We have a wonderful 4 year old German Shepherd mix (male). We adopted him in April 2007 from a shelter. We do not know his past owners or how they treated him, but suspect they may have been a little overly strict with him. He is already housebroken and is well behaved. However, he has one unusual problem. Every now & then he does what we googled and believe to be "submissive urination". The strange thing is that he only does it for my hubby & not me... And he only does it when he tries to put his leash on to go for a walk. It's bizarre. Why would he continue to do this after like 7 months? He clearly has bonded with my hubby and they play and go for walks all the time, but only sometimes does this. Also, when this happens he cowers away from my hubby with his tail between his legs like he is scared. Even if he tempts him with a treat he won't come to him, and if he does - he pees. Any suggestions???
2007-11-18 18:31:25 · 7 answers · asked by Snowflake 2 in Pets ➔ Dogs
Also, the majority of the time he does this in the house (naturally! LOL). It has happened a few times outside, but mostly happens indoors.
2007-11-18 18:38:01 · update #1
I would also like to point out that most of the time the dog is totally fine. There are times he can put the leash on him and he WON'T pee. But then out of the blue he will do it for no apparent reason.
2007-11-18 18:42:59 · update #2
Dogs can behave this way without being abused, sometimes they're just more prone to being fearful, and it's often toward men.
Your dog is afraid of your husband in those situations, you can tell he's over threshold cause he can't/won't eat treats. It takes time for a dog's feelings to change about its triggers. I bet if you pay attention to your dog's body language you're going to see that your dog reacts to your husband even before he tries to put the leash on him, watch his ears, how he looks at your husband.
Learn about triggers, thresholds, counter conditioning and desensitization. You'll need to come up with a plan on how to help your dog, and that's not something that someone online can do for you. Read the book The Cautious Canine to learn about how to help your dog and visit this website
www.fearfuldogs.com
Your dog doesn't sound too bad off since he will engage with your husband sometimes. It's important to respect and understand that your dog IS afraid and it doesn't matter if it doesn't make any sense to you, or why he's afraid.
2007-11-19 00:06:25 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Most dogs tend to trust females more than males, I'm not sure why. It could also be that the previous owner used to abuse the dog while the dog was on a leash, either physically abused it or would just leave the dog alone after putting on the leash. Like people it takes dogs, and any animal, a long time to get over the traumas they have experienced. My suggestion would be that when the dog starts acting scared that your husband put the leash away until the dog is calmed down and try to see if that would work.
2007-11-18 18:42:27 · answer #2 · answered by cogal2005 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think perhaps you are right about the last owners being 'overly strict'.... Sound like he has been mistreated or beaten by a man, and I guess your husband reminds him of it, poor dog. Sounds like whenever the dog had an accident, the last owners may have beat him or something, which explains why he cowers whenever he does it. I'm so glad to hear you are treating him well though, it makes me glad to think your dog has a better home now.
My mother had a little dog once and it had not been treated well. It was scared of me, i felt bad cuz I would never hurt an animal, it was just scared of me in particular...It was the same thing that has happened with your husband, I guess I resembled someone who had hurt the dog in the past.
2007-11-18 18:40:33 · answer #3 · answered by myleslr 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
He obviously has a memory of something relating to a man taking him somewhere on a leash that wasn't pleasant. When he was surrendered perhaps? Vet visits? He's continuing to do it because the issue hasn't been addressed in his mind. And as to why it is only sometimes, the conditions have to be just so and his state of mind and your husband's energy make a difference. Have your husband go to the door first, then call with a treat. He needs to create a new way of putting on the leash that has nothing to do with the memory. You are lucky it isn't you too!
2007-11-18 18:52:37 · answer #4 · answered by dallas 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Rescues have a tendency to be terrified, specifically on the starting. You feel you've got given them a loving dwelling, however they feel they have got been abducted and delivered to a unusual position. Make definite she has a activities that remains the identical day in day trip so far as feeding time, playtime and many others. That will support stabilize her. There is a product known as "rescue relief" however this isn't a fast handy repair. If you're taking the stairs I mentioned, are sufferer and steady, you must be freed from this situation in a couple of months. #a million get her to a vet and ensure she does no longer have a urinary tract contamination. #two check out to not get her excited - talk to her in an overly calm voice, certainly not harsh or loud #three train her fundamental obedience instructions. A puppy who is aware of what is anticipated of her is much less more likely to get all excited and pee. #four certainly not make a fuss over her injuries as that allows you to make it worse.
2016-09-05 08:51:23 · answer #5 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
your right about the submissive urination. He sees your husband as the alpha dog and not you. It might help if your husband starts to notice your dog getting ready to do that to ignore the dog before it happens. Your husband excites the dog. hope this might help.
2007-11-18 18:45:11 · answer #6 · answered by jacsrbetter1 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
maybe the past owner miss treated him why he had his lead on ?
2007-11-18 18:43:04 · answer #7 · answered by Big Kisses :-) 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