for dog-people...may apply to cat-people too ;-)
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Jenny_Rose77
Posts: 418 Member
I did a new blog post on dogs and pregnancy. What do you guys think? Have you noticed your pets acting any differently?
http://www.jennyrosenthal.com/2012/11/hermie.html
http://www.jennyrosenthal.com/2012/11/hermie.html
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Adorable post! Hermie really is a super cute dog, too! I bet he is being protective of you. I know someone who had a Golden Retriever who, during each of her pregnancies, would stand between her and any strangers until she showed the dog all was ok. This dog was probably one of the friendliest dogs I have ever met, and that kind of behavior would have been totally out-of-character.
The first time I was pregnant, one of our dogs, the Westie mix, Finlay, was very clingy all of a sudden, before I even knew I was pregnant. I mean, he usually stays pretty close, but he was exceptionally clingy. I had my "lightbulb moment" when I got a positive pregnancy test. He stayed that way for a month or two, then chilled out, almost like he knew something was going on with me but wasn't sure what and wanted to stay close until the dust settled.
This time I haven't noticed much of a difference in their behavior, but they've been more protective/loyal in general since our son was born in early 2011. Our dogs are pretty focused on us in general, and they're pretty mellow overall except when they are playing with each other or if we get down on the floor and play with them.
I thought the dogs would be more interested in my son as soon as we brought him home from the hospital than they were, but they knew to keep close when he was really little without bothering him. Then there was the period where they more or less ignored him, and vice versa. Now that he's almost two years old, they go up to him to sniff him and give him gentle licks. He's really good with giving "gentle pets," and the dogs accept them happily. If they don't feel like dealing with him, they just stay away, and he doesn't chase them down. They don't seek him out very often, but they definitely come see what's wrong if he cries, they like to check it out when he is squealing in the bathtub, and one of them will occasionally lie outside his room if he is asleep in there. It's kind of like they know he's important and want to protect him, but they aren't ready to play with him just yet.
We were camping this past weekend, though, and it was really cold, so the dogs were snuggled up with us (our son was in a sleeping bag between me and my husband). At one point our Seamus curled up by our son's legs, and he sat up and hugged Seamus, who picked his head up to see what that was and then happily plopped it back down with a sigh. It was totally a Kodak moment, but it came out of nowhere and lasted so briefly (plus it was pretty dark), so we didn't have a camera ready. It's funny because of our three dogs, Seamus is the most skittish (the other two really aren't skittish at all), and he seems to be the most interested in and most gentle with our son. I think the two of them will be best buddies eventually and that Seamus will probably protect him at all costs!0 -
Hermie is adorable!!!! And it definitely seems like he's trying to be protective of his mommy :-) we have 2 female dogs, 1 male dog, and a male cat and our girl dogs and our cat seem to want to be on me more..they're "lap" animals anyway but they have wanted to be on or around my belly as much as possible! I am so glad there's other peeps who love their furbabies as much as I do!!0
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my husband brought home a straypuppy from the reserve when I was about 4 months pregnant. I thought it was a terrible idea because I knew exactly who would be caring for this dog despite his "i promise to love him and walk him and clean up after him" speeches. Well the dog turned out to be a great companion and I love him. As my belly got bigger he'd nudge it and sniff but that's about all. We walked every single morning. Then the baby came and I didn't really leave the house for two weeks. He moped around the back yard, dragged his feet.....full on pout....I felt terrible but I just couldn't give him that same attention I had before the baby got here.
So now 13 weeks post baby I think we've somewhat found a balance. He stays out all day and I bring him inside at night. We walk around the neighbourhood and hit up the off leash park as often as we can. He does sleep beside the bassinette most nights. Sometimes he sleeps in the living room and I'll come sit on the couch to nurse during the night. If the baby is crying the dog seems to get annoyed and "huff" and move to his bed. It's rather comical. If I put my son in the bassinnette while i use the washroom and he starts to cry the dog will stand outside the bathroom and whine and then when i get out he'll be sitting by the bassinnette whining and looking back and forth between me and the baby.
He's also been stockpiling baby thiings in his dog bed. He's fond of socks for sure but the first time I really noticed he had four soothers, two pairs of my husbands socks, 2 prs of baby socks and two cloth diapers. Last night I watched him very gingerly take one sock at a time off the coffee table and carefully put it in his dog bed.
He'll sit on my feet while I'm nursing and would lick my son's feet all day if I let him but I don't. Kind of a goofy mutt but I think he knows we're all a little unit. My husband works out of town during the week and the dog is definitely more protective when he's gone. When my hubby is home he won't sleep in the bedroom but he'll still come and sit on my feet while I nurse.0 -
Gorgeous dog, but his puppy picture makes me want to die from cute overload.
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Gorgeous dog, but his puppy picture makes me want to die from cute overload.
