When you become pregnant, your body scent changes and your dog can sense it. Apart from that, your hormones change too. Dogs are very keen at observing their owners and can notice the slightest physical or emotional changes.
Maybe your morning sickness is kicking in, and you are throwing up. Your dog is not used to you feeling sick every morning, and probably your morning routines have changed. Instead of going for morning walks, you are lying down more. The dog senses you are not feeling well and want to keep close to you to ensure you are okay. There is an increase of estrogen and progesterone as your mood and fatigue kicks in. Less and fewer walks with your dog, and sometimes maybe you get irritable, and your dog becomes insecure and starts to pee in the house. Read on to know what you should do?
Can Dogs Sense Pregnancy
Dogs have an incredible sense of smell. Scientists say they can smell 100,000 times better than humans. They have two definitions of smell, one smell that picks odors and food smell and another that can gather on pheromones. Dogs can sense your hormone change and any emotional change. Some dog owners reported that their dog becomes clingy before they even realize they are pregnant. Dogs are super in-tune with their master, and the slightest behavior change won’t go unnoticed.
Dog’s Behavior Around Pregnant Women
When your canine friend detects your pregnancy, they may change their behavior. Some dogs behave as usual, while others become more protective of you. Others become overprotective to the point of going after strangers. You may notice your dog starts following everywhere you go and in everything you do. They are just checking on your well-being. They will start sleeping on your belly and enjoy hearing your baby kick. Others become jealous of the baby on the way as they feel like you’re shifting your affections from them to the new arrival. When your dog senses you reducing your liking, he gets stressed and starts behavioral problems like peeing in the house even though he was a well-behaved dog.
Dogs Behavioral Problem with Pregnant women
As you progress along with the pregnancy, you may stop taking your dog for walks and have your partner do that all the time. The dog may start to notice and smell new things like the crib, paint for the baby’s room, diapers, and they will know a change is coming. It might stress your dog out as they aren’t sure if they will stay or live away from the family.
As a result of emotions and stress, they may start to pee in the house even though they have never done it before. The more they do it, the angrier you become, and they become more insecure. The habit goes around like a cycle, and only you as the master can take control and stop the practice. Let’s look at how you can get back your well-behaved dog.
Get Them Checked
Infections like UTI can profoundly affect dogs, and they can start to pee around the house. Take your dog for a check-up to rule out any illness before you try other options. The vet will check if your dog has an infection or diabetes that can make them unable to hold their pee. When the vet rues out any sign of illness, then you can go to the next step.
Love and Attention
It’s important to continue showing your furry friend love like you have been doing all along. Snuggle and pet them regularly, especially if they have some behavior change. Please don’t give them the vibe like you are not interested or want them close to you. Animal behaviorist Nikole Gipps, says most women tend to put their arms around their growing belly, and unconsciously it tells your dog to stay away. If your dog is getting angry or stressed, ensure to continue with his routine as close as possible or have a friend or family member assist you.
Reinforce Behavioral Training
With a baby on the way, your dog needs some reinforcement on obedience. Start the obedience training and let the dog know you are still in charge. If you have a puppy, enroll them for behavioral cases. Create a safe place where they can go when stressed and cool down or relax.
Your dog probably is just acting due to what they feel from you or stressed out lately. Maybe you have been focusing on the pregnancy and unknowingly neglecting your dog and are acting up. Reassure your dog that you still love and care for it while preparing them for the baby’s arrival.
Stop your dog from peeing in the house during your pregnancy!
You can train your dog to stop peeing inside. I found out about this online dog training tool at TrainDogsOnline.org – during my pregnancy, it was such a wonderful help in learning how to train my dog to stop peeing inside… all without ever leaving home! Which was great for a pregnant mom like myself. An added bonus was that I learned so many great ways to teach my dog nearly every trick imaginable. Also, I can finally correct common behavioral issues, anywhere from potty training to barking too much. It’s an actual man who’s a real dog trainer training his dog. He’s an expert so you can see his mannerisms and changes in his tone of voice… especially his body language. My dog behaves PERFECTLY now and picked up on these methods so fast. From what I understand, this will work on all dogs regardless of breed or age. Best of luck to you and your dog! Check out TrainDogsOnline.org – highly recommended!
PS If you have a cat as well, please be advised that cat pee is very dangerous for babies.
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