A few questions about adopted dog...

[Wanderer]

My husband and I just adopted Rocky about a month ago. He is 1-1 1/2 years old. He has been AWSOME! He is very gentle and laid back. He learns super quickly and loves clicker training. I am planning on taking him to obedience training soon (still looking for a good trainer).

I just have a few questions about things that have been coming up... First he has recently begun a little bit of submissive peeing- when someone comes to the house he gets excited and will squirt a little bit. Will this go away with age and experience? How do we make him more confident? He is a pretty sensitive guy...

Also when he is on the leash in the yard he will "hit the brakes" meaning he will just freeze and pull back on the lead. Usually as soon as I give him slack he will move forward, but not always. I have no idea why he does it, he never pulls when we go for walks...just in the yard .

Lastly- when he plays he will bite...he is usually super gentle except when he gets amped up . He has gotten a little better because we usually yell "OUCH" and stop playing for a little bit...but will this correct with age as well? I really don't want him to do this to someone else.

Those are my questions for now, I'm sure I will have more. I want to make sure that we can give him exactly what he needs to be happy and confident in us

[JCleve86]

As far as submissive/excited peeing...just make sure you never yell at him or punish him for it, as that will only make it worse.

Biting? Hard to say without seeing the dog. I work with a senior dog who bites (hard) when she gets excited, but she's been in foster care for over a year and we know her temperament...we KNOW she's not being aggro, she was just never taught any manners...much like puppy biting. Sounds like you've got the right approach...yell OUCH or NO and stop the fun stuff...he'll figure it out. Some of the excitement might fade as he matures, but training is training, whether it's a pup or a senior. If you let him believe it's okay he'll just keep doing it. But yeah...long story short it sounds like you've got the right idea.

My two have always played rough, but even so, now that they are older, they have gotten better at knowing what's appropriate and whats not. For example: Nibbling/grabbing an arm when wrestling? Go for it. Biting the nose? You will get the smack down.