Can Puppies Sense Pregnancy? (3 Ways It Can +Vital Tips)

Many people report that their fur baby seems to have a sixth sense in spotting pregnancy.

Can your puppy know that you are pregnant, and how will they react?

Do puppies and babies mix?

How Can Your Puppy Know That You Are Pregnant?

Even before you know you are pregnant, you change physically and emotionally.

These changes continue throughout pregnancy and after you birth your baby.

Your puppy has:

• An amazing sense of smell.
• Keen hearing.
• Excellent observation skills.

1. Changing Hormones Changing Scent

When you are pregnant, your body’s hormones change gradually throughout the pregnancy with the production of human chorionic gonadotropin hormone, which is unique to human pregnancy.

Other hormones increase during pregnancy, including human placenta lactogen, estrogen, progesterone, relaxin, prolactin, and oxytocin.

Each plays a role in changing your body and your ability to deliver the baby into the world.

Your changing hormones likely change your natural scent, and your puppy will notice that your scent is changing.

2. Heartbeat

Although your doctor needs assistance to hear your developing baby’s heartbeat, it is possible to hear the baby’s heartbeat in the later stages of pregnancy by pressing an ear to the bump.

Your puppy has better hearing than you, and your puppy will likely hear your baby’s heartbeat at an earlier stage.

3. Changing Behavior

When you are pregnant, everything changes, and your puppy will notice:

• Morning sickness – both smell and late walks.
• Tiredness and irritability.
• Changes in your gait.
• Slower walks.
• Decreases in energy.

Your puppy can read your body language, and if your ankles swell and you are tired and grumpy, your puppy knows something is different.

Plus, as the baby bump increases, there will be less room on your lap, and your body temperature may run hotter than before your pregnancy.

Unless your puppy has prior experience living with a pregnant woman, then your puppy is aware that you are changing but doesn’t have the reasoning ability to think, “this woman is pregnant.”

However, dogs have decades of shared experience with humans, and who knows what your puppy’s instinctive memories tell it about your pregnancy?

Currently, there are no scientific studies relating to dogs detecting pregnancy in humans, but many studies demonstrate sensitivity to body changes in epilepsy, diabetes, and detecting cancer.

Most dog owners observe that their canine companions can and do recognize the difference in your status when you become pregnant.

How Will, Your Puppy, React to Your Pregnancy?

Although your puppy doesn’t know you are pregnant, it does recognize change, and your puppy may respond by:

• Becoming more protective.
• Being indifferent in response.
• Seeking more cuddles.
• Acting out by peeing or chewing your possessions.

Some puppies seem hardwired to go into protective mode around pregnancy, especially if you are the primary caregiver.

In pregnancy, dog and human hormones are essentially the same except for specific human hormones.

So, there may be some instinctive recognition that your change in hormone levels means you carry a precious cargo that needs protecting.

Alternatively, your puppy may feel you are currently weaker because you are more tired and sick and need more support.

Some puppies are indifferent to your pregnancy, especially if their routine does not substantially change.

If your puppy is a recent family addition, your puppy may not yet feel a strong bond, so your change in scent and behavior doesn’t trigger a response.

When your puppy responds to your pregnancy by seeking more cuddles, it is not looking for attention for itself but is trying to make you feel better.

If you are tired and a bit down, your puppy will instinctively try to offer comfort.

This puppy behavior is why people value dogs as companions. Your puppy genuinely wants to make you happy and responds to your emotions.

A puppy acting out by peeing inside the house or behaving destructively may seem as if it is jealous of your pregnancy.

Your puppy doesn’t know that the changes in your behavior mean that a baby is on the way. Instead, your puppy expresses its distress that it is no longer getting your attention.

If you suffer from morning sickness, you may be later in taking the puppy outside, and you may not be as involved in playtime as you were before pregnancy.

The behavior is a cry for attention.

Can You Prepare Your Puppy Before Baby Arrives?

