Dogs are famous for their sense of smell. It’s a skill we humans have put to good use, training dogs to sniff out anything from illegal drugs, explosives and currency to lost people and even certain medical conditions. But can dogs detect pregnancy? Several studies have shown that dogs can detect cancer, but researchers don’t know exactly which chemical compounds for different types of cancers the dogs are sensing. There is also some evidence to support that dogs can detect other diseases including diabetes, narcolepsy, seizures, Parkinson’s disease and malaria.
But what does the scientific evidence say about whether dogs are able to detect pregnancy? Can their nose alert them to their owner’s pregnancy long before kicks are visible? And do they understand what these changes signify?
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It might not be too much of a leap then to think that if a dog can detect changes in the body relating to disease, that they might also be able to detect the physiological changes brought about by pregnancy. Many dog owners report that their dog is able to sense their pregnancy. If you have a quick browse through TikTok or YouTube, you’ll find many videos featuring a dog’s reaction to a baby’s gentle kicks or movements inside the womb. Owners also claim that their dog’s demeanour changed from an even earlier stage in their pregnancy; in some cases even before the owner was aware of the pregnancy themselves.
Dogs detecting disease
Humans primarily depend on their vision to interpret the world around them. Dogs, on the other hand, have a much larger area of their brain devoted to the interpretation of smell. The area of the brain that is responsible for decoding smells is about 40 times larger in the dog compared to the equivalent area in the human brain. Dogs also have more than 100 million sensory receptor sites inside their nose, compared to around 6 million in people. Because of these adaptationsÇ, it’s thought that dogs can detect smells anywhere from 1,000 to 10,000 times better than people.
Medical detection dogs are trained to discriminate between different chemicals that are released by the body when disease is present; known as Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). These VOCs are excreted outside of the body in our breath, blood, faeces or urine. Often, VOCs are present in incredibly small amounts, yet dogs are still able to detect them even when these compounds are present at tiny concentrations of just 0.001 parts per million. In many cases, we’ve yet to establish which chemicals dogs are detecting for a specific disease, which makes training medical detection dogs challenging work.
Can dogs smell pregnancy?
There is currently no hard scientific backing to the theory that dogs use their sense of smell to detect pregnancy. However, it is within the realm of possibility that like VOCs, pregnancy hormones released from the body would also have a detectable scent profile for a dog. A pregnant person has higher concentrations of the hormones progesterone and oestrogen in their body. Human chorionic gonadotrophin is a hormone that is produced by the placenta during pregnancy and is detected in the blood and urine by a pregnancy test. It’s possible that these hormones have a chemical profile that can be detected by a dog’s sense of smell.
While research can’t yet tell us whether dogs can definitely smell these pregnancy-related chemicals, what we do know for sure is that they can detect changes in our mood and physical state.
How do dogs detect pregnancy?
Pregnancy can bring about subtle (and sometimes, not so subtle!) changes in an owner’s behaviour. Morning sickness, mood swings and excessive tiredness can change a pregnant person’s daily routine. This is something an attached and observant canine companion is bound to pick up on. Dogs are a social species and are attuned to the emotional state and behaviours of those around them. A change in their owner’s behaviour might also have direct consequences for them, such as fewer walks or less attention. Some human behaviours that a dog can pick up on are so subtle even we ourselves are not consciously aware of them.
Changes affecting an owner can be a cause for concern for a pet, leading to stress and anxiety. Owners often report that their dog seems clingy or ‘protective’ when they are pregnant. For example, following them to the bathroom, or being more reactive towards other dogs when out on a walk. You can interpret this behaviour in a couple of ways. One, that the dog feels inclined to be protective or wants to support a pack member that is out of sorts. Or two, that the dog’s feelings of anxiety are being expressed as uncertainty and a need to be closer to their primary caregiver. It should be noted however that every dog is different; some may seem distinctly unbothered by an owner’s pregnancy!
As to whether a dog knows that a baby is on its way, we can’t be sure. This level of reasoning seems unlikely, especially for a dog that is experiencing their owner’s pregnancy for the first time, but it is a lovely thought!
Owning a dog can be beneficial when pregnant
While some may seem to sail through, for most, pregnancy can be tough. Feelings of nausea and fatigue are replaced by back ache and swollen feet. Daily concerns about the baby’s wellbeing blend with anxiety around their arrival and subsequent care. Pregnancy can put a strain on all areas of a person’s life.
Dogs are proven to reduce stress, anxiety and depression, ease loneliness and encourage exercise. These are all hugely positive reasons for why having a dog around throughout pregnancy is helpful.
Reassuring your dog when pregnant
Many pregnant people feel reassured by the presence of their dog at their side. If your dog’s behaviour has changed in response to your pregnancy, it’s important to take steps to reassure them as well.
Check your dog’s health.
Any change in behaviour should prompt a visit to the vet, even if you feel you know what could be causing the change. It’s always important to rule out any medical cause for your dog’s behaviour. It’s also important to make sure your dog is healthy and up to date with their preventative healthcare before the baby comes along.
Stick to a routine.
Giving your dog some predictability in when they can expect to be fed, walked or played with will help them feel secure. If they can rely on familiar patterns, they won’t feel quite so anxious.
Make any necessary changes gradually.
Perhaps you’ll need someone else to walk your dog once the new baby arrives, or perhaps you are planning on redecorating the nursery. The best advice is to introduce these changes gradually. Set up the baby’s things early to give your dog time to get used to the presence and smell of these new items. If another caregiver is to be introduced, make sure they are familiar to your dog by gradually building up contact with them ahead of the time when they will be needed.
Gradually decrease the attention.
Even with the best will in the world, your dog is bound to get less attention when the baby makes their entrance. A sudden withdrawal of your affections could trigger anxiety and subsequent stress behaviours in your dog, such as barking or chewing. The goal is to get your dog used to having a little less attention from you so that this isn’t a huge change for them when the baby arrives.
Play baby noises in the home.
Regularly hearing recordings of babies laughing, crying and screaming will get your dog used to these sounds. Start a few months before the baby’s arrival and play these noises for a few minutes each day.
Set boundaries.
If you haven’t already trained your dog not to jump on people, now is the time. If there are areas in the house that will be out of bounds to your dog when the baby arrives, establish these new rules in advance using baby gates or by keeping doors shut.
What to do with your dog when the baby comes home
It’s important to continue to reassure your dog in the right way to ensure everyone gets off to the right start.
- Give your dog a safe space to retreat to. A quiet room or hiding place will help your dog decompress when needed.
- Introduce your baby to your dog by letting your dog smell their clothes or blanket first. When they are both quiet and relaxed, you can introduce them in person. Make sure your dog is closely supervised, and if they become excited, it’s best to end the encounter and start again when calm has returned.
- Don’t leave your dog with your baby unattended. If your dog and baby are in the same room, you need to be within reach.
- Stick to your dog’s routine. Enlist help with this if you can in those early weeks and months. Exercise is especially important for your dog’s health and wellbeing.
Links:
- Can dogs really sniff out COVID-19? – Vet Help Direct
- Owning a dog when you’re pregnant: your questions answered – Dogs Trust
- Can an Old Dog get on with a New Baby? – Vet Help Direct
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