Is Dog Reacting to Owner's Pregnancy

Dogs often react to an owner's pregnancy in unexpected ways. Share these visitors' stories.

I am about five months pregnant, and my normally well behaved eight-year-old Rottweiler, Zeus, has begun peeing in the house. He wets the same spot over again. Last night he pooped twice in the same spot he pees.

This generally happens after I take him out and he goes potty outside. Is this his way of acting out because of the impending new arrival? He is very gentle with me, and likes to sleep with his head on my lap. I have encouraged this because I don't want him to feel unloved, but he is starting to smell up the house. Any ideas on how to handle this would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you~~ Zeus' Mommy

Expert Reply

Hello,

Some dogs react in unusual ways to their human's pregnancy. There's some speculation that their superior sense of smell actually allows them to smell the change in a pregnant woman's body chemistry.

Zeus is probably feeling a little disconcerted about the change he senses, and this could very well be leading him to act out by marking territory inside the house.

First off, you're going to need to clean the area quite thoroughly with a 50/50 solution of vinegar and water to get rid of the residual smell. Really soak the area so it gets down into the padding beneath. If he can smell it, he'll just keep returning to mark the spot.

You should also try to maintain as normal a routine as you always have. You need to be careful about reinforcing any insecurity with an unusual amount of attention. Be affectionate as usual so he doesn't begin to feel slighted.

As for future marking, you need to treat him like an untrained puppy for a while and reinforce the training he received when you first potty trained him. Be vigilant when you bring him back in, and give him a loud firm "NO" if he looks like he is going to pee, then take him right back outside and give him the command to go.

Hopefully these suggestions will help get Zeus back on track. Thanks for your question.

~~ Kelly

We have a three-year-old Lab mix that is very energetic and gets a lot of exercise. In the past year or so, she has occasionally been wetting her bed and our sofa She is not allowed on the furniture, but when we leave she seems to follow her own rules. Now, she wet our bed when we left for a few hours the other day.

We also have a new baby in the house, but we think the problem was happening before the baby came along. We let our dog out frequently to do her business, so we don't understand why she would have to have accidents. We also don't understand why she doesn't just go on the floor why instead of on the furniture. The liquid does not smell, so we're not even sure if it is urine.

Is this common? What could be causing it, and is there anything we can do to prevent it from happening?

Thanks very much~~ Laura

Expert Reply

Hi Laura,

I'm sorry to hear you are experiencing such problems. Actually, I wouldn't discount the new baby's presence in the house as the root of your dog's behavior problems. Many dogs begin behaving in an unusual manner when their owner is pregnant. It's very possible that your dog sensed a major change was coming before the baby's birth, and this may have led to the furniture wetting.

Since you can't rule out a medical cause for the behavior, I recommend that you make an appointment with your vet, and discuss the sudden change.

In the meantime, I highly recommend that you keep your dog crated when you cannot be there to supervise her. This will keep her from soiling the furniture. Her initial soiling has probably become a habit, and even though you can't smell the urine, she probably can due to her much higher sense of smell. Try soaking the cushions and mattress with an enzymatic cleanser to eliminate trapped urine crystals.

Thank you for your question, and I hope these suggestions prove helpful.

~~ Kelly

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