Italian greyhound house trianed but pooping inside

Question
Hello!

My girlfriend and I just adopted a 7 year-old Itailian greyhound from a friend of ours.  They had him for 7 years...raised and properly trained...extremely well-behaved.  He will heel and sit and lay...he will stay in his kennel with the door open until you instruct him to come out...very good dog.  But after we walk him he poops inside by the front door...evey night after we fall asleep and sometimes when we're in the living room.  We don't understand why he is doing this.

Possible reasons are:

He used to live in a house with a yard and someone there every day so he could just lolly around and go whenever he wanted.  We live in an apartment and have to walk him at a schedule which he's not used to...but he does it every night...like clockwork.

We have a cat...but we give him as much or more attention because we know ITs need lots of attention.

He's upset because he's not with his other family...but they gave him away because he wasn't getting enough attention with two new other and bigger dogs that the family adopted.

Please help because we are at a loss as to why he is doing this.  Should he go back to his other home?  Also, we are moving to New York, and if this is not a "fixable" problem with our apartment living, we will have to give him back.

Thanks so much!

-Katie

Answer
Hi Katie;
I don't understand why he couldn't be given the attention he needed because of 2 other dogs. I have 4 dogs, and they ALL get their fair share of attention. i also foster dogs, so sometimes there are a couple more in the hiouse, and they get the same attention too.
the dog was their's, and that was his home. If they couldn't handle more dogs, they should not have taken 2 more and cut him out.
Bet he felt pretty well abandoned, because he WAs.
the pooping inside the door, sounds like he is either waiting by the door, until he can wait no longer, or else he is going in the same place, so he will not be more of a bother than he has to be.
All of the above things you ststed above could be the reason.
The only solutions I can think of it a bell on the doorframe, so he can hit it with his paw. You can probably find one of those at Petsmart or Petco, or other pet stores, on online.
He may not know to bark to wake you.
When you are in the living room, and he goes by the door, he may be telling you he wants to go out, and you are missing his signals.
There are poop pads you can get for apartment dogs. they are pads that the dog can be taught to go on, and are not the mess to clean up that pooping on the floor is.
they could even be put in a box, and the dog taught to go there.
He just may be confused, and not know what it is he is expected to do.
I would not send him back to the other home. they didn;'t want him, and would just shove him off somewhere else.
If you want to keep this dog, check out the weekend obedience classes at Petsmart and Petco stores.
Or there may be a Man's Best Friend studio near you. That are dog trainers, and this is really what you need. Some obedience classes to teach you and the dog together.
You bond closer, and get a good sense of who is the alpha.
The trainer can also give you more insight into this problem you are having, because they can discuss it more thoroughly with you, and observe the dog.
If you don't want to keep him, call animal rescue groups in your area.
There are Greyhound rescue groups all over the country.
They would also take Italian Greyhounds too, I am sure.
They would place him with a family that has a yard, and can give himn the attention he needs.
It was cold blooded of those people to give him away. That is judt like having a chuild, and when they are a teenager, having two more children and giving the teenager away because you are no longer interested in putting up with him.
This dog HAd to feel so betrayed, and he was.
I am very surprised you didn't have more oproblems with him adjusting.
Good luck to you with this.
I don't know how adaptable Italian Greyhounds are to apartment living. when I had my first German shepherd, she lived her first 2 years in an apartment, and my son has his Rottweiller in and apartment for 3 years before he bought a house and had a yard for her.
Not all large dogs do badly in apartments, and not all small dogs do well in them.
A Beagle, for instance, is NOT a dog for apartments. They are rangers and need lots of room to roam.
You can't go by the size.
Italian Geryhounds are not large dogs, but are they rangers that need room to expolre ( common among hunting breeds)?
Try to contack some Italian Geryhound breeders who know much more about the characteristics of that breed.
Also talk with a trainer. they could probably give you more insight after talking with you and observing the dog.
Sorry I couldn't help you more.
This is a heart breaking situation for you and for the dog.
Charlotte
PS, if you need help finding a Greyhound rescue group in your area, let me know and I will help.
C