submissive dog

Question
Hi Kristen,
I have what was supposed to be a lab/shepherd mix, but when the vet said that he was full grown at 40 pounds, I knew that there was a good chance he was neither.  With some research, we are pretty sure he is a Carolina dog (American dingo).  He has a lot of the characteristics and the fish hook tail.  One of the characteristics is that they can be very shy dogs.  Maverick is extreme.  We rescued him at 5 months old and it took him about 5 months to come around fully to my 6'3" husband.  He is definitely my dog.  When we first brought him home the sight of strangers would make him urinate (and once poop) right on the spot.  He has since out grown that phase, but strangers are still his worst nightmare.  He love us and our next door neighbors and he absolutely loves other dogs (we have a fear aggressive white German shepherd, we rescued when she was about a year old.  They are polar opposites, but get along great.)  Maverick is extremely intelligent and learned most commands instantly.  My question to you is how can I keep building confidence in him?  He is stubborn and only performs when he wants to, he is not food driven at all. I am pretty sure he is never going to be the dog that runs up to strangers for a pat on the head, but I want him to enjoy our daily walks and not panic when someone new walks toward him.  He is not aggressive at all.
Any advice would be great, I have tapped out most local resources.
Thanks,
Mindy

Answer
It does make it harder when they are not food driven,but what you can try is toys that often works esp soft toys and have people give them to him as rewards.Also having people talk to him,even without petting him is a great way for him to get used to people as well.Talking is actually is actually one of the best ways to gain a dog's trust