Many new parents worry that their puppy may behave like an older sibling and show jealousy when the baby arrives.

Unlike an older brother or sister, you can’t explain to your puppy what the new baby means to your family.

You can take steps to smooth the path between your puppy and your baby during pregnancy.

1. Establish a Working Routine

When your baby arrives, you will have less time to spend walking and playing with your puppy.

If you spend time with your puppy before the baby, you may feel that the puppy will be happy with less attention later.

If you spend a lot of time playing with and walking your puppy before birth and this activity suddenly stops, your puppy is likely to feel hurt, upset, and jealous.

If you establish a routine of walking, feeding, and playing that you know you can keep going after your baby arrives, then your puppy won’t notice too much disruption with the new arrival.

If your partner, other family members, or a professional dog walker are taking over your puppy walking duties following the birth, it is best to set that pattern a couple of months before your due date.

2. Familiarize the Puppy with a Baby’s Cry

You may be lucky and have a happy gurgling baby, but most babies cry at least some of the time when they wake up, need feeding, changing, or want a cuddle.

You can avoid surprising your puppy with the strange noises babies make by either recording a friend’s baby or purchasing a baby crying soundtrack designed to desensitize your puppy.

If your puppy is familiar with the noise of a crying baby, it is less likely to feel fear or need to bark or howl when your baby cries in the night.

3. Introduce It to New Baby Smell

When your baby arrives, it will have a unique scent profile for your puppy to recognize.

Your puppy’s memory is scent-based, and you can build acceptance of your new baby by your puppy by introducing the new scents to your home.

A significant part of your baby’s scent will be baby lotion, powder, and milk.

You can create a sniff cloth using the brand of baby lotion you favor, and when you are in hospital with your newborn, you can send an item of worn clothing back home for your puppy to sniff.

4. Involve Your Puppy

Although your puppy will never have unsupervised access to your new baby, excluding the puppy is not the answer to building acceptance.

If you ensure your puppy knows not to jump up at people, you can let your puppy see the new baby when you are feeding, changing, and cuddling your baby.

Your puppy will soon accept your new arrival as part of your family unit – an addition to the pack and not a displacement for the puppy.

Your puppy should observe the transition from baby to toddler as a gradual process.

5. Puppy Proof Your Nursery

Your puppy will see your baby’s toys, diapers, and other accessories as potential playthings.

A dog gate across the nursery door lets your puppy see the action without getting physically involved.

You can continue to talk to your puppy while dealing with your baby.

6. Baby Proof Your Puppy’s Safe Space

When your baby is crying or getting active, there will be times when your puppy wants some safe, quiet time.

Ensure your puppy has a baby-free zone where it can retreat for a calming nap without fear of disturbance.

Is It Safe for You to Have a Puppy When You Are Pregnant?

The potential risks from having a puppy while you are pregnant include:

• Catching a disease.
• Physical harm.

If your puppy is healthy and up-to-date with its injections and you practice hand hygiene, then a puppy is not generally hazardous to your pregnancy.

But there is always the risk of catching a bacterial infection like Salmonellosis or harm from a parasitic infection.

When you are pregnant, you and your developing baby are vulnerable to the effects of:

• Salmonella – like food poisoning, and the bacteria can pass onto your baby.
• Toxoplasmosis – rare but has a severe impact causing miscarriage or a stillbirth.
• Rabies – treatment, if given early, is safe and effective.
• Lyme’s disease – an infected tick can hitch a ride on your puppy.

Owning a puppy always risks infection, but instances are rare if you keep your puppy healthy. Early identification and treatment are crucial to avoiding complications for your baby.

While pregnant, you may want to be extra careful when handling puppy poop.

Living with a puppy does not automatically mean you will contact these issues. These diseases and complications are an exceptionally rare worst-case scenario.

A puppy represents a trip hazard, an issue as your bump increases and you cannot see your feet or a playful puppy.

