Dog chewing paws

Question
Hi there, I guess I have a two part question;  The first is about my little mixed terrier dachshund girl.  She has quite a few health issues that we've been able to manage well, but she has started chewing her paws a lot. It's been going on for about a month or so.  I remember another dog I knew catching some sort of bacteria or something in their feet and I was wondering if it could possibly be something like that.  I bathe her every few weeks and give her frontline and she doesn't seem to be as itchy anywhere else so I don't think it's fleas.

The second question is about my parents dog.  He's a little mini wirehaired dachshund who is a sweetheart.  We adopted him from a family that didn't quite have the time for him he needed.  Now he lives with my parents and my elderly Grandma so he's never alone.  They told us he had some submissive urination problems.  It's not too bad because he's so little that it barely makes a mess, but I was wondering if you had any advice on how to cure him of that.

Thank you very much!

Natalie

Answer
Hello Natalie and thanks for your questions.

Let's address the paw chewing first.

It would really help me to know what other health conditions your little girl is dealing with, to give you a more accurate answer, but I can say that paw chewing is an allgeric response to something. It can be food, contact with something, or environmental.
This is basically how it works. The dog comes into contact with an allergen that it responds to. This makes the feet itch and it begins chewing and licking them. The saliva and moisture builds up and cause yeast and bacteria to grow, which in turn, causes more itching. It's a vicious circle. You might even notice a odd smell (similar to stale fritos corn chips) This smell is indicative of yeast overgrowth. Sometimes you'll smell it with dogs that have alot of eye drainage that builds up in the hair under eyes. If you would like to send me more information about her other problems, maybe I can elaborate a bit more on what could be her problems. I firmly believe, dogs with immune system disorders are plagued with all sorts of little problems that are very hard to diagnose individually. There is an excellent bood that explains clearly the problems a lot of our pets are having today.
http://www.drplechner.com/ This vet is a pioneer in these studies.

Now, let's move on the submissive urination problem.

While some dogs are naturally more submissive, others just need to not get so excited.
A very good way to deal with this problem is to not make GOO-GOO, GA-GA over the dog when it is wanting attention. If you will notice, this is usually when they dribble. Ignoring him until he is calm can help greatly with this problem. It also helps him to become more balanced and stable. If you think about it, he is probably used to alot of activity going on around him and maybe even children pulling, tugging, and picking him up. This can be very scarey for a little dog and they just cringe when a person comes toward them.

By not "making" over him and talking baby talk, he should be become more sure of his people and know that there is nothing to fear. Remember that high squeaky voices may remind him to be afraid. Talking in a normal tone that is very flat and matter of fact may actually allow him to be more comfortable. You might even want to teach him a few tricks like "sit" etc using a reward to motivate him. Then you can incorporate the "sit" with the approach or attention and this should boost his confidence and allow him to take his mind off being fearful.

I feel that "curing" him of his submissive urination will do alot more than stop that behavior. It will make him alot more stable and balanced all around. He'll be able to relax and be the dog that he was meant to be :)

Here's some information about this problem.
http://www.sspca.org/Dogs/Urination.html
http://www.clickandtreat.com/webart105.htm

I hope this helps :)