Q: I have a question about my 1.5-year old Labrador Retriever. He has a serious case of submissive urination. Sometimes he does it to me but always with people outside the immediate family, except for kids. I really want to trust him in the house with people coming over, he's such a good dog otherwise. I've told people coming in not to pet him, but like Labs are, he is all over them to be petted. The veterinarian told me he may outgrow it, but I don't know. Would getting another dog help this problem or would it make it worse? We have been thinking about that. I know all the techniques about handling this behavior--no eye contact, crouching down, talking upbeat, etc. -- but its hard to convey that to people coming in your home. Any help is appreciated.

A: If you haven't taken this dog to obedience class, that could help his confidence greatly. I don't recommend getting another dog until the behavior of the first one pleases you. I like to wait 2 years between getting new dogs myself.

As I've observed my own dogs--and they're the ones I know best of course--I see changes after 2 weeks, a few months, a year, 2 years. I think they need 2 years to integrate into the pack and bond to me before I add a new dog. If a new dog is acquired too quickly, I'm not sure you ever get back what you lose with the previous dog by not giving him that time.

It's important that the dog be handled overall with positive methods, because training techniques that might work okay with a tough dog can turn submissive urination into a permanent behavior in a soft dog. This is not a dog who is trying to be dominant to you ever.

Many standard obedience training techniques work on the assumption that the dog is being dominant and needs to be put in its place. If you use those methods with a submissive dog you can harm the dog's working ability permanently and make submissive urination a permanent problem, too.

Try switching the dog into a different drive at these moments. He's in pack drive, worrying about what this more dominant pack member thinks of him. If you can get him thinking about something that draws on prey drive, such as chasing a tennis ball. That can short-circuit the submissive urination behavior and that's what you want, to interrupt this involuntary pattern. He is not DOING the submissive urination, it is HAPPENING to him.

Another thing to look at is how have you handled the dog jumping up on people. Lots of people will advise you to yank, stomp, kick, etc., to get the dog to stop jumping. Look what happens then! Labs have a powerful desire to jump up when greeting and woooo, here comes a powerful authority figure in his face, right when his drives are to greet, which is very much a pack thing.

You can change this pattern by teaching the dog--using a positive, upbeat method--to sit for petting by your guests and then give him a treat or have the guest do it. You do it at first so it comes quickly and he knows it will come quickly. The treat can switch the dog from pack drive to prey drive, too--and dogs can switch instantaneously if their handlers learn how to help them.

It sounds like in your question you are saying you have been told not to talk upbeat to the dog. That doesn't cause a problem with submissive urination. It's crouching down, punishing or harsh voice, eye contact, and a lingering greeting while the dog is still in this stage that tend to trigger it. Lean the upper part of your body backward rather than over the dog, or squat down to greet the dog instead of standing. That helps a lot. Having guests sit before greeting the dog will also help in some cases.

You could also have him sit to catch his ball or have it thrown. Then the ball is a reward and stimulates prey drive. The ball drive is actually more powerful with many dogs than food. It depends on the dog's innate drives and how they have been developed in his life.

For more on drives there's great information in the little book called The Canine Good Citizen by Jack and Wendy Volhard. It also has some wonderful training exercises you can do at home. Don't skip obedience class though, even if you have taken him to class before. Labs typically need several months of class for best results and it brings out confidence in the ones with self esteem very nicely.

I personally believe that submissive dogs are often the best pets, so hang in there with this guy! You very likely have a special dog!