06/04/2024
EXPANDING YOUR FAMILY WITHOUT LEAVING YOUR DOG BEHIND: ~Pregnancy and your dog~
The following is divided into two parts: The first- some awesome information about dogs and pregnancy; and the second- my recommendations as to what you should start to do with your dogs from the moment you know you are pregnant.
Will my dog know I’m pregnant?
So you’re pregnant. Maybe you know you are, maybe you don’t. But I can guarantee who does know: your dog. Women often report that in hindsight they should have realised they were pregnant because their dog started acting differently toward them. Others have reported their dog was the first reason they checked the pregnancy stick; and still others tell funny stories of how they hadn’t yet told their friends, but when they went over to visit, their friend’s dog was all over them, so much that their friend just “had to ask”.
Whatever your story, the answer is clear: it’s likely your dog will know.
How does your dog know?
The science of the matter is: a dog’s hearing and sense of smell are far better than ours. They have the ability to hear a second heart beat (aka your baby’s heartbeat) as well as the ability to smell your hormones shift. Dogs are also keen feelings and emotional sensors, and, if you are anything like I was when I was pregnant- those early weeks when your body is adjusting to all the new hormones, you feel like a truck bound on the highway of emotional wreckage. Your dog will be noticing all of these things. Your dog also picks up a lot on body language and cues. Do you have morning sickness? Are you going for less walks because you’re just so tired? Are you spending time nesting away getting ready for the baby? Don’t worry, I see you, and your dog does too! Now these signs won’t tell them: I’m pregnant, but it will be alerting them to the idea that change is happening.
Will my dog’s behaviour change?
Many people report that when they became pregnant, their dog’s behaviour changed in some unique and observable ways (bear in mind, not all dogs will react in the same way, and some dogs may not change at all).
- Your dogs might feel the need to sniff and rest their head or body against your tummy (this was Ronnie in our house – whenever I sat down he was always on me, particularly as I grew further along).
- They may become protective and guard you a little more. Seeing you as a very precious person who needs their support. (This was Pauley in our house – he would stand in front of me whenever the other dogs were getting too energetic/playing or when people came to the house instead of going and greeting them as he usually would, he would lay down at my feet and expect them to come to him, but he wouldn’t move away from me).
- Some dogs also become really attached to you (even more than usual), they want to stay close. They become alert to your every subtle movement. (This was Murphy in our house).
Other people also report their dogs become more distant, destructive and start exhibiting some not great behaviour changes. This is likely because of those last signs I spoke about earlier (the less frequent walks, more time spent away from them while you organise things etc). If you are noticing these signs in your dog, I’d encourage you each day to spend some intentional time with them so they know they aren’t being shafted.
Will they know when I am about to go into labour?
Many people report their dogs became extra clingy the days/hours leading up to having the baby. It was as if the dog knew something was impending. This may again be because they can smell the hormonal changes that are occurring, or are watching your body language (the awkward pregnancy waddle, the cringe-worthy Braxton hicks etc). In my case, I didn’t notice any signs that would suggest my dogs appeared to know anything about what was coming, but some people do notice signs.
During the pregnancy stage here are my recommendations for what to start doing with your dog (yes! Even before baby arrives):
1. If your baby is going to have a room (even if it’s your room) where you don’t want the dog/s to go (or simply want that room as an invite only room- aka the dog/s are allowed to enter, but only when you tell them) then start teaching that to your dog now.
2. It’s likely when your baby arrives on the scene that your dog/s won’t have as much free access to you (i.e. when you’re putting your little one to sleep, you probably won’t want the dogs with you). So make sure you start NOW making times when you are home BUT your dog/s can’t get to you. Go into the baby’s future room and stay there for half an hour, then come back out to them. Get them used to the fact that you will disappear during the day, and this isn’t cause for them to bark etc.
3. If your dog/s jump, start teaching them NOW not to.
4. If your dog/s don’t know how to be calm, start teaching them now to be.
5. If your dog/s chew toys, start teaching them now to only choose the toys you give them and not other toys.
6. Research tells us that babies who are read to in the womb benefit from this early communication. During your daily reading sessions to your bump, why not bring your dog/s in and teach them to be calm while you read. This will come in handy later when you are playing/being with your little one on the floor. Your dog/s learn that it’s not a time for excited play.
7. If your dogs have free access everywhere (i.e. couches, beds etc) think about making these spaces invite only (consider for example if you are sitting on the bed with your little one and your dog jumps up – or if you have the cot next to the bed, can the dog/s jump into the cot. You want to establish boundaries before your baby arrives.
