Do Dogs Understand When A Woman Is Pregnant

Your dog has up to 220 million smell receptors.  Their sense of smell is up to a million times more sensitive than a human’s.  Because of their amazing sense of smell, they can detect the tiniest changes in the human body which can include hormones and pheromones that occur when a woman is pregnant.  Incredibly some dogs are also able to detect cancer in the human body as well.

Dogs can also be a helpful resource to police officers for detecting arson, bombs and drugs, just to name a few.  With this in mind, your dog definitely has no trouble at all smelling a change in your body when pregnancy hormones kick in to action.

Do Dogs Understand Pregnancy?

When dogs are pregnant it seems that other dogs understand what “pregnancy” means.  They seem to understand that puppies are expected, especially if they have experienced birth before, however, it is unclear if dogs understand that the equivalent is happening when a woman is pregnant.  We just don’t know how much dogs understand or if they can make the connection between dogs that are pregnant and women that are pregnant, but the fact that many dogs become protective at this time, as well as affectionate, does seem to suggest that they have some understanding.

How Dogs React When A Woman Is Pregnant

Protective

Many dogs can become extremely protective during this time.  Dogs that were devoted to a woman’s husband may leave his company and attach themselves to the wife.  They may start sleeping next to your bed, standing guard when you go to the bathroom, or lying beside the bathtub when you bathe. 

Affectionate

Some dogs may become extremely affectionate and want to cuddle with you at each given opportunity.  They may express a great deal of curiosity about your stomach or “baby bump” as they seem to know that this is where the hormones originate from, though they may not understand what all of the changes mean.

Distant or Jealous

On the other hand, some dogs will become more aloof.  They may start to distance themselves from the pregnant woman or begin showing signs of jealousy.  They are aware of a change and seem to know that something is different.

If your dog’s behavior ever concerns you, you should take him or her to the veterinarian to see if there are any health concerns or consult with a behaviour specialist depending on the issues you may be experiencing.