Always submissive

[Sanke]

Hi all
I have been working a lot on Shebas socialisation & so far her reaction has always the same. Excited to meet the other dogs, ears back/lowered head/lays down quite often on her back/little puddles. Every body that meets her says that she has a good temperament.
The puddle I assume is just excitement & she will grow out of it, However, is it normal for her to always be submissive or is this just an age thing & as she gets older she will start to be less submissive. We also have a male shih tsu & she has no problems standing up for herself with him.

[Overlook]

Hi Sanke,

I have absolutely no idea (which I'm sure you didn't want to hear) as Clay is very dominant. Someone will be along shortly I'm sure with lots of good advice

[Tedsmum]

Quiet normal for a pup to be so submissive to older dogs and the peeing is probably all part of it.
It is impossible to know if your dog is going to remain submissive or become more confident later but you are doing the right thing by giving her lots of exposure to other dogs. She will develop her own character in due course based on a combination of her experiences and her own personality. Make as many of her experiences positive and she will be well balanced as she grows.
She is still a baby and everything will seem huge and overwhelming to an extent right now.

[Sanke]

Hi Gill
Yes plenty of exposure. Any dog that stops long enough gets sniffed !! The ionly negatives have been the yorkie snappers but she soon gets over it
When Bobby our shih tsu barks at her she looks as if to say "whatever"

[Bonniesmummy]

Originally Posted by Sanke

When Bobby our shih tsu barks at her she looks as if to say "whatever"

Sorry cant offer any advice but what Gill says sounds about right..... I just wanted to 'lol' at your comment
: laugh:

Some dogs continue submissive peeing into adulthood, though pups usually outgrow it.

Remus used to pee with excitement when I came back from work, or first thing in the morning when I went into the kitchen where he sleeps, but he never did it with my OH. Being a needy rescue boy though I guess it was to be expected.

Sometimes Zee will get over-excited and pee while turning in circles, or while bringing me a toy. To prevent it I just ignore, no voice or touching for a bit and that seems to work. And never tell the dog off if it pees in excitement or you'll make it worse.

[Jude]

Perfectly normal behaviour for a pup of that age - her body language says to other strange dogs that she is still a baby and not a threat. Your shih tsu is part of her family "pack" so she will not show such submissive behaviour towards him.

[LOVEGSD]

I agree it's totally normal and a behaviour I would want to be seeing from a young pup personally....

[Caryll]

Nothing wrong at all - it shows a friendly personality to be honest. At least you don't have to worry about her snapping at every dog she sees!