Some things in nature make absolutely no sense, like instinct. How is something so ingrained into our being that we know we should do it? Though humans have instinct in their own right, this month’s random life event is about my 10 month old puppy and her motherly instinct. We bought Eskimo, while we were still living in Holland, as a four month old. Three months later, shortly before relocating back to California, Eskimo started her first heat. I couldn’t believe that at only seven months my puppy was already having this happen. With a little research I was assured that it was normal between the ages of seven and ten months for puppies to fall into their first heat.
We got through it and the trip back to California with no incidents, and Eskimo is not yet a proud puppy mommy. However, now 2 months later, her instincts are telling her that she should be preparing a den, worrying about where her young are and hiding from the rest of the world. At first, my fiancée, Bryan, and I were baffled by her abnormal behavior. I thought she had fallen ill and that something could be terribly wrong. Then Bryan remembered his dog Honey going through the same motions when he was a kid, and the explanation; False Pregnancy.
Non spayed dogs, usually following their first heat will have a pseudo-pregnancy based off of two factors, their hormones do not go back to normal, pre-menstruation levels and basic pack mentality instincts. According to the Internet, wild pack dogs do not all breed. Only the alpha female is allowed to have puppies, but with so many mouths to feed, all of the other female pack dogs will go through a pseudo-pregnancy so their motherly instincts kick in allowing their bodies to produce milk and care for the packs new additions.
With domestic dogs, their instincts are no different, and the only thing to do, is wait it out until the hormones go back to normal. Spaying a dog during a pseudo-pregnancy however, can only prolong the symptoms.
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