Working a high drive dog while pregnant - Page 1

I have heard the pros and cons of working  a high drive female in various stages of pregnancy.  I have heard that you need to wait until the puppies are too large to be re-absorbed, work them regardless until they are too large to work any longer, etc.  I am interested in hearing your opinions.  Of course, it goes without saying that "common sense" is to be used at all times, i.e. meaning you would not jump or use the A-frame, long bites with a female that is 45 plus days pregnant.  Or at least I would not do so.  However, retrieves on the flat would depend on the female.  Would you still do bark and holds, transports, etc?

I personally would skip bite work. 

I just did light tracking, obedience, and detection with my female when she was pregnant. Just enough to keep her mind busy.  

I did everything but jumps (jumping to include long bites; I did not let her do longbites) with Capri. No issues, ever. Every pregnancy ended in a perfect healthy litter and uncomplicated delivery. 

That is what I thought, just enough to keep their minds busy.  Walking is good, but when you have a dog that is used to working all three phases, and has no idea of how to be a little "calmer"  it has become a challenge.  Go to your crate, is an all out race to the crate, run in, turn around a quick as possible and enough to rock the crate and stand with her tail wagging.  She is too happy for her own good sometimes!  And that is how she treats everything she is asked to do - wide open.  Happy!

The language barrier sometimes really is funny - while reading the headline I was expecting a pregnant handler and remembered me being pregnant and handling dogs...

Susie, technically, the way you interpreted the title is the way it is written. I also though it meant the handler was pregnant.. To be clearer it could have been worded; 'Working a pregnant high drive dog'

 Thank you, Joan!

Besides that pregnant doesn´t mean sick, neither for dogs nor for humans. No jumps, no impacts ( f.e. during bitework ), but otherwise a healthy dog/woman wants to feel as normal as possible ( out of my own experience...)

You are right, I should have worded it differently.  Sorry about that!

I will say that I didn't work Aria and I will next time...she got really annoying, LOL. Next time, she gets a bit of work. ;)

This is me tracking Ella 1 week before I gave birth. For obedience, I had to stop using tugs or ball on string so they wouldnt slam their feet into me.

 

One of my female GSD will jump a few feet in the air at the door when its time to go out to play, or when she wants her toy thrown.  She will do this even near the end of her pregnancy with 10 to 11 pups. It makes me cringe. I try to give a preemptive sit command.