spiratic urintating

Question
hi, im so stressed about my pup, i have a 10 month old Chihuahua who who purchased from a friend and was not housebroken at the time,. he is also timid and afraid around men-  he has been neutered and up to date on all his shots, him having a terrible time getting him to stop squirting in the house,  in the am he goes outside and pees and poops, then i crate him until my hsb gets up to let them all out, ( i have 2 other dogs and they all get along great)
sometimes he is fine and will go outside with the other dogs, other times he nervous, shaking and will get on the couch or hide and will not go out and will not listen and then pees all over--- sometimes if we pick him up he will pee or if i want him to go out or have to put him in the crate he squirts.   we try not to yell but we do show him where he peed and then put him outside he even sometimes pees in his small crate. i love the dog to death but just don't know what to do, i took him to the vet and he did once have a uti and was treated, i put him out every hour and watch him pee and poop i just don't understand him, sometimes he is very skittish around my husband and scared and other times he's all over him-licking him and sleeping on his lap. please tell me what to do to fix this problem!!!! thank you

Answer
Well first of all, you need to NOT scold this dog. They do not understand what you are scolding them about. Secondly, you need to understand where this dog's head is. He is obviously a submissive wetter- which means that he wets when you bend down to pick him up, and he wets because he want to show that he is part of the pack.
The crate he is in at night probably needs to be bigger and he should only be put in it at night, and not for wetting in the house.

You are correct to put him outside calmly when he does lift his leg in the house. Tell him OFF in a firm voice but do not yell at him. Just say OFF ____ whatever his name is. OFF Pepper! Then put a leash on him and let him outside. Be consistent with this and he will get the message.
When you want to lift him up do NOT lean down and pick him up if he is lying down. That is when he will pee. Now most dogs will outgrow this problem if they are not yelled at when they do it.

Your dog is timid as most Chiuahuas are. That doesn't mean he is afraid of men but men are generally bigger and louder than women so look at it from his little world way down there on the floor.

This dog needs a family that will be soft and gently with him, not loud and fast. The other dogs are probably fine but he is still getting used to a new family and one that is mad at him a lot. I would be scared too!!

So give him time. Take him to obedience class also- that will help you both. Most towns have low cost classes for pups and adult dogs.
This is a phase that he should grow out of if handled carefully now.

Find a class for you both and please let me know how he does in a few months.