk about the behavior of jealous dogs, which is why it is so difficult to determine the exact behaviors and differences with respect to other common behavior problems in dogs.

Some of the symptoms of jealous dogs can be:

1. He tries to get the attention of the “valued social partner” when he feels ignored.
2. Tries to interrupt the interaction between the “valued social partner” and the possible “social rival.”
3. He is attentive when the “valued social partner” and the “social rival” interact.
4. It may push, attack, or show various negative calming signals.

We can find many videos of jealous Yorkies on the Internet, however, we must point out that some tutors reinforce inappropriate or aggressive behaviors in dogs, probably due to ignorance, which increases these behaviors even more in dogs.

Situations that can trigger jealousy in Yorkies

Yorkies can be jealous in the following situations:

Yorkie jealous of a puppy or another dog: it occurs when several dogs live in the same home and the guardian continuously ignores one or pays more attention to another. We must differentiate jealousy from territoriality, which is shown only to unknown individuals.

Yorkie jealous of pregnancy: It is very common for pregnant women to change their habits and routine as the pregnancy progresses. In these cases, the dog may feel ignored and therefore will try to attract the attention of the pregnant woman in various ways. It is important to prepare the dog for the baby’s arrival progressively, never changing her habits suddenly and always leaning on another person to help us make that transition.

Yorkie jealous of a baby or child: It is essential to present the dog and the baby correctly, sometimes, even with the help of a professional. However, if it has not been performed well or if there has been a negative association, it is likely that it will not. 

It can appear if we scold the dog in the child’s presence if we don’t let her get close to her and we have punished her, etc. We can avoid jealousy between children and babies through positive reinforcement, proper guidelines, and professional supervision.

Yorkie jealous of your partner: we can find on YouTube a multitude of funny videos of jealous dogs of couples kissing. While we could speak of jealousy, in other cases we also speak of resource protection. The dog considers his guardian something of his property and acts to protect him. Dogs that are jealous of their owners can show very aggressive behaviors.

Now, what do we do with jealous Yorkies? In the next section, we will explain what to do temporarily and how you can solve this problem effectively.

How to handle a jealous Yorkie?

Jealous Yorkies, especially if they carry out behaviors related to canine aggressiveness, can become very dangerous, especially if they are directed towards a child or an infant.

Therefore, we will start by taking the relevant security measures, thus avoiding direct contact between the dog and the third person or “social rival”. If we have made the muzzle positive, we can use it temporarily, but never exceeding 60 minutes. 

We will completely avoid the use of punishment, as this can further aggravate the picture. On the contrary, we will try to control the situation with basic obedience commands, asking our dog to sit, lie down, or stay.

It will be essential to go to a veterinarian specialized in ethology or a certified canine trainer/educator to rule out health problems that may be behavioral problems and receive an accurate diagnosis. Only in this way can we receive driving guidelines and begin conducting behavior modification sessions.

It is very likely that the professional will ask us to supervise the interactions of our dog with other individuals, offer us advice to handle this situation, and propose an activity plan that helps us improve the relationship with our dog, through positive habits and routines. It may also be necessary to carry out work sessions, using positive reinforcement as the main tool, to improve the dog’s behavior.

Training a jealous dog

Whether a dog is jealous can largely depend on the education you have given him. You can be jealous in different situations, especially in front of any person or animal that can steal your role.

Your dog may begin to feel jealous when a change of roles occurs, this happens when a new member of the family arrives. That is why the importance of the attitude of the owners to this new situation that arises.

Jealousy can be caused by a sexual motive, disputes over female dogs in heat, but this is something instinctive of them, who suffer it to perpetuate the species.

Our dog can also suffer jealousy for wanting more attention, when a new person comes home or in a situation in which the owners pay more time. They perceive that the same attention is not paid to them, so they feel insecure and will surely complain to the owner.

One question posed to us by dog ​​owners is to know for sure that our dog is suffering for this reason. For this, you can notice certain symptoms or signs in your pet:

1. Changes in his daily behavior. He may suddenly start growling for no apparent reason and then calm down on his own.
2. If a new person or pet comes home and your dog is irritating, this may be due to jealousy.
3. Possessive and hoarder with the animal or the person he is jealous of, chasing it at every step it takes and can even become obsessed.
4. It can even bite objects, something it did not do and this happens to attract the attention of the person it is jealous of.
5. There are extreme cases in which it can happen that it turns into pathological jealousy and that coexistence becomes unsustainable. This is something that has a difficult solution.

Education plays a key role so that our dog does not feel jealous in the future. Since he is a puppy, you must accustom him to interacting with other dogs and pets, as well as different human beings. If they get used to sharing their toys, going for a walk with another pet, and even interacting with children, rest assured that in the end, they will not see new people or dogs as a threat.

If you bring home a new puppy

If you already have a Yorkie at home and decide to adopt another, you have to be convinced that the pet that already lives at home is not going to show any problems. If you decide that they live together, you have to introduce them, let them smell each other and relate, but the first few days prevent them from being alone.

It is very important that you do not lose your temper or use physical punishment with your dog, as it will be worse. But you do have to show your authority and make things clear to him. You also have to spend time with him and share games, walk and put his food.

It is very important to avoid competition between both dogs, for this you must dedicate the same time to both, play with them and treat them the same, even if our new pet is a puppy. This will avoid problems of jealousy because your old dog feels displaced.

In order to avoid problems with food, the two of you have to eat from different plates and separate places, so there will be no problems with the food dispute.

Final tips

If your Yorkie is jealous all the time, keep in mind these three simple tips:

1. You must be the one who sets the rules and it is not your dog who handles you.
2. It is very important that you mark the hierarchy, where you occupy the first position and the last.

3. If your dog is jealous, it should be the person who is jealous of who should correct it.

We remind you that in dealing with dog jealousy, we will completely avoid the use of punishment, as this can further aggravate the picture. On the contrary, we will try to control the situation with basic obedience commands, asking our dog to sit, lie down, or stay.

It will be essential to go to a veterinarian specialized in ethology or a certified canine trainer/educator to rule out health problems that may be behavioral problems and receive an accurate diagnosis. Only in this way can we receive driving guidelines and begin conducting behavior modification sessions.

If you have any questions or comments on the content, please let us know!

FAQ on Why is my Yorkie so jealous?

 

References

Yorkieadvice.com

Petsworld.in

Animalwised.com