8. Think about car travel. If your dog/s usually sits in the backseat, you may need to think about changing where they sit in the car. Again, now is the time to start this.
9. If your dog/s haven’t been around babies and baby noises very much/at all, think about possibly playing baby crying sounds, squealing sounds etc through speakers so your dog/s become used to the sounds.
10. It’s time also to start getting your dog/s used to you being all up and in their space. Teach them that if they don’t like something, the answer is to MOVE AWAY (so if they move away from you in this activity, don’t follow them. We want to teach them that that was a good choice). Put your face on them, touch their tail, their feet, their body. Lay next to them while they sleep on their bed, and while they’re eating. At this stage they need to be very comfortable with you doing all of these things, and later (when your bub is born) you are going to do the same things but holding your bub (You need to stop this as soon as your bub starts comprehending what is going on as you do NOT want your bub to think this is okay behaviour for them to do. The purpose of what you are doing here is solely to desensitise your dog to your baby and to become more aware of what their default behaviour might be if your later-moving child invades their space without your knowing). If your dog reacts negatively to you doing these things (walking away is FINE! But biting, growling, hackles, lip turns etc are NOT) you need to get a behaviour trainer in as a dog that does this is not safe for children to be around. DO NOT PERSIST in these behaviours if your dog shows a negative reaction. All you are wanting to do at this stage is assess your dog's tolerance level - NOT push them beyond that tolerance level. This will allow you to have a better awareness of how your dog might react if your soon to become toddler gets too in their space. AGAIN, IF YOUR DOG DOES SHOW a negative reaction (no matter how mild) aside from moving away, PLEASE REACH OUT TO A DOG TRAINER ASAP.
11. If your dog/s aren’t obedient in a way that you want them to be, it’s now time to look at booking in some obedience lessons.
12. If your dog/s wake throughout the night to go to the toilet/have a drink it’s time to start teaching them to sleep through. Crate training can be useful here (though not a necessity). Otherwise, it’s time to hand that responsibility over to your partner as no way are you going to want to wake multiple times a night with your human child AND with your animals. Stuff that for a joke!
13. Grandparents/aunts/uncles/extended family and anyone who is likely to be involved with your little one, should also do all of the above with their animals as hopefully they might like to baby sit for you once in a while, and you want to be comfortable that their animals are safe for your little one too.
14. Work out a plan for your animals (all of them) for when you go into labour and head to the hospital. Who will look after them while you are away? Think: food, sleeping, shelter, water, etc. Be prepared in case your stay is extended (i.e. you have a C-section, baby needs a stay in the NICU ward, is prem etc).
15. Also, look around and see hazards: Think water bowls as drowning risks. We used to use water buckets for the dogs, but now Thelli is crawling these have been replaced as babies can pull themselves up on them and flop in becoming trapped and drown. Replace any buckets and/or deep water bowls with shallow water bowls. Also think food bowls as choking hazards. We used to feed our dogs inside. Our dogs have been taught to be grazers rather than guzzle guts. So we’d leave the food in the bowl and throughout the day they’d come and eat at their leisure. This isn’t safe for little ones as they will pick up anything and put it in their mouth. For the dogs, eating now occurs outside where Thelli can’t get to any of the food.
16. At some point in your pregnancy you will also be at home more than usual (i.e. usually the last 4-6 weeks of your pregnancy you’ll stop working), make sure during this time (and continued into your maternity leave once your little one is earth-side) that you intentionally set aside time when your dogs do not have access to you. This isn’t specifically for your baby, but this will help with preventing separation anxiety for when you go back to work eventually.
17. Finally, one great way to see if there’s anything else you might need to get your dogs used to before baby is born is to carry around a doll for a few hours a day. This can help you notice behaviours you may need to modify i.e. if your dog/s sit on your lap every time you sit down (you want to change this before baby arrives), jumps on you when you come inside, etc etc.
The reason you want to do these things before baby arrives is not only because you’ll have so little time, be sleep deprived, and possibly be quite overwhelmed once baby is here, but more so, so as your dogs don’t associate all these changes with the baby! We want them to regard the baby with love, rather than having them look at the baby with annoyance thinking “when you arrived, my life turned to crap.”
Read more at:
https://www.anniesdogs.com.au/about-1
I train assistance dogs specifically for work in Victoria.
