my dog is a big scaredy cat

Question
I have a 2.5 yr old 70lb boxer/dane that is a wonderful creature. He is very mellow and calm in nature, except for his tail of course that has a mind of its own. Anyways this dog is toooo submisive, as i believe he was beaten or abused in some manner before he came into my life. I really am looking for any advice on how to "toughen" him up a bit. For example i will come up to him sometimes and he will automatically put his head down and roll onto his stomach in the submissive position. While this isnt a totally bad thing because i know he respects me, i just dont want it all the time. Also he tends to pee a little bit when approached by people he doesnt know, or when excited if someone is trying to get him to come to them. Anything will help. Thanks! -Jeff

Answer
Just because a dog is submissive does not mean it was beaten or abused, Jeffrey. Some dogs are just naturally more submissive than others. The way you approach him can dictate how he responds. It sounds like you are walking directly up to him and bending over top of him. This is a very dominant position. Try calling him to you, and squatting down to give him attention, rather than looming over him. Submissive urination is something that should be ignored, because if you try to correct the dog for it, it may get worse. Tell people to squat down and offer him a treat, rather than approaching him. If he goes to them, fine; if not, that's fine too. Don't force him to accept attention from strangers if he doesn't want to.

Have you considered enrolling in an obedience class with him? I would recommend a positive motivation style class, rather than a more traditional class, because it sounds as though he is a very soft dog that may not do well with physical corrections just yet.