my dog always rolls!!

Question
Hi Alan,
Squiffy does it all the time inside the house & outside!
When he does it we were told to ignore him & obviously praise him whilst walking, with pieces of cheese or choc drops. something he doesn't get on a day to day basis.
To be honest its not working that well sometimes as soon as i give him a treat he rolls over again.
He always does it when there is another dog approaching or in general when has is playing with other dogs he runs and rolls at the same time.
I've started leaving the lead on at home so he can get used to it and to know i am boss. this helps a little, but it seems everytime we take him out for a walk he runs and hides under the bed.
He also hates flies and has some kind of fit when there is one in the house, he will roll on his back again & started making noises.
Do you have any other advise you can give me?
He also spends most of the day in his bed even when we are in the house & we have to coax him into playing & coming to us.
Thanks.
Dawn

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The text above is a follow-up to ...

-----Question-----
Hi Alan, I have an 11month old jack russell terrier by the name of squiffy. I've had him since he was 10weeks old. His problem is he keeps rolling over, when i take him for a walk he's abit apprehensive but once out the house he walks a few steps and then rolls on his back, he does this for most of the walk even when I take him to the park he runs & spends most of the time on his back even when there are other dogs around him that he knows.
I have spoke to an animal behaviourist who has told me to ignore his behaviour & reward with positive behaviour which I have done but no really seeing any results.
He was 'getting better' but he was castrated a few months ago & seems to have relapsed to his old behaviour. (he has been doing it since more or less we got him) He is also very submissive & will roll over to any dog that he comes into contact with. I was told that the lack of testoterone has took abit of his confidence away.
It is getting extremley frustrating especially walking down the street & nearly taking a few people out with his rolling not to mention the fun he is missing out on not playing with the other dogs down the park.
Do you have any tips or advice for me?
Many Thanks.
-----Answer-----
Dear Dawn,
Thanks for the interesting question. The behaviorist you spoke with nailed the right advice! The very best way to decrease any one behavior is to increase another, incompatible behavior.

If reinforcement is not working for you, other factors are at play or you are not really reinforcing the other behaviors.

Generally speaking, rolling over is a submissive or a differential behavior. What methods have you used to communicate and to train him? Do you ever jerk his leash to correct him? Does he wear a training collar?

Does he do it when you bend over to attach the leash? Does Squiffy perform the behavior only on walks when he is on a leash?  I mean will he do it in the house on a leash?
Does he do it in the house off leash? Will he do it in the house while wearing a leash that he is dragging on the floor? If so, under what circumstances.

Can you identify any particular circumstances outside that trigger the behavior? Is it when he sees other dogs, when other people are approaching, when you are tugging on the leash? when trucks pass by, when you are trying to coax him? trying to train him? ..

How exactly are you trying to reinforce 'positive behavior"? Do you use a clicker? say good dog? give him a treat?

Please give me more information and I will be happy to explore options. I'll be out-of-pocket for a few days, but be sure and get back to me. Thanks.
AT


Answer
Dear Dawn,

Thanks for the answers. Unfortunately it sounds as if Squiffy is afraid of you, walks and other dogs.

>>>>I've started leaving the lead on at home so he can get used to it and to know i am boss. this helps a little, but it seems everytime we take him out for a walk he runs and hides under the bed>>>>>>

Dogs that hide under the bed when it's walk time and dogs that "spends most of the day in his bed even when we are in the house & we have to coax him into playing & coming to us." are usually stressed or fearful.

The best path for helping Squify is to get a professional canine behavior counselor or a trainer that has experience working with "extra shy" pups.

Check this web site for a trainer near you.
http://www.apdt.com

Happy Training!
AT