new mom behavior

Question
I have a dachshaund whom just had her first litter of 6 puppies.  Before the pregnancy, she was very well trained and behaved.  Now, after the delivery of her puppies, she is misbehaving in every way.  She uses the bathroom in the house, she gets into the garbage, and she barks constantly.  Is this normal, and will she eventually go back to normal?

Answer
Christy-

Yes, it is very normal for a new mother to "misbehave". She is confused and stressed out, hence the barking. She is also ravenously hungry and has the instinct to forage and find as much food as possible, hence the garbage diving. Going to the bathroom constantly is normal as well, she will have to go a lot, and very frequently, so she needs a lot more walks then she did before the puppies came.

The short answer is yes, a few weeks after the puppies are weaned, she will start to settle down and return to her old self. She may need a little bit of a reminder if she retains a bad habit or two, but most of it will come back to her. But in the mean time, you are in for a lot of fun! :) Try to keep her on track as much as possible, and its a good idea to fence her in with the pups away from the rest of the house, until they are bigger. If there is a single room or closet etc you can gate off for her, it may be easier to contain her wildness.