How do you help a submissive puppy overcome his shyness and build self confidence. There are several methods to help your new dog overcome his submissiveness.
Never pet, play with or caress your pet when he shows signs of distress, this will only reinforce his submissive feelings.
If the puppy shows signs of fear try to redirect his activity to something he enjoys like taking a walk or playing fetch however do not ever reinforce a behavior that you do not want to see repeated.
You should spend regular amounts of time grooming your puppy and complimenting him. Your dog will come to enjoy this time spent with you and that will help to form a very strong bond between the two of you.
Make sure to provide him with a favorite treat when the grooming session is over to further reinforce the activity.
Feed your dog at the same time that you eat. Once he builds up his confidence you will start having him eat after you as part of his obedience training.
You should designate a special chair for your puppy near where you sit. You can cover the chair with a towel or old sheet to protect it if need be. You could even keep a couple of his favorite toys in the chair. This gives your pet the idea that the chair is part of his territory.
The puppy needs as many new life experiences as possible so that he learns the two of you will be together and that you as his leader will insure his safety.
These are examples of things you can do to build trust between you and the puppy. In time this will increase your dogs self confidence.

Just like human babies who do not have any control over their bodily functions, puppy’s haven’t yet fully developed their intestinal tract muscles and must relieve themselves quit often.
You will be leading your puppy to his relief area a dozen or more times daily. He will have to go after he’s been sleeping, playing, after he eats and several other times throughout the course of the day.
For a puppy around 8 weeks old your puppy will be needing to relieve himself about once an hour. Preferably it’s a good idea to have someone at home all day with the dog at least when you first get him.
As the puppy gets older he will have more control over his bodily functions and have to go out less often. When the pup reaches around 4 months old he will only have to go out about 6 to 8 times a day, and that will decrease to 3 to 5 as he ages.
In order to house train the puppy he must be restricted to (1) room of the house. Canines are social creatures so restricting them to a family room is preferable. They will want to be around the rest of the family.
The dogs crate should also be placed in their favorite room to further enhance their confidence and sense of belonging.
Consistency and frequency are the preamble to successful house training. Your pup needs to be led to his relief area every time that he is released from the crate and every time he exhibits any signs that indicate he might have to relieve himself. Patience will be the key to house training your new puppy.

You may find this to be insignificant before you start training your dog but this one item will save you lots of frustration and make the training experience more enjoyable for you and your pet.
When you have a puppy they are typically excitable and love to race around the house. Each time you try and catch him the more excited he becomes and the more your puppy thinks you want to play.
The one thing that gives you control over your new dog is the “house line”. A house line should be about 6’ long and be made of nylon. Attach a clasp to one end so it can be snapped onto the puppy’s collar and burn the other end to prevent fraying.
The sole purpose of the house line is to give you control of the puppy while he plays freely in the home.
The puppy should only have a house line when with you (the trainer), never when you’re gone or when in his crate.
Why have a house line, you ask.
If you’ve ever tried to catch a whirly dog that’s racing through the house in a frantic game of catch me if you can, then you know how frustrating it can get.
The house line allows you to step on or grab the line as the puppy races past you.
This tells the dog that he must slow down and respond to your call.
Make sure you praise him lavishly when you catch him with the aid of the house line.
The house line cuts down on the frustrations of training your new dog and helps you to establish positive control.

A physical confrontation is neither necessary nor recommended to teach a dominant puppy you’re his new master. There are several easy ways of demonstrating these lessons. One way is to begin training the dog as soon as you get him.
Your new puppy should be fed after you eat if possible. The pack leader always eats first. After that the other pack members eat oldest to youngest.
Anytime you walk through a doorway this is a good time to demonstrate your leadership role to your dog. The puppy must learn to stop and wait (for you to enter first) before entering the room.
To achieve this have the puppy in a collar and lead and hold him back as you approach a doorway. Tell him to “wait” as you pass through. Say “ok, good boy”, when you’re ready to let the puppy follow you into the room.
You should never allow your new puppy to get in or out of a car without your ok first. Control your dog and let him enter or exit the car at your command.
He needs to learn to wait while he’s young so that as the dog grows you maintain control for his safety.
When you play games with your puppy always keep back one special toy. When you play with him take out the special toy, when your done put it away. This way he will learn that you control the toys and games.
These are the first steps in training your new puppy. With a little effort and patience you will have a happy and enjoyable relationship with your new dog.

When you introduce a new puppy to your home it is imperative that the dog accept the fact that he is a member of your pack and is content knowing that you provide for his welfare.
When the puppy was born his birth pack consisted of his mother and siblings. The dam was the leader of the pack and made all decisions. She would also provide safety and sustenance to the rest of the family members.
The puppy began to grow knowing his mother was the leader and tolerated no wavering of the pack rules.
Disobedient pups were quickly disciplined for miss behavior. The pups quickly learned that obedience meant survival. Any pups refusing to obey would be driven from the pack. When the puppy is removed from its birth pack and placed in a human family it is a very important event in the puppy’s life.
If the pup is shown right away that his new owner is the pack leader the dog will conform accordingly.
If the new owner fails to demonstrate leadership over the pup the dog will become confused and eventually try to take the leadership role.
If an owner lacks authority and the dog is allowed to establish a role of leadership this will lead to the dog using aggressive behavior when he wants his way.
This obviously would become intolerable and in some cases the animal would have to be euthanized.
Demonstrating your leadership should not be done with harsh language or abusive actions. You want the puppy to respect you as a leader not fear you as a predator.

To find out if your dog is submissive or dominant here is a simple non abusive test.
Gently lay the puppy on his side and watch how the dog reacts to this awkward position. If you have a small dog you can do this on your lap if the dog is larger you will need to place him on the floor and kneel beside him.
Preferably the dog will be completely on his side laying flat. This puts the dog in a completely submissive position.
If the puppy allows you to place him in this position without any resistance then you probably have a submissive dog. A dominant puppy will struggle and fight to keep out of that position.
At birth the puppy’s mother did this same thing to teach the new pup she was the pack leader.
This little test will tell you how willing and cooperative your little guy is going to be to his training.
Once the puppy regardless of his personality accepts the dominant position of the leader (you), he should be allowed to get up and be praised lavishly for accepting his new position in your pack.
If your puppy is already submissive you may never have to place him on his side again as where a more dominant dog may have to endure this time and again in order for him to accept you as his leader.
It is very important to apply this test prior to the start of any training. If your dog is too submissive his training will have to be structured differently than if he is dominant.

Before you begin trying to train that new puppy there are a few things you must be aware of. You must have a thorough knowledge of how dogs learn and the best methods that you should use. This will determine the success or failure that you experience.
1) In order for a dog to learn any new behaviors he must perform it for at least 42 consecutive times in various environments.
2) Dr. Edward Thorndike a noted American psychologist gave us a learning theory that applies to man and equally to dogs. It states that a behavior that results in a pleasant event tends to get repeated, while behaviors resulting out of unpleasant events tend not to be repeated. For example yelling at your puppy or using force will not get you the results your after.
3) With every step of training you must use positive reinforcement wither it be a toy or food treat.
For example if you want your dog to “sit”, sitting becomes the desired behavior and the “treat” is the positive reinforcement.
Negative methods of training should only be used by qualified professional trainers in certain circumstances, which are few and far between.
There are a few items you will need to begin training your new pet, a collar, a leash or lead and some of his favorite doggie treats. This method of training is referred to as inducive which means you create a desire in the dog to do what you desire because he knows you will give him something he wants.
With a little effort, patience and compassion you can train your new puppy to act in the manner that you wish.