[vizz13]

Hi Everyone,
My Name is Donna & my family adopted a 4ish year old Doberman named Vegas a week ago from my husbands co-worker. The co-worker had adopted her from a shelter & had in his home about 2 weeks...but she did not get along with the 2 smaller dogs he already had in the house. (She does not seem to like other dogs & will bark when she sees one...the only time I have heard her bark). She is the sweetest & calmest dog & VERY well trained. Apparently she was trained with German commands. Her background is not really known...but someone has certainly put a lot of time & effort into training her. The main issue I am having with her is for her to let us know that she needs to poop. She has pooped in the house several times and there does not seem to be a cue that she gives us that she has to go. It seems to me that a dog this well trained should not typically poop in the house. I have been praising & rewarding everytime she poops outside & I am trying to train her to ring a bell hanging on the door when she needs to go outside. If anyone has any suggestions or know the German command for "Poop outside" I would greatly appreciate it...THANKS!

 

[heidi's mom]

wow best of luck with her !!!

as far as going outside, does she show any signs of wanting to go out, pacing , fidgity etc... thats a subtle sign .. also try taking her out on a leash and give her the command , pick one, go, poop what ever.. if after 5 min she does not go dont say anything just bring her in and if she has a crate place her in it for say 15 min. hen same thing, bring her out on leash, if she goes make a big deal, good girl, etc.. give her a treat etc..

 

[melbrod]

And patience--potty train her as you would a puppy--I don't think dogs entirely know in a strange place where outside (OK to poop) starts and where inside (not OK) ends. She probably needs to do a little trial and error first.

And a little caution--adopted dogs tend to deteriorate in behavior around 2-4 weeks in a new place--it's as if they've been creeping around not knowing what is OK and suddenly start to feel more at home. Then all h*** breaks loose! LOL Not really--but she may be a little less well behaved for a bit as she gets more comfortable. Just continue to be patient and understanding; it sounds like she's had three homes in less than a month (counting her original home). She can use a little going slow. Thanks for opening your home to her.

 

[monicaei]

Thanks for adopting!

It will get better, just keep a close eye on her. Do you use a crate? When we first got Leo from rescue he was between 1 and 18 months. Perfectly potty trained in his foster home. Very first thing he did when he came here with his foster mommy, after greeting us, was pee on the floor. lol. Oh boy! Took about a week of treating him like a puppy with full "potty training" regimen in force and it has never happened since.

I would especially recommend the crate potty training considering how much upheaval he has been through recently. That's stressful and scary. A safe and quiet place like a crate can help him adjust to all the new sounds and smells and sights while feeling safe and secure.

Good luck and thanks again!

 

[EmilyB]

I echo the crate suggestion and getting on a schedule.

 

[dax0402]

Hi and welcome to the forum from PA. Thanks so much for adopting her and best of luck in your training. I am sure you will do fine.

 

[Darkevs]

Hello and Welcome to Doberman Talk!!


Bless you for choosing to adopt.

Good luck with her.

Hugz to you and yours!

 

[brw1982]

Welcome to the forum and good luck with your girl. We'd love to see pics of her!

 

[vizz13]

Thanks to everyone for the great advice. We had to put our Black Lab mix to sleep back in Sept after 8 years of seizures & multiple foreign body obstructions...and I wasn't planning on ever getting another dog after all the stress & hard work. Then I met this sweet dog Vegas who needed a home because she didn't get along with the adoptors current dogs in the house. This is actually the 4th home she has been in over the past few months so I will definitely be patient with her. I am putting her in a crate during the day...but luckily my parents live downstairs & will take her out if she starts barking. Today she lasted about 3 1/2 hours. Pretty good for the 2nd day. She is perfectly fine at night & sleeps curled up on a pillow on the side of my bed all night without a peep. (she has also spent a couple of nights perfectly happy curled up on my middle daughters bed for the night.) I can't believe I actually have a dog in the house after swearing never again...but She is such a love I am hoping she will be healthy & sweet for many years to come!

 

[SoCalGirl]

Welcome from Southern California! It's wonderful you're taking her in and understand that she will take patience. She sounds sweet - definitely want to see pictures!

 

[dragonflyz]

4 home is a lot to adjust to, sounds like she is very confused. Lots of patience will do her wonders! Good luck!

 

[Motomutt]

Good Luck with Vegas sounds like she needs a good home. You have said that she has had 4 homes already counting yours and your co-works that leaves two other homes; do you know why the other two gave her up that might help you understand her issues with not going outside.

Was she left home alone for long periods of time, etc and I agree with dragonflyz she does seem confused.

It may take more than a few weeks to get comfortable in your home again good luck she deserves it.

 

[vizz13]

I was able to do some research & finally track down some more history on Vegas. She was surrendered to the Animal Shelter on 11/3/11 due to a messy divorce & she was crated too much & owner wanted a better home for her. (apparently she was raised with at least 2 other dogs that were also eventually surrendered due to the divorce). On 11/5/11 she was adopted into a home with cats. She apparently attacked the cat & was returned on 12/5/11. She was then adopted by my husbands co-worker on 12/18. He had 2 dogs in the house already but brought the dogs to the shelter to see how Vegas would be with them. They seemed to be ok...but in the house was a different story & she barked at them constantly & never settled down. He brought a trainer in & tried to make it work for a little over a week but no luck. We then took her on 12/26/11. I guess that's a lot to expect a dog to take in less than 2 months... We have now had her 2 weeks & she is the sweetest girl! She is doing great at night. Happy to be curled up on a pillow on the floor by my bed or sleeping with one of my daughters in their beds! I am working on crating her in the morning when I go to work...but my parents live with us on the lower floor & will let her out after a few hours so we can ease her into some longer stretches as needed. No accidents in the past several days but She still doesn't seem to have a signal or cue to let me know. I am ringing a bell hanging from the door on the way out & trying to teach her to do that with her nose. Hopefully she will make that connection soon. I feed her 2x per day & she almost always poops outside after eating in the AM but not always in the PM (no accidents during the night at all though!) I am also praising with a treat & saying "good peepee" & "good poopee" right after she does either outside. Hopefully she will get it sooner or later! Thanks again for all the advice & support!