My dog has been "in heat" for a few weeks now and today she took my little sister's stuffed animals and acted like she was the mother of the stuffed animals... Is this a problem or does she want puppies bad enough to use stuffed animal puppies?
2006-06-07 04:27:16 · 8 answers · asked by Rai 2 in Pets ➔ Dogs
It's not a case of how bad she wants pups, it's just natural instinct.
I would stop her from taking stuffed animals because she may end up having a phantom pregnancy.
2006-06-07 04:32:49 · answer #1 · answered by souni 2 · 7⤊ 0⤋
EVERY dog does the false pregnancy thing to one degree or another after evey heat. Some only do so hormonally & you dson't see any behavior changes. Some mother stuffed animals and may even get milk. It's a pack survival thing that allows subistitue females to care for pups (and even nurse them) if the mother is killed/disabled. Doesn't mean you dog won't feel her life over if she has no pups - I have known Mother dogs who HAD to add stuffed animals to their real litters and at least one that prefered the stuffed ones (they STAYED where she put them) and repeatly tried to "trade" for the real pups. One friend, who had a dog who had major false pregnancies, had them get worse after she had a real litter.
it will stop at about the time she would wean real pups - untill the next heat. Spaying is the only real cure
2006-06-07 05:27:55 · answer #2 · answered by ragapple 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
She is mothering the stuffed animals. It's a natural instinct, so it's not a problem. It does not mean that she is neccessarily pregnant.
However she could be having a false pregnancy, which means her body thinks she is pregnant. The links below are more info about a false pregnancy.
2006-06-07 04:52:48 · answer #3 · answered by mj_schrader 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is a very good article on the subject:
dogs have an estrus cycle which includes a period of false pregnancy. This false pregnancy or “pseudocyesis” can get out of control, lasting for weeks with the dog producing milk and sometimes mothering a soft toy. So what should one do when this happens?
http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_canine_false_pregnancy.html
2006-06-07 04:44:33 · answer #4 · answered by Chetco 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well guess what your dog is pregnant if she is acting like that.
If your dog is acting like she has pups already? She is going to be a very good mother.
2006-06-07 04:34:53 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is not a problem. It's pretty normal. Are you trying to breed her? If she's been with a male dog, she could be pregnant. If not, she could be just acting out.
2006-06-07 04:32:11 · answer #6 · answered by zartsmom 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Do the dog, yourself and pet population in general a favor and have her spayed.
2006-06-07 04:36:40 · answer #7 · answered by Stick to Pet Rocks 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My dog used to do that but then she got over it awhile later. She seemed fine.
2006-06-07 04:31:39 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