21 weeks

So Banjo is now the size of a banana. Average size is at this time is 10 ½” long and 12.7 ounces. Still no kicking and last night after using the Doppler again there was only one solid heartbeat, no other mystery echo heartbeats floating around, so that’s good.

I’ve recently observed a disturbing thing. My backside is getting as big as my front side. I’m curious how much weight I will have gained at my next doctor’s visit on Wednesday – hopefully it’s not too much. I think all of the cookies and chocolate have decided to hang out on my thighs and butt and all of the nutritious foods are going to my belly. I’ve also decided there are way too many mirrors in my bathroom around the shower area.

I had a not so pleasant surprise this morning during my 1:00 am bout of insomnia. Turns out Samson peed in the dining room again. This has been a very disturbing trend and I’ve gone from feeling mad to hopeless. It all started on November 2. Prior to that, he was house trained and the only time he messed in the house at all was in the basement on the carpet. Our solution to the basement issue was to use a baby gate that blocked his access unless we were with him. I’d heard that carpet feels good to a dog and reminds them of the softness of the grass outside so it is common to have accidents on the carpet. After putting up the gate, he hadn’t messed in the house in months. Then beginning November 1, he started urinating or pooping in the same spot in the dining room. It was on hardwood floor, so not a huge deal to clean up but still very annoying and not a habit we want him to have. Unfortunately there were several changes that had occurred at the same time that may have affected him behaviorally which instigated this unfortunate trend. I have an appointment with the vet tomorrow to rule out any medical issues for this behavior. The things that changed are:
1. We went away for the weekend and boarded him at doggy daycare. He’s not in a cage all day when he’s there. There’s a certain amount of time that he runs free in their fenced in play area with other dogs. They also have nap time in the middle of the day and time when they’re sleeping. He’s been there before and not had any issues. We were gone from October 30 – November 1.
2. Our dog walker was out of commission for 2 weeks and his first day back was November 2.
3. We changed his food from regular size to large size dog. This may have had something to do with his pooping in the house as he adjusted to the new food (unfortunately we did not mix his food with the older food to the new food gradually). One change we made is to take him outside to poop 20 – 30 minutes after he’s eaten. When we do this, it seems to have eliminated his pooping inside the house.
4. He went from sleeping with me to sleeping alone. About 2 months ago when my insomnia got really bad I started sleeping in the spare bedroom because our box springs were killing my back and Pete’s snoring was keeping me up and I was tossing so much I was keeping him awake. I allowed Samson to sleep in the spare bedroom with me instead of in his crate. He was doing this for about 2 weeks and there were no issues with messing in the house. We got a new bed frame and I started sleeping in my own bed again but not putting Samson in his crate on November 1. Since then, my insomnia has come back and I’ve stayed in the spare bedroom some more and allowed Samson there with me. 90% of the time he did not mess in the house at all.
So I don’t know what it’s related to. He used to have such a normal routine that I was spoiled with his habits. On weekdays I wake up between 5:30 - 6:00 and give him a walk. He would pee and poop outside. When we got back, I would feed him at about 6:30. Pete would take him out to pee at about 8:00 before going in his crate. The dog walker would come over at about 3:30 or 4:00 and walk him between 30 – 60 minutes. He would always pee and poop during this walk. I would get home from work around 6:00 and take him out to pee. I’d take him out again before bed and he’d pee and be fine until morning.
He has been drinking more water than normal which I will bring up to the vet but he is so off schedule now I don’t know what to do. I’ve gone back to my housebreaking tips such as giving him a treat every single time he pees and poops outside and praising him. I will also try to take him out every 3 hours when we’re home and continue with the scheduled poop trips no more than 30 minutes after he eats. He is always going in the same spot in the house and there’s no easy way to block it off especially now that we have our new furniture. So we’ll see what the vet says and I’ll try to not hate my dog even though I’m going through paper towels like crazy. I’ve tried using Nature’s Miracle on the spots as well and it doesn’t matter.

I’ve read some articles online about dogs and cats being able to sense when their owner is pregnant and they have been known to exhibit strange behavior such as being over-protective or urinating in the house. Has anyone experienced or heard of this before?

I really want this resolved as soon as possible (obviously) so any advice or tips are greatly appreciated.