# Slight Behavior Changes Around Pregnant Wife



## Matty (May 31, 2011)

My wife and I are expected our first baby. We are very early in the pregnancy (about 5-6 weeks) but it seems that our German Shepherd Ruby has noticed and is acting slightly different because of it. Ruby is normally very aloof and spends all her time either under the coffee table or in front of the window in the living room while we spend most of our time in the den. Over the past week or so she has been spending more time with us in the den. She is still aloof but she will lay on the other end of the couch and hang out with us for hours. Ruby has even been coming into the bedroom a little bit while my wife gets ready for work. She never use to do this and it's usually very hard to get her to come into our room with us because she would rather be in front of the window watching all the activity outside.

Ruby has even stopped jumping up on my wife when she gets home from work. You can see that Ruby wants to jump up and say hello but she stops herself from making contact with my wife. She sorta jumps up but she does it a couple feet away from my wife so that she doesn't make contact. Ruby has stopped this with me as well so I'm not totally convinced it's because of the baby on the way.

My wife thinks Ruby knows that she is pregnant and that she is being more careful and maybe even protective of her by keeping an eye on her. Has anyone else experienced this? Do you think Ruby knows that she is pregnant and that she needs to be more careful around my wife? Is there anything we should watch out for? I love the idea of my German Shepherd watching over my wife but I don't want it turning into something negative. Ruby is the sweetest and most gentle dog ever.

On a side note our little dog Roxy (King Charles mutt) has always been in tune with my wife. She always seems to know when my wife is sad or not feeling well. The other dog Charley (Shih Tzu Min Pin mix) who we've only had for about 2.5 months now doesn't seem to have a clue and is as dopey as ever.


----------



## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

They can smell things we can't. I"m sure she knows there is a change in your wife. How much they know instinctively...well...if only they could talk!


----------



## Cheerful1 (Sep 27, 2011)

While I can't answer about behavior changes around a pregnant woman, I do see that Joey is more gentle around our two friends who are suffering from Altzheimers, than he is around our other friends who are our age. 

They must sense something about the person that makes them feel protective.


----------



## GSDBESTK9 (Mar 26, 2002)

Yes, I truly believe dogs can tell when there is a difference.  Although I think mine are still clueless. 

Congrats on the pregnancy!


----------



## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

I think it's there are several different things going on. One would be the difference in the behavior between you and your wife. New emotions running around the house that your GSD has picked up on and finds them very pleasing. Your GSD wants to be involved in all this newness. 

I also think your GSD can pick up on the changes within your wife's body. If a dog can alert to a seizure before it happens, it can surely tell when there are major changes going on within your wife. 

I had a GSD while I was pregnant. She wasn't an aloof dog, so I couldn't say if her behavior changed while I was pregnant. She always liked to hang around as close as possible. But I will say the day my water broke - all day long she was hiding in the bedroom - behind the couch etc. as if she were attempting to 'nest'. My sister and I actually joked about that day being the day I was going to have my daughter. Sure enough, she was right - and I was two weeks early!

Major congrats on the baby!


----------



## Mary Jane (Mar 3, 2006)

Wolf, our first GSD, was shy and never spent time socializing with visitors. When my step-daughter visited early in her pregnancy, he plopped down at her feet and just stayed there, entirely uncharacteristic behavior.

MJ


----------



## tessthebear (Dec 11, 2011)

My pregnant cousin came round to visit at my grandma's. I decided to take Bear (considering he was about five months at the time) because they wanted to see him. Usually he'd come in and get excitable, biting stroking hands and such. But when he saw my cousin he sniffed, greeted her calmly and fell asleep at her feet! :shocked:


----------



## SDChicken (May 6, 2012)

My Pyr knew when I was pregnant. He became very protective of me, especially after my husband deployed. At one point he even held his ground and growled at my best friends mom, who wasn't a stranger to us or him, he wouldn't let her near me. Laid down in front of her growling, and wouldn't budge from the room. The ONLY time he refused to listen to me. Turns out she had a serious, highly contagious, infection that she didn't know about and, had I got it, it would have had devastating affects on the pregnancy and baby. 

