mini pot belly

Question
We've had 'Pickles' for 16 months (she was 5 weeks and weaned).  She is totally housebroken and is an indoor/outdoor pig.  She climbs up and down the stairs in our home and in fact has her bed in our bedroom closet. For some reason she has started to pause at the landing and pee occasionally.When caught she gets a swat with a flyswatter and chastised verbally.  Is there any way to stop this regressive toilet behavior?  We love her dearly and cannot keep her outside full time.  Thank you so much. Wanda Wallace

Answer
Unspayed females often "forget" their potty training when they go into heat.
Pigs reach maturity at age 2. Pigs around that age instinctively want to be Top Hog. She may be testing a boundary here.
Or, it may be difficult or uncomfortable for her to navigate the stairs with a partially full bladder.
Clean the area with a cleaner designed to eliminate pet odors.
Make her go potty before letting her upstairs.
If she is pottying on the way downstairs, don't let her stay upstairs too long. Make her get up, come downstairs and go potty. Or, give her a litter box upstairs, and teach her to use that before going downstairs.
Finally, don't allow her to linger on the landing. She can pause for a moment or two, but keep her moving straight through. The longer she hangs around the more likely she is to try again. Pigs have long memories, it may be three or four months of watching her on the landing.