Bichon suddenly deficating in the house

Question
QUESTION: My 10 month old Bichon Frise ,who is fully house broken ,has for the last few days has suddenly decided to deficate in different rooms in the house. He signals us when he needs to go out ,but ,suddenly ,with no indication empties his bowels. Please help

ANSWER: Hi, Val,

Thanks for the question.

Are these normal bowel movements in size, texture, etc.? Have you discussed this with your vet? Have there been any changes/stressors in the household recently? Are you punishing or scolding him when he does this?

I look forward to hearing back from you,

LCK

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION:  Firstly thank you so much for your prompt response. Yes the bowel movements are regular ,there is no change in diet or environment. About a month ago he was very sick from a flea and tick medication ,but recovered very well and was normal. I think suddenly seeing my two sons for Thanksgiving and watching them both leave back for college is the only change ,but he is used to that ,so I am not sure if that is the reason. I wonder if its ok to add another issue.Seems he has skin allergies too.We felt by now with the weather cooling he would get better, we tried diet change (long ago 0, vitamins for skin and coat and cortisone, any other ideas would be much appreciated.
Thank you so much for your time and consideration.
Val

Answer
Hi again.

First of all I would recommend that you discuss this with your vet to rule out a medical cause.

Secondly, it's not all that unusual for a puppy to "forget" things he's already learned. Dogs (and humans) go through a lot of neural pruning during adolescence. However, most of their "forgetfulness" comes at around 6-8 mos. So this is a BIT unusual.

Thirdly, it might be stress related. And it might not even be HIS stress he's reacting to, it could be YOURS. If you're stressed about the economy, for example (which a lot of people are right now), your dog will feel it too, and his behavior may very well reflect that.

So make sure he's getting plenty of hard vigorous playful exercise outdoors every day, either by romping around with other doggies, or by playing fetch and tug-of-war with you. Either way, playing with him for 20 mins. or so twice a day, or just watching him play with other dogs, could very well reduce any stress YOU'RE feeling as well. I know I don't count my day complete until one of the dogs I'm working with has made me laugh, and usually happens when they're playing.

http://www.leecharleskelley.com/thetop10myths/playisjustaformof.html

http://www.leecharleskelley.com/thetop10myths/dontplaytugofwar.html

If you crated him or put him behind a puppy gate during his initial housebreaking period, you might want to go back to doing that again to "refresh his memory" of how things are supposed to be done.

Finally, don't scold him or correct him for his mistakes. That'll probably only increases his stress and worsen the problem. Just take a deep breath, count to ten, and clean it up.

If things are still problematic in 2 wks. or so, let me know.

LCK