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my husband brought home a straypuppy from the reserve when I was about 4 months pregnant. I thought it was a terrible idea because I knew exactly who would be caring for this dog despite his "i promise to love him and walk him and clean up after him" speeches. Well the dog turned out to be a great companion and I love him. As my belly got bigger he'd nudge it and sniff but that's about all. We walked every single morning. Then the baby came and I didn't really leave the house for two weeks. He moped around the back yard, dragged his feet.....full on pout....I felt terrible but I just couldn't give him that same attention I had before the baby got here.
So now 13 weeks post baby I think we've somewhat found a balance. He stays out all day and I bring him inside at night. We walk around the neighbourhood and hit up the off leash park as often as we can. He does sleep beside the bassinette most nights. Sometimes he sleeps in the living room and I'll come sit on the couch to nurse during the night. If the baby is crying the dog seems to get annoyed and "huff" and move to his bed. It's rather comical. If I put my son in the bassinnette while i use the washroom and he starts to cry the dog will stand outside the bathroom and whine and then when i get out he'll be sitting by the bassinnette whining and looking back and forth between me and the baby.
He's also been stockpiling baby thiings in his dog bed. He's fond of socks for sure but the first time I really noticed he had four soothers, two pairs of my husbands socks, 2 prs of baby socks and two cloth diapers. Last night I watched him very gingerly take one sock at a time off the coffee table and carefully put it in his dog bed.
He'll sit on my feet while I'm nursing and would lick my son's feet all day if I let him but I don't. Kind of a goofy mutt but I think he knows we're all a little unit. My husband works out of town during the week and the dog is definitely more protective when he's gone. When my hubby is home he won't sleep in the bedroom but he'll still come and sit on my feet while I nurse.
Aww...he is baby's protector. I love picturing your dog stockpiling baby things on his doggy bed too. I imagine he's preparing for some big storm or something when you'll need those supplies.0 -
Hermie is adorable!!!! And it definitely seems like he's trying to be protective of his mommy :-) we have 2 female dogs, 1 male dog, and a male cat and our girl dogs and our cat seem to want to be on me more..they're "lap" animals anyway but they have wanted to be on or around my belly as much as possible! I am so glad there's other peeps who love their furbabies as much as I do!!
Wow, y'all have a zoo! That is going to be so much fun for baby. Plus I think it's a great sign that the cats and dogs get along. They must have really mellow sweet dispositions.0 -
Adorable post! Hermie really is a super cute dog, too! I bet he is being protective of you. I know someone who had a Golden Retriever who, during each of her pregnancies, would stand between her and any strangers until she showed the dog all was ok. This dog was probably one of the friendliest dogs I have ever met, and that kind of behavior would have been totally out-of-character.
The first time I was pregnant, one of our dogs, the Westie mix, Finlay, was very clingy all of a sudden, before I even knew I was pregnant. I mean, he usually stays pretty close, but he was exceptionally clingy. I had my "lightbulb moment" when I got a positive pregnancy test. He stayed that way for a month or two, then chilled out, almost like he knew something was going on with me but wasn't sure what and wanted to stay close until the dust settled.
This time I haven't noticed much of a difference in their behavior, but they've been more protective/loyal in general since our son was born in early 2011. Our dogs are pretty focused on us in general, and they're pretty mellow overall except when they are playing with each other or if we get down on the floor and play with them.
I thought the dogs would be more interested in my son as soon as we brought him home from the hospital than they were, but they knew to keep close when he was really little without bothering him. Then there was the period where they more or less ignored him, and vice versa. Now that he's almost two years old, they go up to him to sniff him and give him gentle licks. He's really good with giving "gentle pets," and the dogs accept them happily. If they don't feel like dealing with him, they just stay away, and he doesn't chase them down. They don't seek him out very often, but they definitely come see what's wrong if he cries, they like to check it out when he is squealing in the bathtub, and one of them will occasionally lie outside his room if he is asleep in there. It's kind of like they know he's important and want to protect him, but they aren't ready to play with him just yet.
We were camping this past weekend, though, and it was really cold, so the dogs were snuggled up with us (our son was in a sleeping bag between me and my husband). At one point our Seamus curled up by our son's legs, and he sat up and hugged Seamus, who picked his head up to see what that was and then happily plopped it back down with a sigh. It was totally a Kodak moment, but it came out of nowhere and lasted so briefly (plus it was pretty dark), so we didn't have a camera ready. It's funny because of our three dogs, Seamus is the most skittish (the other two really aren't skittish at all), and he seems to be the most interested in and most gentle with our son. I think the two of them will be best buddies eventually and that Seamus will probably protect him at all costs!
Awesome dog names!
I hope Hermie is as gentle and sweet with our son as yours are with your boy. Too bad about missing that Kodak moment this weekend. I know exactly what you mean though. There are so many times I want to capture a scene and as soon as Hermie senses I'm about to take a picture he turns away. I guess he is camera shy. Actually, Baby Boy will often do the same thing, flipping so we can't see his face during the ultrasound. I like to say they get this trait from my husband. :-)0 -
Hermie is adorable!!!! And it definitely seems like he's trying to be protective of his mommy :-) we have 2 female dogs, 1 male dog, and a male cat and our girl dogs and our cat seem to want to be on me more..they're "lap" animals anyway but they have wanted to be on or around my belly as much as possible! I am so glad there's other peeps who love their furbabies as much as I do!!
