Puppy Love

nmh2012

So lately our dog (6 1/2 month old chocolate lab) has been acting kind of...different, for lack of a better word. Clingy isn't exactly it, but she whines a lot more (2-3 times a day instead of weekly) for attention, petting, and playing. Used to she would a few times a week whine for us to play with her but mostly just be content to hang out. She also acts even more upset to be alone than normal. I am wondering if she *knows* something is up with the baby coming and that's why she begs for attention and snuggles from me more than usual. I mean, she's always loved affection and loves being around DH and me but is not usually this demanding about it. I've heard some dogs just know when their owners are pregnant but I wasn't really expecting that this early.

Anyone else's non-human family members acting like they know something is up?

kshare18

My two little dogs keep sleeping on or near my stomach. It's pretty annoying, but I've gotten a real kick out of it lately (Pun intended) because the baby will poke at their faces while they sleep. It confuses the hell out of them. 

nmh2012

toratoratori, that's funny because my cat is oblivious to us in general as long as he's been fed for the day and we aren't trying to pet him.

meggyski

One of my dogs has been very protective and watchful- she waits for me when I get out of the car, likes to be in the same room I am in, etc.  It's adorable and I her for it. The other dog is oblivious. The cat has been super clingy and has been having peeing accidents, disgusting. We just added an extra self-cleaning litter box and I think it's helping, but geez. Cat pee is the worst. 

I've heard that animals can smell changes in your hormones. They don't necessarily associate it with pregnancy, unless you've been pregnant before, but they can tell something is different and I guess it makes some animals nervous. Extra positive reinforcement/ attention will probably help (I'm finding that this is also helping my clingy cat).  I figure I might as well spoil my animals with attention now, because they're going to have less attention once the baby arrives, at least for the first few weeks!

meggyski

@toratoratori, behold!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002DK2A8/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 

To clean it, you roll it over all the way up onto the top, then back down. The poops and clumps catch in this little pull out tray. You pull the tray out and dump it in the trash. Simple! The only downside is that sometimes the clumps stick to the bottom and don't dislodge all the way when you roll it over, but if you give it a good tap you can generally get stuff dislodged without having to dig around in the litter box.

If you really want to go big, you can do an electronic one that literally cleans itself for you: 

https://www.amazon.com/Littermaid-Classic-Automatic-Cleaning-Single-Cat/dp/B003NNVMOE/ref=sr_1_8?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1396291574&sr=1-8&keywords=self+cleaning+litter+box 

(this looks intriguing, but I couldn't justify the cost and it didn't get as good of reviews as the cheaper one). 

kiley820

My dog is basically like my kid, so, she has always been attached and clingy towards me. Follows me all around the house, snuggles next to me at night. Now that I'm pg I'd like to think it's more so because she knows there's a baby in there, but not so sure Should be interesting though, once baby is here!

meggyski

toratoratori said:

... Is it weird for me to put that on my baby registry?  

No! Absolutely not!

nmh2012

AshleyA032109 said:

I wish my 10 month old lab mix would notice and be more protective. He is a puller so taking him out on the leash is hell for me. One of my cats sleeps on my stomache now though so I think he knows something is up.

Yes, our lab is a puller as well. Wasn't so much a problem when she weighed less but now that she's almost 50 pounds it's an issue, even without me being more pregnant or pushing a stroller. We've been working with her on it and she's gotten better, but I'm still worried about how she darts all over the place because I think it will be tough to deal with that and a stroller at the same time. Have you tried any of those no-pull harnesses or anything? I know those work with some dogs and not others. Although I guess if walking on a leash is not your dog's primary form of exercise (like it is for ours since our yard is small) it's not as big of a deal.

Laura5533

My dog has definitely been acting more clingy, and he always has to be in my space. At lunch today, I was making hot tea, and he was leaning against the counter in front of me (he was between me and the counter). Some of the boiling water from the tea kettle spilled onto him, he howled, and judging from the drool all over his back, he has been licking it all afternoon whe I've been away at work.

I'm going to be a terrible mother!!!

P.S. The vet says I can put aloe and neosporin on it, but not to let him lick it...I've just been doing cold compresses, since I don't want to see what those meds will do to his GI tract when he inevitably eats them.

nmh2012

AshleyA032109 said:

Scooby is 56 lbs and still growing! It gets harder and harder every day. He goes to doggy day care and our house has enough room for him go run around so the leash is mainly for potty runs. We are hopefully putting up a fence in May, we are waiting for our land survey so I won't have to deal with it as much. But I took him to the vet today and he was walking me, not the other way around. I told DH we have to take him on more walks (and by we, I mean him) and work on the pulling more aggressively. DH seems to think the harness with the clip on the front will help more, so e are going to try that too. I can't do the ones the go around the head like the gentle leader. I broke down into tears every time the trainer put him in it. Do you use any of the harnesses or anything to help with training?

What is kind of working for us is dropping treats into her mouth when she is walking nicely next to us instead of ahead or behind. Also abruptly changing directions so she has to pay attention to you instead of the leaves on the sidewalk in front of you that she wants to eat. And honestly the biggest help for me is just scanning well ahead of us so I can cross the street and avoid if there is a potential distraction (person, other dog, fun-looking trash, etc). I have some friends that have used a harness (don't know which one) and like it but we haven't tried that.

Oh, labs. She is the best dog except for the pulling and I keep telling DH if I have to choose between issues on the leash or issues in the house I'll take issues on the leash any day. At least she is getting better about jumping on people which was her other big problem area originally.

Allison7

Otis, our dog, is totally clueless. Lucy, our cat, seems to have noticed. She looks to be around me more and she refuses to walk across my belly, which she always did before. She had kittens before we adopted her, so I thought this could be why she is more attentive to the changes.

As to the Littermaid - one of the best purchases I have ever made! I bought one almost 10 years ago just a couple of months after Lucy arrived and it has been a dream. It might seem expensive, but it makes everyone in the house happier. Lucy would even run back to watch it clean the box. They do go on sale at pet smart and petco every once in a while. Happy shopping!