Behavior correction for a submissive peer?

Question
Hi there -

We recently adopted a five-year-old Akita mix (possibly with black lab). He's an absolute sweetheart, and is very well behaved for the most part. Very little accidents, and although he knows his basic commands, we still work on them with him.

BUT. This last month, he's started getting into stuff, mostly the garbage. It was odd, because he didn't do it for the longest time. Now i find other items replaced around the house - he hasn't destroyed anything, just moves them around.

The problem is, he's also a submissive peer (i don't know if he has a history of abuse). So if i raise my voice at all or even walk towards him (he's the guiltiest dog - as soon as i walk in the door, he hides if he's done something), he pees a bit. How shall I handle this? Currently, I angrily scold him and if he gets into submissive poses, i just walk away.

As far as correcting the garbage thing, we've taken to putting the bin on the counter while we're away. But still - i imagine there'll be other times when i need to discipline him.

Thank you!
Now, I figure maybe he's bored

Answer
The first thing you must do is make certain the dog is healthy by taking him in for a check up at the veterinarian. If he passes with a clean bill of health, then there are some additional things that you can try.

Also, look at what food you are feeding him. This can factor in much more than people may imagine. The better the quality the food, usually the better the dog's health and behavior are.

Submissive urination is a fairly common concern with dogs. This is often related to your body posture, facial expressions and anger level if the dog has misbehaved. You can find more information here: http://www.hilltopanimalhospital.com/submissive%20urination.htm

Once you get your clean bill of health, I would suggest that you start from scratch and completely re-house train your dog.

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http://rileytrainingcenter.blogspot.com/


Good Luck!