Dog Acting Weird Around Pregnant Owner

This isn't strange behavior at all. My cat REFUSED to come near me while I was in labor with my first two children. A friend of mine had two dogs and they refused to come near her when she was in labor also. Animals have a "sense" about these things and they "know" to stay away. It's normal. : )

Dear Kelly,
Your dog knows that changes are coming on; and he can "sense" that you were having pains. I am an avid dog lover and I realized early on in my pregnancy that our dog needed some extra comfort also. This will also help keep him from being jealous of the new baby when she/he gets here! When you are up to it, please give him play time and hug time still...Please speak to your own doctor this morning! I never heard of normal pregnancy pains in all my life and I am 48 now. Please be safe and may God bless you and your whole family!
Sincerely,
Kathy N.
PS: I have a cat since he was little has been able to tell when I am not feeling good; and he too would seek me out and lay with me, till I felt better! Whether it was hours or days, he stayed with me! He is now 14 yrs. old and I am staying by him! Animals can sense all kinds of things!

My cat would sleep on the floor next to the bed when I was pregnant and would sometimes sit in front of me and just meow continuously. In fact, I knew I was pregnant with my second before I tested because of the way the cat was acting. Just let him do his thing. However he is acting is normal for a dog. He may be sensing the coming labor as your hormones spike. Perhaps you are giving off a different scent because of it and he is confused. I would walk him to be sure you can get him back in the house, but otherwise, just let him do his thing. Best of luck with the delivery and coming baby.

Animals are empaths...they feel what is going on inside and outside of you. He's "picking up" your energy and reacting to it. Please give him some reassurance that you will be ok...Time for a belly rub (for you, too! Good luck and blessings on your new baby)

Kelly,

Sometimes animals are VERY in tune with their owners. Pain is (hopefully) not a normal vibe in your home. The dog is just reacting to a negative feeling. Our mutt had alerted us several times when my husbands blood pressure is high, as well as when a kidney stone is moving! Reassure him and respect his need for space. (omg - this sounds so weird!)

Good luck with the new baby!

Hi Kelly,
Dogs can sense things that we humans can't. Maybe he's just detecting tension in you because of your pain. That could be a reason that he didn't want to come near you. You may not have realized just how your pian was translating to tension towards him. Also, your dog may be sensing that you are soon to be going into labor. For the week before I had my 1st child, all three of my dogs were paying me a lot more attention. Although, unlike your pup, they followed me everywhere and always wanted to be right next to me, with their heads in my lap or touching me in some way. Maybe your dog is sensing the discomfort you are going through or he senses more. who knows? But I would have your bag packed and be ready to go at any time, just in case he knows something the doctors don't. =) Good luck with everything! I hope those pains ease up for you a bit. I went through braxton hicks contractions for 3 weeks before I gave birth. They were intense, and I often thought I was going into labor, but then with so many false calls, I barely even beieved it when it was truly time. But, according to the doctors, that played a part in the ease of my labor...I only pushed for 20 minutes before my first child, and about the same with my daughter. Good luck sweetie!

And by the way, German Shepherds are wonderful dogs! I've always owned at least one and they are great with the kids...so gentle and protective.

I wonder if we send off scents when we are experiencing things that dogs can smell and we can't. Maybe he could "smell" your fear and reacted accordingly. My dog knew I was pregnant before I did. I was so tired at first and would lay on the couch. She would jump up and lay on top of me. That's strange since she's not allowed on the furniture and knows it. She didn't leave my side for several weeks.

HI Kelly,

The ladies are right about the characteristics of dogs but our body scents change during pregnancy as well. Depending on what scent, behavior changes can be drastic.

Always be careful especially around animals that you don't know because even the ones that you love and trust can react abnormally no matter how well trained they are. Just like our behavior changes when our hormones race, theirs can change as well when OUR hormones race :)

Congratulations and hoping you're feeling better soon!

M.

Hey Kelly. First of all, congrats on the baby on the way.
Yes, if you were in a lot of pain, particularly pain where it upset you because you don't know why or understand it (so also scared combined with the pain), then it would not surprise me to hear that your GSD behaved abnormally. Dogs in general can be very sensitive to our moods and even physical things we are unaware of (haven't you heard of the cancer sniffing dogs?). It doesn't mean that there is anything wrong with your baby or pregnancy (although anytime you are concerned about something, talk to your doctor until you are satisfied and are informed - don't let yourself be brushed off if they throw medical jargon at you and you don't "get it".. keep asking for more explanation if you need it).

I, too, have a GSD (she is 5 now) and she seems more aware of things the more mature she becomes. She is sensitive to my moods, and everyone else's in the house too. She definitely feels a sense of "duty" to check things out, especially at night (outside) before she eats and retires for the night. Perhaps yours was trying to "stand guard" outside to try to protect you from the pain/fear you were experiencing. He may not have had any idea that it was internal stress and not coming from outside the house. He knew you were in distress, and took up a position to guard the "den".... That's what it sounds like to me anyway. I'd expect him to be very protective of you in the coming months... and especially after the baby is born. I LOVE GSD's, they are WONDERFUL!
If he continues to act that way, the best suggestion I can offer would be to try to take deep breaths and calm yourself (think Cesar Milan - calm and assertive energy)... When you are not exuding stress/fear/pain, he will be more likely to behave normally.
Good luck (with both the pregnancy, and figuring out the wonderful creature that shares your family)...