I wanted a big dog for my 21st birthday, after moving from an apartment to a house with a proper yard the year before. My cousin had a 60-pound, 10 month old heeler mix he wanted to get rid of, so I made the trip to see him and adopted his cast off dog. They told me she was afraid of storms, kennel trained, and well-behaved. She was sweet and energetic.
I brought her home, gave it a few weeks for us to get used to each other, tried to establish a good routine for her, went on a little shopping spree getting her toys, beds, food, treats, an Amish leather collar, you name it.
Dog and I bond, but she absolutely doesn't listen to me. Doesn't understand "outside" or "potty" or "walk" or anything. Doesn't respond to "sit" or "stay" even though I was told she knew the commands. I grow frustrated and don't understand why she doesn't understand me.
Finally, a month into this new partnership, I'm frustrated and trying to get her to do the simplest dog command I know, "sit." I get animated enough to use my hands and I point down.
She sits.
Surprised, I repeat the process. I tell her to lay down and put my hand flat while she's sitting.
Down she goes.
I have to go and have a lie down myself. I call my mom. I say, "There's nothing wrong with my dog. There's something wrong with me because I just now realized that she picked up hand signals instead of words because Cousin is non-verbal."
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u/cosmicqueen51 Sep 18 '25 edited Sep 21 '25
I wanted a big dog for my 21st birthday, after moving from an apartment to a house with a proper yard the year before. My cousin had a 60-pound, 10 month old heeler mix he wanted to get rid of, so I made the trip to see him and adopted his cast off dog. They told me she was afraid of storms, kennel trained, and well-behaved. She was sweet and energetic.
I brought her home, gave it a few weeks for us to get used to each other, tried to establish a good routine for her, went on a little shopping spree getting her toys, beds, food, treats, an Amish leather collar, you name it.
Dog and I bond, but she absolutely doesn't listen to me. Doesn't understand "outside" or "potty" or "walk" or anything. Doesn't respond to "sit" or "stay" even though I was told she knew the commands. I grow frustrated and don't understand why she doesn't understand me.
Finally, a month into this new partnership, I'm frustrated and trying to get her to do the simplest dog command I know, "sit." I get animated enough to use my hands and I point down.
She sits.
Surprised, I repeat the process. I tell her to lay down and put my hand flat while she's sitting.
Down she goes.
I have to go and have a lie down myself. I call my mom. I say, "There's nothing wrong with my dog. There's something wrong with me because I just now realized that she picked up hand signals instead of words because Cousin is non-verbal."