Can Dogs Sense Pregnancy?

Dogs are often hired to perform seemingly impossible tasks because their noses are so powerful. At airports, they smell luggage for narcotics and explosives. At crime scenes, they can sniff out human remains. So, can dogs tell when you’re pregnant? The short answer is: dogs can probably smell pregnancy hormones. There’s no definitive research, but the idea isn’t that far-fetched, given their olfactory talents. We did some research and chatted with a few experts on the subject. While we don’t advise relying on your pup to confirm a baby is on the way, it’s worth taking a pregnancy test if Lola suddenly starts behaving like a big sister.

A dog’s nose is truly remarkable. Dr. Lynn Buzhardt, DVM, at VCA Animal Hospitals says dogs have more than 100 million receptors in their nasal cavity. Another report, from the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, puts this number as high as 220 million. The olfactory lobe in a dog’s brain—where scent is processed—is roughly 40 times the size of a human’s. This means when you smell freshly baked bread, your dog can smell it between 1,000 and 10,000 times better than you can.

On top of that, Lola can detect another pup’s sex, health and demeanor with a single whiff of the pup’s odor (which is why dogs greet each other nose-to-butt). On top of that, canines can recall scents from years past. Their scent memory helps them identify dogs, people and places, even if they haven’t been near someone in a very long time.

• Phil Tedeschi is an expert on the human-animal connection for Rover. He also founded and is the Director Emeritus of the Institute for Human-Animal Connection. At the University of Denver, Tedeschi teaches in the Animal Law Program with a focus on inter-species justice.    
• Annie-Mae Levy is a professional dog trainer at Woofz. She’s a certified canine behaviorist who has spent decades working with dogs and runs her own training company called Ani-Mal Dog Training.  
• Rhiannon Koehler, DVM, MPH, is a veterinarian expert at TeachMe.To. A member of both the American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) and the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), Koehler has studied and written about veterinary medicine and animal science for over ten years. Her company, Evergreen Medical Writing, LLC, aims to provide pet parents with medically accurate info about their animals.    

Hormones are like little chemical news alerts that inform the body about what’s happening in other systems. When people become pregnant, their bodies produce human chorionic gonadotropin hormone (hCG). This hormone is only produced during pregnancy, and in super high quantities. Estrogen, progesterone and human placental lactogen (hPL) also spike during pregnancy. The Cleveland Clinic says these hormonal changes can alter the way bodies and vaginas smell. 

Now, dogs have been known to detect cancer cells in certain human fluids. Medical News Today reports that by sniffing urine, sweat, breath and skin, dogs have been able to detect lung cancer and melanoma. The company Dogs 4 Diabetics pairs diabetic humans with pups who are able to alert them to hypoglycemia, based on scent. But, we haven’t yet proven that dogs can smell pregnancy hormones. 

Annie-Mae Levy, a professional dog trainer at Woofz, says that given all the data we do have, “It’s not too far-fetched to imagine that [dogs] could detect the hormonal changes associated with pregnancy.”

One important note: Dogs are not aware of the meaning behind scents they are trained to identify. For instance, National Geographic reports drug-sniffing dogs are taught target scents for specific substances. They become experts in identifying these scents, associating sniffing out narcotics with a job well done. So, if Lola senses a hormonal change during pregnancy, she may simply be responding to the change, rather than the fact that a baby is coming.

Dogs might not know the meaning behind the hormonal changes they smell, but they very well may detect a change in your scent. Phil Tedeschi, a human-animal connection expert for Rover, reminds us that dogs make sense of the world through their noses. 

“Humans smell and dogs get used to it, and then are sensitively aware of changes,” Tedeschi says. “Most dogs, due to their sensitive olfactory and deep observation of our patterns of behavior, will likely already know or at least recognize that you are pregnant.”

Tedeschi says some dogs are known as super smellers. “They can smell the presence of something underwater, buried deeply in snow and can smell the differences between identical twins.” There’s no doubt in Tedeschi’s mind that dogs can sense pregnancy. 

Beyond scent, dogs notice changes in routine. “There are likely many other noticeable changes occurring in a household awaiting a new baby such as new activity routines, personal attention and time, rearranging the home environment, and new sounds, sensations and emotions occurring within their family,” adds Tedeschi.