Meatloaf on the other hand...He knows and but he's not ok with it.


----------



## jetscarbie (Feb 29, 2008)

I don't know about pregnancy...but my husband got very sick one weekend. My female wouldn't leave his side. She never really paid attention to him before, so it was weird to us. She would just lay there licking his feet or arms. We found out that Monday that he had diabetes and his levels were outrageous.


----------



## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

147 views...I can't possibly be the only person who caught that one liner, was I? :shocked::laugh:


----------



## Courtney (Feb 12, 2010)

(CONGRATULATIONS Carolina)


----------



## chloesmama2 (Feb 18, 2012)

I only can speak on my GSD mix because she was the only one that has been around pregnant women. 
She was always very excited and jumping all over one gal when she came over, but when she became pregnant she stopped. It was nothing we told her to stop (even though of course we would have stopped her), but she never had to be warned. She was so protective of her and never wanted to leave her side when she was around.
Another gal lived with us and she was the same, and then when the babies were born she treated them like they were her little puppies would not let them move without her being right by their side.
I think it is very instictive and such a great trait. Congrats on your baby.:hug:


----------



## Wolfiesmom (Apr 10, 2010)

I think Ruby knows that your wife is pregnant. When I was pregnant, my dog Chief suddenly became gentle with me. He stopped running when he got near me, wouldn't jump, and was clingy.


----------



## Josie/Zeus (Nov 6, 2000)

Congrats!!! And to you too Carolina!! Kids are awesome.

My dog Zeus knew, but it was the cat who spent more time with me and followed me around, slept on my feet every.single.night. Zeus was more cautious around me, not jumping/running around me. 

Zeus was SO SO excited when we brought the baby home, he was jumping for joy- literally! He was kissing the baby one second, goes to the kitchen jumps up and down like a horse then goes back to the baby licks his face. It was so heartwarming.


----------



## DnP (Jul 10, 2008)

Jax08 said:


> 147 views...I can't possibly be the only person who caught that one liner, was I? :shocked::laugh:


LOL...I caught it right away, but wanted to finish reading to see if anyone else caught it too. 

Congrats Carolina! :happyboogie:

And congrats to the OP too!!! :congratulations:

My


----------



## KZoppa (Aug 14, 2010)

Congrats Carolina!!!!!

OP, when i was pregnant with my daughter, my female at the time became even more protective over me. She was already a velcro dog but it literally went from being my shadow to making sure she was touching me almost constantly. For that whole pregnancy she basically did a perfect heel (untrained for it!) any time we were walking. My male stopped jumping around me altogether. He knows he's not supposed to jump ON people so he would jump up all excited just out of reach but he just all out stopped jumping around me. 

I'm a firm believer that they know.


----------



## nitemares (Dec 15, 2005)

My pup knows for sure.. he also stopped almost as soon as i found out i was pregnant.. he still jumps around me but keeps his distance, or if he gets too excited he grabs a bone or one of his pillows and just keeps running around in circles around me. LOL

With my first my female was very clingy and used to sleep right under my feet. My male now is also more velcro than usual.


----------



## Matty (May 31, 2011)

Thanks everyone. It'll be interesting to see how Ruby and the other dogs do around my wife as she goes through her pregnancy.

Another thing I've noticed with Ruby is that she has been much quieter. Normally she will bark at other dogs and some people who walk by the house and the two little dogs follow suit. In the past couple weeks I thought my training was the reason that she has been so quiet but now I'm starting to think its because she knows she needs to be quiet around my wife. I kinda hope it's from my training though. :laugh:

I'll keep a close eye on Ruby over the next 7.5 months or so and update here. This kind of behavior in dogs fascinates me.


----------



## Cheerful1 (Sep 27, 2011)

We were invited (Joey included) to our longtime friends' house for a visit. Included in the family gathering was the 83 year old matriarch, and her almost-ready-to-deliver granddaughter. While Joey was his playful and rambunctious self with everyone else, he was very gentle around these two. When we went home that night, we gave him lots of hugs and kisses, we were so happy about how well he behaved.


----------

