[mdlandre22]

My boyfriend and I rescued a 6 month old dog in Nov. 2012. He was very sweet but always had a hiding place and sometimes peed when he was approached to called. He got better. Several weeks ago we moved. My three year old dog had no problems. My 8 month old has been hiding A LOT but worse peeing all the time. Just coming near him he pees. If you say his name he pees. I'm walking on eggshells just to be near him so he doesn't pee. We have NEVER hit him, we don't yell or crate at this point because we understand its nerves not disobedience. We try blocking his hiding places, he finds more. We don't know how to make him stop peeing everywhere. Anyyyyy advice will help. Thanks

[Lucky098]

Dogs that pee submissively are being submissive. This doesn't mean he was abused in his past life, it just means he is a very submissive dog. The same goes for the excessive hiding.

When dogs start to pee like this, the best solution is to ignore the behavior all together and continue forward with your life. Walking on eggshells around him and being extra, extra careful only reinforces this behavior and it will only become worse.

To help you deal with this issue, I would suggest a male belly band diaper. Put it on him and touch him all over. And do this every day for as long as it takes.

The same rules apply for dogs that like to hide. Don't force him to come out of hiding. That is actually doing the opposite of what you want. Every time you force him out of hiding, he is discovering that this forcing is something he doesn't like and therefore will do it more often. Just ignore him. Interact MORE with the other dog. Dogs are naturally curious and naturally enjoy and participating in group activities. If you and the other dog are having a great time, than eventually curiosity is going to get the better of him. When he comes out. Just recognize him, but not smother him. Maybe give him a treat or a chewy treat than continue with whatever else you were doing.

You said he is not yet crate trained. With dogs that like to hide, I would probably start crate training him right away. Crates are suppose to be their "home away from home". If you can provide him with a safe place where he can hide and he doesn't have to share, his problem might go away.

Another thing with dogs that are submissive like your boy is. Boost his confidence! Start him in obedience classes, agility classes or a tricks class. Make him do something that he is really good at and praise him! He'll come out of his shell! It's just going to take some time and re-training on your end.

Submissive dogs are a bit harder to work with at first. They want to hide and they will pee because they don't know what else to do. Once you build his confidence up, give him an actual house and ignore the behaviors you don't like.. he'll transition pretty fast into the dog you want. He's just going to require a few extra steps forwards and backwards.

Good luck!