Can Dogs Tell When You’re Pregnant

A dog’s nose is known for doing some impressive things. The canine scent ability has been used for important tasks such as sniffing out explosives or detecting underlying medical conditions, proving just how powerful the canine scent glands can be. Due to the fact that professional dogs can sniff out hidden smells around them, many wonder if the average canine companion has this ability as well.

A common question pet parents ask about the canine nose is if dogs can sense pregnancy in their owners. Many pet parents have noted that their dog’s behavior changed early on in their pregnancy, with some even appearing to sense their pregnancy before the owners were aware of it.

So can dogs tell when their owners are pregnant? Let’s discuss the details below!

Understanding The Canine Nose

Before we answer the question of whether or not dogs can sense pregnancy in their owners, we should first introduce you to the impressive details of the canine nose. A dog’s nose can pick up on subtle changes that you and I could never detect, and this is due to their increased ability to detect and process different scents. Not only do dogs have 60 times more smell receptors than you and I do, but they also have more brain components dedicated to processing smell. This allows dogs to differentiate between up to 100,000 different scents, whereas the average human nose can differentiate between 2,000 to 4,000.

The power of the canine nose has been utilized in detecting various scents produced by underlying medical conditions in humans. These detectable scents include those ranging from low blood sugar levels to an upcoming seizure, so many believe pregnancy can be sensed by dogs as well. The exact scent or shift in smell that dogs detect in pregnant people is unknown, but many pregnant pet parents swear they have noticed obvious changes in their dogs from the time they conceived.

Can Dogs Sense When You’re Pregnant? Here’s How!

Research has not pinpointed the exact scent a dog detects in pregnant humans, but there are a few noticeable changes that could contribute to their pregnancy-detecting skills. There are a list of factors that could tip off a dog when their owners are pregnant, so let’s discuss these factors in detail below.

Possible Changes In Your Scent

Your dog doesn’t have to be a trained sniffing dog in order to have an impressive sense of smell. All dogs can not only pick up on their owner’s unique scent, but they can memorize this scent and differentiate it from other smells. Due to how well our dogs grow to know our familiar smell, this means they can likely pick up on any subtle changes in our scent as well. If underlying medical conditions have the ability to alter our unique scent, then it makes sense that pregnancy would as well. If this is true, then your dog might identify the change in your smell during your pregnancy and begin to act differently.

Changes In Your Daily Behavior

From the moment you find out that you are pregnant, you will likely experience changes in your behavior and standard routine. You might sleep more, alter your standard diet, and even implement new exercises and ways of caring for yourself. You may also begin to change aspects of your home to accommodate the babies’ eventual presence, and these are all things that our dogs can easily pick up on.

Changes In Your Mood

A pregnant woman will undergo a variety of hormonal changes, and this can often lead to changes in mood. Whether this is the overwhelming excitement that the baby is coming, the stress of preparing for the baby’s arrival, or even the occasional wave of emotion hormones incite; our dogs notice it. Dogs are incredibly in tune with their owner’s emotions, and the mood changes that come along with pregnancy are easily detected by our pets.

Changes In Your Appearance

All pregnant women will experience changes in their appearance at some point throughout their pregnancy. Our canine friends grow accustomed to our everyday look and body shape, so it will soon become obvious that something has changed. They may not know exactly why their parent’s figure is changing, but they are astute enough to pick up on this change and behave differently because of it.

Will My Dog Know I’m Pregnant Before I Do?

Dogs have an incredible ability to pick up on subtle changes in smell and appearance in their owners, so does this mean that some dogs know their owners are pregnant before they do? While we cannot know for sure, this is very possible. Some people are unaware of their pregnancy until the 3-4 month mark, and we know that some dogs behave differently around their pregnant owners much earlier on than this. Your dog won’t likely understand why you are smelling or behaving differently, but it is certainly possible that they detect something off before their owners realize that they are pregnant.

Will My Dog’s Behavior Change When I Am Pregnant?

Once a woman finds out she is pregnant, many wonder how the pregnancy will impact their beloved canine family members. While many dogs will detect changes in their owner and environment leading up to the babies’ birth, they still cannot process the situation in the same way we can. Dogs can only detect the changes themselves, but they can’t understand the reasons behind them.

Because of this, many dogs will experience slight changes in behavior in response to the shift in their environment. These changes could be interpreted as sublet and sweet, but some might display signs of anxiety if they do not handle environmental changes well. To make sure you are prepared for any behavioral changes in your dog during your pregnancy, let’s list the possibilities below.

Changes in dogs’ behavior around pregnant owners include:

• Clinginess and increased need of attention from the pregnant owner
• Appearing more affectionate and cuddly than usual
• Becoming more protective of the pregnant owner
• Increased vocalizations, such as barking and whining
• Destructive behavior around the home, especially with new items and baby furniture
• Urinating or defecting inside of the house even though they are potty trained
• Displaying signs of separation anxiety when they are left alone such as barking, destructive behavior, panting, etc.

These behavioral changes are less likely due to the fact that the owner is pregnant, but more so due to the fact that they detect changes in their home and standard routine. Dogs crave structure and normalcy, and a pregnancy can certainly shake these things up. Some dogs really struggle with this process, so it’s important to make sure your dog feels loved and supported during this transition. The more attention and time you dedicate to your pup throughout this change, the less likely they are to participate in undesirable behaviors.

Will My Dog Sense When I Am Going Into Labor?

It’s unclear if our bodies experience a change in smell when we go into labor, but it’s certain that women display noticeable changes in behavior and mood. A woman going into labor will likely be nervous and uncomfortable, and our dogs will easily pick up on these shifts in behavior. Their home will likely go from a calm space to an excited one instantly, and any canine friend can sense this. Again, your dog may not understand why these changes are unfolding around them, but they will definitely know that something big is happening.

Final Thoughts

Dogs are incredibly in tune with their surroundings and the people they love within their homes. Most dogs will detect a pregnancy in their owners for this reason, and many of them will experience behavioral changes because of it. We encourage you to be aware of how your dog handles this massive change and try to help them feel loved and secure throughout the process.

Up Next:

• Can Dogs Smell Fear?
• Can Dogs Smell Cancer? The Reality vs. Myth
• All Of Your Dog’s Strange Behaviors, Explained

The photo featured at the top of this post is © iStock.com/DuxX