Wow, y'all have a zoo! That is going to be so much fun for baby. Plus I think it's a great sign that the cats and dogs get along. They must have really mellow sweet dispositions.
I know, right!? All our pups are Chihuahua mixes (but none of them actually look like a Chihuahua (weird!) So they're really sweet and they all love each other! I keep thinking its going to be a little overwhelming having a baby AND 4 animals but I'm glad they have each other to keep themselves occupied lol0 -
Awesome dog names!
I hope Hermie is as gentle and sweet with our son as yours are with your boy. Too bad about missing that Kodak moment this weekend. I know exactly what you mean though. There are so many times I want to capture a scene and as soon as Hermie senses I'm about to take a picture he turns away. I guess he is camera shy. Actually, Baby Boy will often do the same thing, flipping so we can't see his face during the ultrasound. I like to say they get this trait from my husband. :-)
Thanks! We have Seamus (who has rust-colored fur and looks Irish as a result), Finlay (because he's partially a Scottish breed [West Highland Terrier]), and Winston (who is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, so he got an English name). Our last name is German, so the Gaelic names that my husband loves would sound ridiculous for children with our last name, so we give the names to our dogs instead :happy: We lost our oldest boy a couple of weeks ago (he got really sick, really fast, but we're glad he's not suffering anymore), and his name was Connor. That was the name they'd given him at the shelter, but it fit him because he was also rust-colored and looked very Irish.
Our son we named Thomas because, well, it's simple enough, it can be shortened to a nickname easily, and it is a perfectly respectable name as an adult. It works well with our last name, and is pretty much never misspelled or mispronounced. (We also named him after St. Thomas More, but that's not the ultimate reason why we picked it.)
Where does Hermie's name come from? It makes me think of Hermes (as in, the Greek god).
I can never get good shots of my dogs, especially not together! I always seem to get the weird ones, like mid-lick, mid-sneeze, or mid-yawn, which have become my favorites
My son cheesed well for the camera as an infant, then he went through a phase of not wanting his picture taken, then he liked it, and now he's back to not cooperating for pictures. His Santa picture last year is hilarious; I have never seen a child look so apathetic while sitting on Santa's lap!
Soon enough there will come a day when all he'll want to do is ham it up for the camera. I figure then we can get some good shots of him with any number of dogs!
Edited to add that the name Seamus is never pronounced properly anywhere we go, except by our vet, who also has a dog named Seamus (named after a Pink Floyd song - we named our Seamus after Seamus Heaney). Anyway, it always comes out as "see-muss" or something of the sort, which evolved to "see-moose." As such, we call him Moose or Moosie all the time.0 -
Where does Hermie's name come from? It makes me think of Hermes (as in, the Greek god).
A lot of people say that (about Hermes). I actually named him after Herman Melville, one of my favorite writers. He's too young for Herman though. He needs to grow into it. :-)0 -
Love love LOVE your sweet pup and am so glad you put up photos! We have a 2 year old german shepherd, so our dogs are probably pretty similar at times
I think our dog definitely knows I'm pregnant - he is SO protective of me now. My husband has been working night shift lately, and titan will wake me up probably once an hour barking at what he thinks is an intruder. So sweet that he wants to protect me, but really? I'm trying to sleep here But, it's the thought that counts!
He always wants to stay right by my side when we go out (I don't walk him anymore by myself since he's 95lbs and I'm nervous he might knock my pregnant self over if he encounters an aggressive dog) and when we're home, he rests his head on my belly on the couch and just looks up at me like "I'm still going to be your favorite, right mom?"
He's always been protective of me, but I've seen an increase since being pregnant. I think dogs totally know! Thanks for sharing!0 -
I've noticed Chloe, our jack russell/beagle mix, has gotten more clingy/attention hungry since becoming pregnant and ALWAYS has to follow me around or be on my lap if I'm sitting down (except at the dinner table and then she's right at my feet!). Tasha, the husky/dachshund mix, has always had a cat-like personality (will let you know when she wants something otherwise she keeps to herself) but has gotten more playful since I got pregnant, which is so out of character for her! She's still a daddy's dog though as she prefers to lay on his lap vice mine :laugh:0
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I don't think my baby is acting differently he has always been clingy to me but lately he has been wanting to sleep in bed with me which he hasn't done for a awhile and right now he is laying on my foot. Just to give you a mental picture my "baby" is a 2 1/2 year old boxer that is 65lbs. Guinness is a good dog and he loves attention I really hope he adjusts well to the baby. The reason we got a boxer is because how great they are supposed to be with children. He is fantastic with my son. He did try to lick my stomach when he saw the baby move I think it freaked him out.0