Levy says typically a dog’s behavior doesn’t dramatically change unless there’s a significant disruption to routine. “For example, if someone experiences severe morning sickness that affects the dog’s walk schedule, you might notice a change in the dog’s behavior,” she says. 

Regardless, Tedeschi advises watching for any shift in behavior or increased stress. “Dogs, like people, have unique individual personalities so will not react in a uniform manner to almost any situation,” he says. “If your dog senses their family pulling away from their old routine, they might feel grief or some impending sadness associated with the changes. We have, however, observed some dogs that find themselves protective or excited about the arrival of a new pup.”

Tedeschi emphasized the fact that dogs are sentient creatures who can appreciate and recognize changes in their family and pack structures. “More importantly, [they] have complex cognitions and emotions about these changes,” he says. During pregnancy, Tedeschi recommends finding ways to maintain routines that are important to your dog. “This might include trying to keep the spaces, activities and timeframes that your dog has gotten used to as familiar as possible,” he says. 

Before the baby is born, try any or all of these tips:

• Make changes slowly. Rhiannon Koehler, DVM, a veterinarian expert at TeachMe.To, recommends changing your home (and your dog’s environment) slowly in the months leading up to the baby's arrival. This gives your dog time to adjust to changes in her space. This also goes for routine. Walks might be harder to fit in with a new baby. Does it make sense to have someone else practice walking Lola or shift her walk an hour later? 
• Set up gates and barriers early. “You’ll want to build barriers like baby gates before your baby comes home,” Koehler says. “These will be useful for separating your dog from the baby while one or the other is sleeping. It also allows you to separate the dog from the baby if you’re having difficulty supervising interactions.”
• Establish any new rules early. Beyond setting up gates, it’s wise to teach your dog any new rules early on in the pregnancy. “I always suggest that, before the baby arrives, you think about where the dog will now be sleeping and whether they will still be allowed on the sofa,” Levy says. “Make these changes in advance—don’t wait until the day the baby comes home!” 
• Let your dog check out new baby gear. Tedeschi says, “When baby materials are being brought [into the] nursery and other items required for the baby’s arrival, let your dog check things out.” Use positive reinforcement to ensure your dog associates these new sights and smells with a feeling of safety and love. 
• Play baby sounds for your dog. Levy says gradually desensitizing your dog to the sound of a baby crying or cooing with pre-recorded YouTube tracks can help enormously. Start quietly and slowly increase volume as your dog gets used to it. Koehler says playing these sounds while your dog is doing something fun, like eating, can help them better adjust to the new noise. 
• Brush up on obedience training. “You’ll want them to reliably perform the basics,” Koehler says. “If need be, consider enrolling them in obedience training.” 

Once the baby is born, here are a few things to try:

• Let your dog smell the baby's blanket. Before you bring the little one home, send a partner or friend to your house with a blanket that smells like the newborn. Tedeschi says this incrementally invites familiarity and can make it clear to your pup that a new person will soon be living in their space. 
• Let your dog participate in safe interactions. “Allowing a dog to join you in comfortable and safe interactions is setting good ground for a long, safe relationship,” Tedeschi says. “In fact, every time you notice your dog or your child treating one another well, give them praise!”
• Never leave baby and dog together unattended. “Even the most dependable and good-natured dog should always be carefully supervised with infants and young children,” Tedeschi warns. Both babies and dogs are unpredictable. A sudden move here, a loud noise there, and either one could lash out at the other. 
• Keep dog and baby toys separate. It can be confusing to babies and dogs (and parents, frankly) which toys belong to which species. To avoid territorial tantrums or jealous nips, keep toys separate.  
• Consult your vet if necessary. Sometimes, these big changes are really tough for dogs. If Lola’s behavior makes you feel unsafe or leads you to believe she’s endangering herself, schedule a vet appointment. Be honest about your concerns and ask your vet for guidance.  

As baby grows, Tedeschi says facilitating positive interactions between kids and dogs is the goal. “Teaching children to interact safely with pets is a critical issue, both to the safety of children but also to the safety and well-being of animals involved.” After all, for many of us, our dogs are our first babies. We want siblings to get along!

In conclusion, dogs probably know something is up when you become pregnant. Whether it’s due to their heightened sense of smell, keen observation skills or something else entirely, we don’t know. What we do know is pictures of babies and puppies cuddling are always welcome.