Submissive urination

Question
I picked up my dog (husky, lab mix) from a animal shelter roughly 6 months ago. His age is unknown but the assumption is 2-3 yrs old. When I first got him every little thing would frighten him causing him to urinate. He has shown little improvement over the course of our relationship. Generally he'll run to my bedroom where his cage is, whine and urinate in his cage or closet which is left open because he seems to find safety there. I've read multiple posts therefor I understand the general rules of what and what not to do. However, after months of trying to correct this issue I will admit to cracking under disappointment and yell on very limited occasions. I live alone in a apartment and I'm gone for generally 10 hours a day(except weekends). Our days generally go like this. I take him out at about 6:30 am and he's in his cage from 7ish to 5ish. When i get home I take him out immediately and that's the last time he goes out for the day. NOW outside I feel forced to walk him down the block and back just to get him to go to the bathroom, because if I just stand outside he'll just stand there look at me then sit down waiting for Christmas to come once again. I have got smart with shortening his walks in little stages and he goes now much sooner in the walk but I still can't get him to go right away. We go back inside and interaction between us is usually limited. I do find myself often involved in another activity which could explain the the minimal interactions. If I'm not involved in something else and just sitting around he'll find his way to me for his endless petting which is a major improvement compared to the first 3 months. If he does not(probably because he's in his safe spot) I call for him and he responds by whining and curling up in the closet. If I reach down to pet him or place a leash on him at any time or where in the apartment he urinates unless he came to me first. I have been decently persistent with not looking or talking to him in these stages, but correction has not seemed to take place yet. Now when company comes over he for the most part relaxes which makes me look like a neglectful owner, but I wonder if this is a bad memory for him being alone with 1 person. His nervous markings have shortened to short streaks instead of leading from living room to bedroom which is the only positive sign I have. Last but not least I at first refused to cage him but after 2 months of cleaning after him i gave in. I would try to correct by making him watch me clean up after him, tell him "NO" and then take the mess outside with him and tell him "good boy outside". I never got to a point where he quit and now he's shamefully caged for far to long. What's weird to me is that he will not go potty when I'm home but the second I leave it's game on for him and messy is how he plays. What am I doing wrong and what can I improve on?

Answer
Likely the dog was abused. Potty training includes not just taking hte dog to a location, but rewarding it when it goes. You have 3 seconds to reward the dog for good behavior before the relationship of action-reward is lost. The submissive urination is because the dog is afraid. You need to work in building the dogs self confidence. This can be through regular obedience training, plus agility or rally that uses agility items in obedience class to find and over come the dogs fears.

Avoid any win/lose games, no tug of war. Play win win games where the dog gets a reward for doing an action, not competing. Simple dog tricks can add to the fun, fetch, get specific objects, and god puzzles. [www.jjdog.com]

The opposite of reard is no reward, not punishment.


Regards,
Henry Ruhwiedel
www.dogkennel.org