A University of Auckland study published in Psychological Science found that dogs display jealous behaviors not only when they witness their owners petting a realistic fake dog, but also when the interaction is hidden from view, indicating dogs can imagine jealousy-inducing scenarios.
The research demonstrated that dogs only became agitated and attempted to reach their owners when a potential social rival was involved, and not when an inanimate object was used as a control, suggesting a human-like ability to mentally represent and react to social situations that evoke jealousy.
