Hi all, im after some advice.  My baby girl will be 2 in October.  She has had 3 seasons so far, her first being at 6 months.  Well for the last week or so she is acting real odd!!!

Shes taking trinkets in a corner and guarding them. Silly things like my feather duster (grrrr) and bottles etc etc. She wont move from this spot unless she really has to, like going for a wee but considering she loves the outside she runs straight back in again.

She had one of my sons teddies and we went to take it off of her and she really snarled and snapped.  Shes even doing that with the bottles!

Personally i think she must be coming into season but is this normal behaviour? She hasnt been like this before.  Shes even growling and snapping my older girl.

Can anyone shed some light please??

When was she last in season?

Well me being stupid forgot to write it down, im pretty sure it was in February though??

It sounds very much like the behaviour with a more extreme phantom pregnancy; if she would have been due to whelp in the past week or so that would be your explanation. Is she producing milk?

hmmmmmmm yikes!! well to be honest shes so fluffy i cannot tell, i just tried to look and she is not letting me anywhere near her underneath.......shes still guarding the feather duster by laying on it. As soon as i can get in there i will have a look.

What can i do for her if this is the case? And after she's got over her weird state would it be time to spay or to hold out until she is older? Thanks Jean

Take everything away from her that she is 'nursing'. She need to snap out of this & have to be cruel to be kind. You must look to see if she has milk as this could be very problematic if left.

Ok thankyou, i will get someone to distract her and get rid of them. Weird how she keeps finding these odd things. She was even guarding a robinsons fruit shoot bottle!! :S

Can you increase her exercise? I find the best way to deal with phantoms is to keep them busy, and if they're producing milk, to reduce their food take just a bit.

Excellent thanks guys, no milk that i can see, she is a bit wet on her belly but i think thats where she has been in the wet garden. I have removed everything from her 'spot' and she is actually coming to see what we are up to and her whining has stopped......might take her for a nice run later rather than a walk, she loves running!

Also take away any soft bedding and even her bed during the day, and a jolly hockey sticks approach, keep her out of the room she has chosen as a nursery if necessary.

Reduced protein in her food and more exercise to convince her rearing puppies at this time would be unwise.

Yes, we had one dog eat a hole in a plaster wall making a 'nest' for a false pregnancy.

Increase the exercise (by a lot), reduce the food (by as much as you can, even if she loses a bit of weight temporarily), lots of training to keep her mind busy and off puppies, lots of puzzle toys for her meals (treat dispensers and kongs) - and keep all objects she might nurse out of reach.

Bitches which tend to have false pregnancies tend to continue to have them each cycle, and they can get more intense.  However IMO that is not necessarily a reason to spay, given the beneficial effects health wise of the ovaries remaining in until 6/7yrs if possible.

Thanks guys for all your help. We have done everything you have said and this morning she is being very loving again and at this very moment snuggled up with my older girl which hasnt happened in a good few weeks! So fingers crossed. Thanks again.