scratching carpet

Question
QUESTION: Why has our 4 year-old female red heeler suddenly begun scratching the carpet and her bed?


Boo Boo   ANSWER: There could be several reasons for this behavior including pregnancy, false pregnancy, to the simply the fact that she is trying to make those spots more comfortable to lay down.  Kind of like fluffing a pillow before bedtime to be more comfortable.  Digging or scratching at a spot before laying down is fairly common and if your dog is well disciplined it can be corrected with a simple vocal command to stop.  My 4 year old heeler also does this occasionally and I usually just tell her to stop and lay down and she does.  It may be time to clean or replace her bed or she may be experiencing a little skin irritation from weather change or something else.  I wouldn't be too concerned unless it gets very consistent and frequent in occurrence.  Try simply telling her to stop and lay down.  Be firm and then reward her when she lays with vocal praise.  Is she also doing a lot of scratching?  This could be sign of a skin irritation of some type and a good bath with a medicated shampoo could help this.  Hope this helps.

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QUESTION: She does seem to scratch the same area of the carpet consistently (5 or more times a day) and only occasionally on her bed.  If she is pregnant, how many pups can be expected as this would be her first litter?  Possible daddy is a 1 1/2 yo blue heeler. By the way, "Boo Boo" is a cutey!  Thanks for sharing that pic with us, and thand you so much for your prompt reply.

Answer
The number of pups depends on the number of times she was "covered" by the male.  You can find out for sure with an ultra sound or preg. test at a local vets office.  Call around until you find the best price for this as they can very dramatically. I pay $60 for one here.  It isn't a difficult procedure so just go with the cheapest place.  If she is pregnant you should build her a whelping box.  A simple box made from 2x6's would work fine.  Make it about twice the size of the dog.  For a regular size heeler 2x3 feet on the inside would be fine.  You can pad it with an old blanket folded up so it fits.  This can be placed in secluded spot or where she is scratching.  You could also use a standard airline crate simply take it apart (usually they come in half) so you can access it easily if she needs help birthing.  If she is not pregnant and she is scratching in the same spot try putting something in that spot to see if she goes somewhere else and does it.  My little heeler will scratch sometimes before she lays down but definitely not that many times.  With my Griffon's that I used to raise the females always did this when they were pregnant but never when they weren't.  Good luck and let me know what you find out.