A friend of mine recently adopted an adorable Labrador. I invited them both to show her how to teach commands and tricks to her dog.
My beagle is usually a very happy and friendly dog, but when he saw me playing with the lab, he started barking and jumping to grab my attention. This made me think, do beagles get jealous?
Beagles do get jealous when their owners show affection towards another dog, pet, or even a person. They may try to grab your attention by interacting with you. They can even express jealousy by being vocal. Poorly socialized dogs can even show aggression towards the other pet.
Further, we will look into some common instances where beagles can get jealous. We will also learn some signs of jealousy and understand how to deal with it the correct way.
When do Beagles Get Jealous?
Beagles are friendly and loyal dogs who truly love their owners. They thrive on affection and attention. But when they see that the attention they deserve is given to someone else, they start feeling insecure and jealous.
So even after being so friendly and socially comfortable with other pets, they can get jealous if their owner gives more attention to someone else.
Beagles can feel jealously on various occasions; here are some of the most common ones:
- If you ignore them for something else.
- If you play with another dog, cat, or any pet.
- Pay more attention to something like playing video games.
- Cuddling with your partner.
- Spending time with your Baby.
- Infact, the mother beagle can get jealous too when her owner starts giving more attention to her puppies.
According to this study, dogs are more likely to get jealous of strangers or unfamiliar things. However, they can get jealous of both familiar as well as an unfamiliar dog.
Signs of a Jealous Beagle
Beagles don’t feel shy in showing jealously. They make it quite obvious that they don’t like it when you hang out with other dogs. Here are some signs of a jealous beagle:
Barking or whining
When I interacted with another dog, my beagle made it very clear that he doesn’t like it by barking out loud. Dogs can start barking at you or another person or dog when they feel jealous or missed out.
Dogs with a shy personality can start whining and circling around during such situations.
Wedge between you
Another common sign is they start wedging their way in between you two. Whenever my Girlfriend and I hug each other, Groot would try to be a part of it. When we watch a movie, he would hop on the bed and sit between us. And this one time, when I was massaging my neighbor’s dog, Groot tried to put his face in my hands.
These things may seem cute, but it’s not something you should promote. They can lead to more serious behavior problems.
Get themself in trouble
Jealous dogs often get themself in trouble by doing something naughty to gain your attention. They may pee on the bed, eat their own poop, or spill the water bowl. They would do anything that can make you give them attention.
Aggression
Beagles are not at all aggressive by nature, but jealousy can lead them to aggressive behavior. They can bite the other pet or person who is getting more attention. However, such events are rare.
Growling
Some beagles can even start growling at the pet or the person to scare them away from you. It is more common in families who get a second pet. In such cases, the beagle may prove their dominance over the second pet by growling and marking the owner.
Perform a Trick
Dogs know this very well that performing a trick pleases their owner. So to impress you and grab your attention, your beagle can even do a trick like a spin, paw, or rollover.
Interacting more with the Owner
Jealous beagles can start interacting with their owner by licking their hands, cuddling, and sitting in their lap.
Types of Jealousy
According to experts, there are two types of jealousy.
Competitive Jealousy
Competitive jealousy usually occurs when there are two or more pets in a household. In such situations, if your beagle suspects that you are giving more attention to another pet, then he will become more competitive.
For example, a beagle has been living in a family for years, and he is used to getting all the family’s attention. But one day, you get a new puppy, and everyone starts playing and taking care of the pup. The beagle will become envious of the puppy. He will start being more competitive.
Not just a dog; it could be a cat or any other pet animal.
FOMO Jealousy
Your beagle can become jealous due to FOMO or Fear of Missing Out. Well, this term is totally made up by me, so sorry if you find it lame.
This type of jealousy rises when you start spending more time on something more exciting, like playing a video game or being with your girlfriend. Your beagle starts feeling left out. He starts missing being with you. So he may try to get in between you and your partner.
Territorial Jealousy
Not just beagles, but all the dogs are territorial in one or the other way. They are smart enough to understand their home and what people are part of their pack. They are quite sensitive to changes.
Beagles can get territorial if someone or something new is introduced in their territory. It can be a new piece of furniture, a new roommate, or even a baby.
How to Stop Jealous Behavior of your Beagle
Your Beagle’s jealousy may seem cute and make you feel loved (it did to me, at least), but this is not something you should promote. It can lead to inappropriate behavior like barking and even biting. Here’s the correct way to deal with a jealous dog:
Observer and Note
Observer and note down every situation in which your dog shows any sign of jealousy. This could involve the time when they started barking when you were petting another dog or when they tried to get between you and your partner.
Do not promote unwanted behavior.
You do not want to promote your beagle’s unnecessary behavior; this will motivate them to do it even more, the next time.
So if your dog starts barking when you are playing with another dog, do not give him attention until he calms down.
If your pooch tries to come between you and your partner when you guys are cuddling, command him to get down on the floor and sit.
Give them enough attention.
In most cases, the cause behind the dog’s jealousy is because you do not give them enough attention. Play with them daily; take them out for walks, cuddle them. Give them enough time so that they don’t feel left out.
If you have more than one pet in your house, give both equal love and attention. If someone gets jealous and tries to be competitive, do not reward them.
Use positive reinforcement
Use positive reinforcement instead of punishing them for bad behavior. It would be best to teach your beagle that being quiet while you pet another dog is the correct behavior. This is how you can do it:
- Ask one of your friends if you can babysit their dog.
- Put your beagle in a crate before you bring the dog to your house.
- Now cuddle another dog while your beagle watches you.
- Do not react if he starts barking, because by simply saying ‘NO’ you are giving attention to your pooch.
- Once he calms down and stays quiet for more than a minute, give him a treat and praise him.
- Keep repeating this every couple of hours until your pooch learns to remain quiet.
The more you can put your beagle in such situations and train them to act properly; their behavior will be better.
Dealing when beagle is jealous of a baby
Beagles can get jealous when your baby arrives. Everyone paying more attention to the baby can be hard for your pooch.
- To deal with this, allow your beagle to smell the baby. Give him treats while he is sniffing the baby.
- Let your beagle interact with the baby every day.
- Hold the baby in your arms and ask your dog to do tricks.
Doing this every day will help your pooch understand that the baby is part of his pack, and you are the leader.
NOTE: Never leave your beagle or any pet animal unattained with a baby. Even though beagles are very friendly and they get along well with babies, accidents can happen.
Final Thoughts
If you are still unable to deal with your beagle’s jealousy, do not hesitate to call an expert.
Beagles are smart and stubborn at the same time, so having a professional trainer guide you and your dog is better than unknowing teaching something wrong.