Snapping at ankles? Pregnancy?

Sorry to post again but I have no idea how to deal with this!

I adopted an 18 month old Minpin X 3 weeks ago and she has recently (within the past 4 days or so) developed a nasty habit. If I am holding something in my hand she will begin to bark and growl at me while leaping up and refusing to let me walk past. If I try to walk past, she will try to back me into a corner & nip at my ankles! She wags her tail when she does this but does that mean she's playing or is that unrelated? How do I tackle this behavior and stop her from doing it?

On a (sort of) unrelated note, I am really really worried Molly is pregnant & would really appreciate some advice. I would post in the breeding section but I don't want to start too many threads so maybe someone here can help?

She hasn't come into 'contact' (of that kind!) with any other dogs while she has been with me. She hasn't been spayed yet as my vet said to wait until 3 months after her first season. I'm just worried because my friends who have bred dogs before have said that you don't know for 5/6 weeks after the conception whether or not the dog is pregnant... I've only had Molly for 3 weeks, she was only in rescue for 2 weeks before that & before that she was a stray. I also read that toy breeds hold the pups up by their rib cage during the initial stages of pregnancy and Molly is starting to get a little plump around that sort of area. Initially I put it down to us feeding her more than she was getting at the rescue centre but she isn't getting any 'extras' and is on the correct amount of food for her weight so it has got me a bit worried!

She is at the vets tomorrow anyway (2nd vaccs & check up) and I will get her checked out properly but what are my options if she IS pregnant? I'm not in the position to rear puppies & I've heard pregnancy can be quite dangerous for toy breeds so I definitely don't want to put Molly at risk. Can she have the injection to terminate if she is pregnant? Up until what point in the pregnancy is the injection effective?

Sorry to kind of go off topic for this section of the forums but I'm very aware that I've been posting a LOT of threads & I don't want to get on anyone's nerves

when at the vets you can have bloods taken or a scan to see if she is pregnant or not.
You will have to see from a scan how far gone she is (if she is pregnant) before you can see what options you have to consider.
There is the option of having her spayed, no matter how far she is gone..This will take everything out including any pups she may be carrying..Not sure how you feel about that!! Its not nice, but if you dont have the experience and time/money to raise a litter it might be for the best! But you will have to see first before you make any big choices.
Some girls can carry there pups high and some dont..we own a toy breed and occasionally take a litter from them for the ring..Some have carried them high and some havent..It is around 5weeks gone that you see changes in there appearance and behaviour (In our experience) .. for example getting fatter, and more clingy to you.

Sorry i have no advice with her nipping, hope you can sort that out.

Dont worry about getting on other members nerves! The forum is here for people to give and recieve advice! Post away!

Thank you for the reply! I'll post in the right section next time and not worry about annoying people

She hasn't been getting more clingy, less so in fact but I just put it down to her settling in. When I first got her she was incredibly clingy but over the past few days she has become more temperamental (growling, snapping a little & not wanting to sit with us whereas before she used to spend her evenings on my lap on the sofa & was lovely when in the house) & has been off her food as well as having a slightly raised temperature. I'll definitely get the vets to take her blood tomorrow and/or ask for a scan, fingers crossed she is not pregnant.

It definitely isn't a nice thought of having everything inc. puppies removed & I'll probably feel differently & think about it harder if she is pregnant but at the minute I think it would probably be the route I'd take... At the end of the day, there is no point bringing the pups into the world if I cannot provide a good start in life for them.

Just another question as you seem really knowledgeable on the subject, should I hold off on her vaccs until I know she is definitely not pregnant? I know they say not to have the vaccinations done if the dog is not 100% health-wise so is it the same in the event of pregnancy?

Just because she isnt becoming clingy as i had suggested i wouldnt rule out her maybe being pregnant, all bitches take carring pups differently and her way of coping may be to take her self away from her family and get abit snappy.

I would defo hold off having her vacc's done until you know if she is pregnant or not.
and if she is pregnant there will be so many choices you have to make.
I know it doesnt sound nice about aborting the pups so far on, but like you say if you cant give them the best starts in life it may be the best option for all you sakes.
18months isnt so young for a toy breed to have a litter but like with all breeding its a risk.

Keep us updated and good luck at the vets.

Thanks very much for the help & advice, I'll hold off on her vaccs until I know what's happening. I'll post again when I know what's going on, fingers crossed she's just getting a bit tubby! Thanks again

Another thing is if its not just her getting a fatty, and she is showing other signs..she could be having a phantom?
Your vet should be able to tell you more! Fingers crossed she isnt pregnant..good luck.

Ooh I hadn't considered a phantom actually... At least her appointment is tomorrow and they will be able to give me some idea as to what's going on!

She's not pregnant! We just got back from the vets who has ensured me that Molly isn't pregnant! She is going back 2 weeks on Monday to be spayed so then there shall be no more worrying that she is pregnant ever again! Huzzah!

Thank you so much DevilDogz for all your help

woohoo thats brilliant news bless her heart! Good luck with the spaying OP when she has it done! and no problem, glad i could have helped!

Is she still ankle biting? What are you doing to try to stop it. I sometimes think the more fuss you make the worse it gets (in my case anyway!) Tilly is a foot biter & does it when we try to walk past but only in the hall. I've tried all kinds, she does the collie type "stare" & once she's fixated on the feet, if you move she launches! The vet said she thinks we are sheep & it could be a herding thing, the most effective thing I've found is distraction & a DAP diffuser & not looking at her! It's quite difficult to carry on walking with a dog hanging off your foot though!!