Housebroken Frenchie suddenly forgets basics

Family will be arriving for the holiday and I

suddenly have a wonderful 13-month-old

French bulldog starting

to go to the bathroom

in the house. She is

spayed and otherwise

in perfect health but

this sudden reversal in

her training has me

perplexed and frustrated, to say nothing of

fearful of her doing the

same when everyone

arrives. Could she be

sick or is something

amiss? She has been

well housebroken since she was

about 4 months old, and this sudden

change is so strange. Is there any

chance I can get her back to normal

before everyone arrives?

It’s impossible to predict if you can get her on track before your guests arrive but anything is possi- ble. Your dog may well have some- thing going on that only a full exam by your veterinarian can deter- mine or she may be stressed out.

You might wonder what stress could be in her mind but any changes in the household or the home routine may be trigger a behavioral change. This can include moving things and clean- ing differently in the expectation of guests arriving. While this is more common in cats than dogs, it is plausible. The fact that she is both urinating and defecating in the home suggests to me that anx- ious behavior is the cause rather than a medical condition. If she was only urinating, I would consider the possibility of a urinary tract infection. If the issue was defecation, I would consider diet, parasites or a gastrointestinal issue.

Are you still walking her enough? Has she been frightened by any animals or conditions outside? Have you changed her feeding and walking schedule or basic routine? Are you cleaning up any scent in the house from where she has made a mess? If your veterinarian doesn’t find anything wrong medically with your dog then you will need to restart the training process including crate training, reminding the dog with positive reinforcement when she goes outside that she did the right thing, and correcting her with a stern voice when you catch her going inside.

I would also increase the amount of time that she has to do her duties outdoors. The good news is since she is a young dog, I suspect all of this can be corrected with additional training provided she is otherwise healthy. The only question is how long that will take and only time will tell. If all else fails, I suggest you contact a local trainer. Good luck.