grooming and submissive urination

Question
I have a female standard poodle that is just over a year old, it seems since we we have had her (since she was about 4 months old) that she will pee when you bend down to pick her up or reach to her.  She has gotten better however still does this often.  I feel that I cant even train her to do anything with fear of her peeing.  Also I have decided to groom her on my own, I shaved her down a few months ago with a shave down blade that I received with my Oster Turbo A5 clippers. What blade would you suggest for keeping her fur at a nice length and not too short.  Thanks for your time.

Answer
Hello Scott,
Don't worry, your girl should be able to be brought out of this, it will just take patience and time.  You need to start by getting her to trust you more.  You be the one to feed her, walk her, and play with her.  When you do play with her, don't stand over her, get down on the floor on her level and let HER come to you.  Also, don't make any sudden movements because that will scare her.  Try not to raise your voice or talk in a deep tone.  If you have a deeper voice, try raising your pitch a bit.  If you use a deep voice it sounds to your dog like you are growling and makes her think she did something wrong.  
You can train her.  You just have to show her what you want her to do, and use lots of praise when she does something right.  If she doesn't do it, give her a gentle and soft "Ott Ott".  Don't give her eye contact when giving a correction because looking a dog in the eyes is like making a threat and may cause her to submissive pee.  Next, ask her again what you want her to do, gently show her, and praise her when she does it.  
For instance, if you are teaching her to sit:
Tell her Sit.  Gently push her into a Sitting Position and give her lots of praise.  Pet her and give her a tidbit to let her know you are pleased with her.  If she gets up tell her "Ott Ott" in a soft voice and then gently push her rump into a sitting position.  Have her sit there for about 10 sec. then let her up and praise her again.  

You should also try the Dog Exam with her.  You will need to take this one very slowly so you don't over-excite her, but this will help alot once she gets used to it.
Start by sitting on the floor and see if she will lay down beside you.(most of the time you do this with the dog on its back in your lap, but you don't want to rush her)  Once she is laying down next to you, start rubbing her belly.  Talk softly to her and make it a pleasant experience.  Just do this for awhile until she thinks this is great.  Once she is used to this, move on to her head.  Rub her ears, then look in them, rub her face around her mouth and on top of her nose (poodles seem to love this) and look in her eyes and in her mouth.  Again, take it slow.  Maybe one part a night.  Next move to her legs.  Get to where you can move down the legs and finally to the feet.  Play with her toes and tap on the toenails.  Next move to the back legs and eventually on to the tail.  If she will let you, you can move her into your lap once she is comfortable with you going over her body with her laying next to you.  This is a great confidence builder and will also help you establish that you are dominate over her in a non-threatening way.  Just be sure to take it slow and if she reacts badly to any part of it, move back a step and try it again later.  

You might try a professional trainer that will work one-on-one with you and her.  That way, there won't be all the confusion of other dogs and people, he/she can help you with trouble spots and she will be in her own home which will make her more comfortable.  
As she gets better, try taking her out around people and if she will let them have them pet her and give her a treat.  This will let her know that other people are ok also.  Do take this slow though.  You don't want to over-stress her until she is ready.

When grooming her, you might try a #5 blade.  It will leave the hair short, but manageable.  If you want it longer than what a #5 will leave it, wash her and then blow her dry with an Air dryer (not a hair dryer as they get too hot for the skin) and comb or brush her as you dry.     
Once she is fluffy, cut her hair even with a good sharp pair of scissors.  If you are skillful with the trimmers, you can "skim" her hair by laying the trimmers flat over her hair and taking just the very top layer off.  You have to make sure she will stand still and that your hand is steady or you may leave gouges in her hair.  A #10 or #15 is used for shaving her face, tail, feet and around her private area.  Be sure that you use Kool Lube to spray the blades every once in a while.  It helps keep them cool and lubricates them also so that they run smooth.

Good Luck to you with her, with time and a little work on your part, I am sure she will come around to you.

I hope this helps you some.  If you have other questions, please feel free to ask me.

Thanks for using AllExperts.com,
Kim