Signs Your Dog Knows You’re Pregnant
Your dog is a lot more perceptive than you think, so they might be able to tell that youre pregnant based on your behavior alone. Pair that with an incredible nose and astounding hearing, and its basically impossible for you to not include your pup in the baby bump news.
Once your dog realizes youre pregnant (maybe even before you do), theyll likely change their behavior. You might find that your dog becomes much more protective of you and your unborn child. They might bark at strangers or passersby even though they used to seem friendly. They also might not let members of your family or your friends get too close.
Additionally, you might find that your dog is much more affectionate than normal. Its not unusual for dogs to cuddle up close to pregnant women and their stomachs to keep the baby close to them. Your dog might follow you around a lot more than they usually do, too.
Its possible as well that your dog could have an adverse reaction to realizing that youre pregnant or that changes are on the horizon. Some people notice that their normally-well-behaved doggos start to misbehave a bit (think chewing on baby items and toys, wrecking the house, or having accidents) because of stress and anxiety. If you notice your dog is having any of these issues, its possible that hes having an adverse reaction to the coming changes.
Here are some body language cues your dog might give you to let you know they understand there are physiological changes happening:
Here are a few other signs your dog might be giving you if they are aware that you, or someone else close to them, is pregnant:
Historically, there are plenty of ways dogs have been able to detect pregnancy. Whether its a change in behavior or downright physiological signs, dogs are way more in tune with you than you think.
For example, dogs can smell the changes that your body is undergoing. Like we said above, dogs smell about 100,000 better than people do. When someone is pregnant, their body chemistry changes and that causes changes in odor. No matter how small of a change has taken place, your dog can smell it.
Your dog has ultrasound-level hearing, too, so its likely they can hear crying in the womb, which can happen as soon as the 28th week of pregnancy. You might not be able to hear it, but your dog surely can.
Additionally, your dog can clearly see the changes your body is undergoing. More so, though, dogs are fairly good at reading situations and picking up on the changes happening in their world. Once they notice you changing your behaviors – and they will, theyre pretty in tune with your everyday routine and how you normally act – theyre likely to pick up on bigger changes that are coming.
When it comes down to it, theres no way youd be able to hide your pregnancy from your dog. Their finely tuned hearing and impeccable noses would never allow you to keep them in the dark. Dogs can hear in the ultrasonic range, which means they can hear sound waves that reach anywhere from 50,000 – 60,000 cycles per second.
Compared to humans – at 20,000 cycles per second – thats pretty impressive. While its not likely your dogs hearing is finely tuned enough to hear your babys fetal heartbeat (that would take a serious set of ears), they can likely hear in-utero crying. Your baby will start crying in the womb as early as the 28th week of pregnancy, so you can expect that your dog can hear these sounds starting around the same time.
Lets talk noses, too. Your dogs nose is incredible. They can smell in parts per trillion and have about 25 times more smell receptors than people – that means they can easily smell the smallest changes happening in your bodys chemistry. Hormonal changes certainly give off a certain smell, so its to be expected your dog will pick up on this and understand, to a certain degree, that something is happening in your body.
Signs Your Dog Can Smell a Fetus
We may never fully understand the world a dog lives in. The things they sense and how they react to certain things in their environment – it is often beyond our comprehension. When a dog senses that you are pregnant, they will probably change their behavior towards you. They may start giving you more attention. They usually start cuddling you more and act more protective of you. You may feel they are becoming too clingy at times. Sometimes, even dogs that don’t know you may appear more friendly towards you than if you weren’t pregnant.
You can expect your dog to bark at people passing by even if they seem friendly. Sometimes they may not even let some of your family members get too close. Overall, you will see your pooch being a lot more affectionate towards you. On the other hand, you may also see your dog having a somewhat negative reaction when they sense a fetus is growing inside you. They may start acting out, getting into accidents or making a mess around the house. Chewing up things, even toys, can be expected. If you see such changes, it is possible they will continue with similar behavior after the new arrival and you need to prepare accordingly.
Here are some signs that show your dog can smell a fetus:
Here are some more signs that your pooch can smell a fetus:
For the longest time, women have claimed that their dog was the first one to sense their pregnancy. As astounding as that may sound, this continues to this day. When only one month pregnant, actress Tia Morry tweeted about how during a photo shoot, the photographer’s dog kept coming to her. This made the photographer ask if she was pregnant.
There was also a famous YouTube video, made by a pet insurance company. The video told the heartwarming story of a couple that adopts a dog after they have trouble conceiving. A couple of months later, the dog starts putting his nose on the wife’s abdomen for extended periods. As it turns out, the couple had finally managed to conceive and apparently their dog was the first one to sense the fetus.
There are other women who also claim that their dogs behaved differently after they became pregnant. Earlier in history, the dogs’ reaction to pregnancy might have been highlighted more given the absence of modern methods of confirming a pregnancy. Throughout the ages, dogs have been able to sense a fetus by smelling the changes a body is undergoing. It’s not surprising, considering a dog’s sense of smell is up to 100,000 times better than a human’s.
This means most dogs will definitely know things are a bit different if youre pregnant. Whether morning sickness has you feeling grim or your doggo is receiving less attention as prep for babys arrival begins, theyll know something is up. However, theyre not likely to suspect that something is a tiny human who is about to change their lives (and yours) forever.
Your dog is definitely no substitute for a pregnancy test. But as your hormones change, there is anecdotal evidence that your dog may notice a change in your smell. According to a 2018 report in Frontiers of Veterinary Science, dogs can smell 1,000 to 10,000 times better than humans. Thats because theyre believed to have more than 220 million more olfactory receptors in their snouts.
Its important to note that every dog is different. If your dog is usually oblivious to your moods, theyre unlikely to suddenly become extra protective when youre preparing to welcome a new baby. However, if you have a dog who is already highly attentive to your moods, they might stick close to your side as your due date approaches.
This keen sense of smell is why dogs are used to sniff out bombs, find missing people, and even detect low or high blood sugar in people with diabetes. So, yes, your dog knows your smell well and could become curious if it changes. Still, even if your pup realizes theres something different about the way you smell, theyre unlikely to know the reason why.
Having a baby is a big change for everyone in your household, including your dog. Thats why its so important to prepare your pup for the arrival of a new family member before you bring the baby home. Here are a few ways you can help your furry friend understand theres a new member of the family coming soon, according to the ASPCA: