I am rusty with stages of boy dog behavior. My pupper, seven months now, is getting real submissive if I raise my voice (doesn't have to be directed at dogs, I can stub my toe and this happens). He squirts. Sometimes he lays down and is peeing with his tail in between his legs.
I have been making a fairly successful effort not to sound unhappy around him, but hey-when the wild man jumps on my bed, or on the rocking chair, or races around the house knocking down furniture, what are my options? He KNOWS he cannot get on the furniture, and if he sees me coming, he's in trouble. But now I can't even say "phooey no!" to him because he'll let loose on my bed, the carpet, the chair, etc. I'm in a bind because he'll freeze the second he sees i see him on the furniture, and we both stare. He seems to be terrified I will raise my voice, and I am terrified he'll urinate on my stuff.
If I tempt him off with a treat or toy, am I rewarding the bed/sofa habit? I am waking up with him IN the bed from time to time now, and well, you see my dilemma?
Argghh. Yuck!
Will he outgrow this?

First off, the solution to keeping him off your bed at nite and off the furniture when you're not around him might be to put him out in a kennel, or failing that, a crate. I absolutely wouldn't go rewarding him just in order to avoid the inevitable flood. Control the situation better instead. As for the extreme reaction to your voice, I don't think this is normal, regardless of his impending puberty. Any chance you have lost your temper with him recently and really given him reason to be afraid of you? If not you, any chance anyone else has laid into him? If the answer is still no, you have an extremely sensitive dog.

Well, I have met puppy man and I can say he is not an overly sensitive dog...unless he has been "emotionally damaged" since the Flinks seminar. I would keep him crated and off the furniture and just ignore the behavior.

It could be an age thing, I had a male dog years ago that would do the same thing from about 6-8 months old every time you reached for his collar to snap on a leash or lead him into his kennel. Believe me, this dog was no sensitive wimp when he grew up!!! (some of the people on the board may remember this dog, Brux) Anyway, my point is that I think some dogs go thru a funky period of time when they are not sure about how they should feel, submissive, rebellious, dominant, defensive, whatever.... kind of like kids. He wants to be a grown up but he isn't sure how so when all else fail, be submissive and pee! Jeez, I hope my son doesn't do that when he gets to be a teenager. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Alex, empty out your mailbox so I can answer you.