A boisterous large puppy may pull you over in slippery conditions.

As your pregnancy advances, you become less mobile, so it makes sense to concentrate on training your puppy to behave well on the lead and in the house.

Should You Get a Puppy While Pregnant?

The idea of your baby and your puppy growing up together is attractive, but should you consider getting a puppy while you are pregnant?

Pros

• If you get your puppy in early pregnancy, you can get your puppy trained and past the problem stages before your baby arrives.
• A puppy encourages you to keep moving and get daily exercise.
• A puppy is good for both you and your partner’s mental health.
• A puppy means you take your baby outside regularly.

Cons

• You risk having two infants to look after with twice the potential exhaustion.
• You may have insufficient energy and time to pay attention to your puppy.
• Your puppy may not accept the new arrival.
• If you have complications (like bed rest in later stages), you also have the problem of finding care for your puppy.

Although when you choose to have a puppy is a personal decision, a baby will significantly change your life.

Unless you have plenty of personal support with nearby relatives willing to take on puppy and baby duties, you may be best to settle with your new baby before taking on additional responsibilities with a puppy.

Babies go through a crawling stage, and puppies bring dirt into the house and shed hair on your carpets.

You may want to consider waiting until your baby is walking before adding a puppy into the family.

However, there are significant benefits for your baby’s immune system through a less sterile environment.

Does Your Puppy Benefit Your Baby?

There are plenty of studies that show bringing up a puppy and a baby together provides positive benefits for your baby:

• Companionship – when your child is upset, your puppy is a comforting and supportive friend.
• More active lifestyles – your puppy encourages you and your family to get outside and get more active.
• Personal development – as your baby grows up, they learn caring and empathy by being responsible for your puppy.

Your newborn baby benefits from an immune system boost through exposure to your puppy during the year.

The benefits include reduced illness, allergies, and eczema compared with households without puppies.

Is Your Puppy Dangerous for Your Baby?

Everything is a potential hazard for your baby.

Human infants get into everything, and most things get grabbed, squeezed, and put in their mouths.

Your baby won’t understand that the puppy may object to your baby exploring the puppy’s food bowl or to your baby sticking its fingers up your puppy’s nose.

Initially, your newborn baby and your puppy will live parallel lives without interaction – that will change when your baby becomes mobile around six months.

Your puppy poses potential risks through:

• Prey response – your baby’s cries may sound like a prey animal, prompting your puppy to pounce and bite.
• Disease – provided your puppy is kept healthy, this risk is low but still present.
• Excess energy – a boisterous puppy can knock over a crawling infant or jump up while you are nursing.
• Jealousy – your puppy may resent the newcomer and be potentially threatening with barks, growls, and in the worst cases, bites.

It is rare for a puppy to attack a human baby, but every dog breed has the potential to react adversely to the noise, smell, and presence of a baby.

Managing your puppy and baby interactions means that you never give your puppy unsupervised access to your baby.

Do Puppies and Pregnancy Mix?

Like most life events, some families find having a puppy during a pregnancy ideal to introduce a dog into their lives. They have plenty of time with the puppy before and after pregnancy.

Others find the extra challenge of looking after a puppy, their own health, and then a new baby exhausting both mentally and physically.

You can have your baby and your puppy but be realistic about how far you can stretch your time and energy.

If you don’t have plenty of support to help with puppy walks (or babysitting while you have a relaxing walk with your puppy), it may be best to rehome your puppy before you reach the stage where you can’t cope.

Alternatively, your puppy may prove to be your best friend by cuddling up to you when you feel the baby blues and allowing you to get outside for some essential relaxation time.

Babies and puppies benefit from a routine involving plenty of sleep, proper nutrition, and structured playtime.

Your puppy will mature faster than your baby and be less demanding with time.

Plus, there are some positive benefits to bringing up a baby and a puppy together in the early years and developing a healthy, compassionate teenager.

References:

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2467334