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Medical Reasons that Cause Housebreaking Issues
By Lisa (Laney) Patrona,  Dip. DTBC, CPDT, CBC, and Devene Godau, CPDT

Housebreaking problems aren't always behavioral. If your dog has had great housebreaking habits for years, and suddenly starts eliminating in inappropriate areas, you should get a vet check before starting a
behavioral program. Although some dogs do have training regressions, medical issues can also be the cause of changed behavior.

Possible medical causes for housetraining problems:

Bladder or urinary tract infection (UTI)
Most commonly, the symptoms are that the amount of urine is very small and "accidents" are happening much more frequently than usual. You may also see the dog "trying to go" but nothing happens.
Sometimes these conditions occur after spay or neuter surgery, but dogs of any age are susceptible. If you are seeing this behavior during housetraining, or if your dog is already housebroken and has
suddenly started to have accidents, start with a visit to your veterinarian right away, to rule out any possible medical causes.

Canine Cognitive Dysfunction
This condition is like Alzheimer's disease for dogs. It occurs in geriatric dogs, usually over 10 years of age (although some exceptions to this are possible). These poor guys begin forgetting things, including where to go potty! Other symptoms may include, increased vocalization and a change in sleep-wake patterns. If you have an older dog that seems to be forgetting his training, or is otherwise acting disoriented or confused, please call your veterinarian for an appointment immediately. Canine Cognitive Dysfunction is treated with medication that will be prescribed once a conclusive diagnosis has been made.

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