Why does my dog get jealous when I kiss my wife or husband?

If your dog gets jealous when you kiss your partner, this post will show you likely reasons why and what you can do about them.

So, why does my dog get jealous when I kiss my partner? Likely reasons why your dog gets jealous when you kiss your partner are that it wants attention for itself, it does not understand what you are doing or that it has learned that the behavior is rewarded.

There are a number of possible reasons why your dog gets jealous when you kiss your wife or husband and it could be due to a combination of reasons. However, there are some things you can consider to help figure out the main cause and there are some things you can do about it.

Why does my dog get jealous when I kiss my wife or husband?

Below are likely reasons why your dog gets jealous when you kiss your partner and what would make each of them more likely.

Your dog wants attention

The reason why it does it could be that it wants attention for itself. This would be more likely if you tend to give it attention when it starts getting jealous and if it tries to get in between you both when it does it.

It would help to avoid rewarding your dog with attention it when it gets jealous, to ignore it until it stops barking and to reward it with attention when it is being well behaved. Otherwise, it will learn that, if it wants attention, all it has to do is act jealous or bark.

Your dog does not understand what you are doing

The cause might also be that it is confused and does not understand why you are kissing each other. This would be more likely if it shows signs of being confused or anxious while you are kissing such as tilting its head.

Encouraging the behavior

It could also be the case that your dog has learned that the behavior is rewarded. If you tend to give your dog things such as toys, treats or extra attention, when it does it, it will likely do it more in order to get more rewards.

Your dog thinks you’re in danger

It might also be the case that it does it because it thinks you’re both actually fighting. This would be more likely if it does it when you kiss for a long time or in an unusual manner, if it shows threatening body language and if it tries to make you stop.

Things to consider

Below are some things to consider to help figure out the main cause.

If your dog has always been jealous when you kiss

If your dog has not always been jealous when you kiss, it would help to consider what else happened when it first started. If it started doing it suddenly, it could be due to things such as learning that the behavior is rewarded or a change in how you both interact with each other around it.

The timing of when your dog is jealous

If your dog is not always jealous when you kiss, it would help to consider what is different when it is not jealous. For example, if it does it more when one of you are leaving, it could actually be a sign of separation anxiety.

What to do about my dog being jealous when I kiss my partner?

Below are some options you have when dealing with the behavior.

Distract it

One option would be to give your dog distractions when you are kissing. Things you could give it would include toys, bones or puzzle games.

Avoid rewarding it

As mentioned above, it could be the case that it has learned that the behavior is rewarded. Instead, it would help to reward your dog when it behaves the way you want it to and to avoid giving it treats or extra attention when it does not.

Why does my dog get jealous when I kiss my girlfriend?

Likely reasons why your dog gets jealous when you kiss your girlfriend are that it does not understand what you are doing, it wants attention for itself or that it has learned that you kiss when one of you are leaving.

Why does my dog get jealous when I kiss my boyfriend?

Likely reasons why your dog gets jealous when you kiss your boyfriend are that it thinks you are in danger, it has learned that the behavior is rewarded or that it wants attention for itself.