[B]

My Doxie, Jangles has been in our home for 10 months. He will be 1 yr old. Lately, at times he acts afraid of us, and when I call him to soothe him, he crawls to me almost on his belly. No one at my home would ever hurt Jangles.

Recently, about a month ago he was neuterd, I'm not sure if this has anything to do with his behavior. He does still like to play. I would appreciate any feedback.

Lorrie B.

It is quite possible that now he has had time to get the hormones out of his system he is excessively submissive. It is also possible he is just going through one of the fear stages they go through. I don't remember if the books list one as late as 10 months, but I am sure he never read any of them, and could be anyhow. There are ways to build a dog's confidence. I have a block of text saved for the ones that add piddling to the belly craw. If you don't mind, I will paste it in as is.

Many dogs eventually outgrow it, but you can reduce it by building the dog's confidence up. Start with obedience training. The key to most behavior problems is approaching things using the dog's natural instincts. Dogs see all the people and dogs in the household as a pack with each having their own rank in the pack and a top dog. Life is much easier if the 2 legged pack members outrank the 4 legged ones. You can learn to play the role of top dog by reading some books or going to a good obedience class. A good obedience class or book is about you being top dog, not about rewarding standard commands with a treat. Start at http://www.dogsbestfriend.com/ As you praise the dog for following your commands, it will build its confidence.

Play tug of war with the dog and lose. However at the end of the game, take the rope or toy and put it up, less the dog becomes confused about who is top dog.
Ropes from the pets' store quickly turn to hazardous shreds. Ones I made
Lasted much better. Go to a hardware or home center that sells rope by the
Foot. Buy 2' of 3/4" poly rope. Melt the ends, and tie knots in it. Get
Them as tight as possible, put it in a vise and pound it with a hammer. Watch
Carefully, and be ready to discard when it comes apart.

Finally, make sure it has a den to live in. If you are not using a crate, buy one. The dog may be happier in its den than loose in the house. It relaxes, it feels safe in its den. It rests, the body slows down reducing the need for water and relieving its self. Dogs that have been crated all along do very well. Many of them will rest in their crates even when the door is open. I think the plastic ones give the dog more of a safe, enclosed den feeling. Metal ones can be put in a corner or covered with something the dog can't pull in and chew. Select a crate just big enough for the full grown dog to stretch out in.

A dog that has not been crated since it was little, may take some work.
Start just putting its toys and treats in the crate. Praise it for going
in. Feed it in the crate. This is also an easy way to maintain order at
Feeding time for more than one dog.

Great suggestion as usual Labman. My 5 month old doxie loves his crate and will often go in there on his own, even when we are home.