Help with my 2 1/2 yr old max

Question
Ok my sheperd Max is 2 1/2 and the problem is when we put him in the car he goes nutzs.  He loves going in the car but he just continously runs back and forth from side to side, like a pinball.  He will not calm down even if we are in the car for 1-2 hrs the whole time he does this and he will even wine like a little kid.  We tried putting toys in the back seat with him to play with and he doesnt pay any attention to them, even if we talk to him and try and pet him he just doesnt whant anything to do with us.  And then the other problem, everytime i come home if i try to walk right up to him and pet him he will pee all over the place like he is scared of me.  I mean if i walk around a little bit and ignore him and then sit down then he will come up to me and he is fine, i mean does this mean he is scared of me?

Answer
The peeing may be excitement or telling you he accepts your leadership.  Dogs do better with a strong leader.  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 out 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.

The crating or leadership will help in the car.  It really isn't safe to have a dog loose in the car.  The best place for a dog in a car is in a crate that is anchored down so they can't be thrown around in a sudden stop.  If you don't have room in your car for a crate big enough for him, you can teach him to ride on the floor in the passenger's footwell.  That is most easily done starting with a young puppy.  I have done it with a couple of 0older dogs, and it went well.  Part of that could have been they were rehomed and it was just part of the way things were done with their new, strong leader.  I just kept pushing them off the seat and telling them ''Bad dog, off!''.