I need help with my dog UPDATE in OP

[snowflurry]

I adopted a dog from a rescue about 2 months ago.  He is about 1-2 years old and appears to be a beagle/jack russell mix.  Prior to adopting, he was fostered with 3 other dogs and a cat for about 4 weeks and prior to that he was in a high kill shelter.  He is the sweetest most calm dog I have ever encountered.  I have never even heard him bark. 

But he pees everywhere all the time.  He is mostly house broken and has only had a couple of full blown accidents (which I just immediately clean up and put him outside and remind him where to potty).  But it seems he pees at every little thing - when he is excited, anxious, nervous, happy, new person, loud sound, new sound, when you walk up to him, look at him, walk away, literally just about anything will make him pee.  Some of that has gotten better with time.  But anytime, no matter what, my husband touches him, he pees.  My husband has never raised his voice at the dog or been anything but super nice and loving to him.  (I'm guess maybe he was abused by a man in the past).  I don't know what to do short of never having my husband touch the dog which is not a good solution.

Are there any tips anyone has that could help my dog feel more comfortable with our family?  He doesn't act nervous or anything.  He always wants to be pet and is always looking for attention.  He is very skittish with the cats and whimpers and cowers when they are near him (but he was fostered with a cat and didn't have this issue so maybe he just doesn't like my cats).  But I just feel like he is not meshing with us and seems sad.  It's a struggle to get him out of his kennel in the morning and he never wants to go outside to potty when he wakes up (it seems like he will hold it forever and I can't pick him up to get him out because he will pee then).  I've tried treats and he just doesn't budge. 

FWIW, he never pees when I touch him or pet him even when he is excited.  And we have tried all the tips regarding letting him calm down before petting and talking to him.  And that works fine but then he just randomly pees at other things.  Vet has ruled out any medical issues.

I want him to be a happy dog and be comfortable in our home and be self confidant. Please help me help this sweet little guy.

UPDATE:  Since everyone gave such great advice, I thought I'd post a small update on the pooch.  We had an dog trainer come out to our house last night to help start training him and build his confidence.  He did really good with the commands but peed A LOT.  Trainer wasn't concerned with the peeing, just reiterated that he needs to build up his confidence.  So, he learned: come, down (lay down), off, up (on the couch), bed, wait (before going out the door) and break.  He already knew sit and house (kennel).  We are going to keep working on these commands with him and have her come back in two weeks.  We are also enrolling him agility training for some fun and more confidence building.  Thanks again for all the advice!  And I did order him some belly bands to help in the interim. 

[winecat]

He is probably still be decompressing.

It might be worth getting a second opinion or taking him to a specialist (doggie urologist?)

I'd hire a behaviorist to help him and help you guys bond.

You might need to work on potty training him again.

[revolution]

Does he get treats? Can your DH be the only one that gives him treats, even if it means he puts them on the floor at first and walks away. Slowly getting to the point he can put his hand out and have the dog take the treat?

We rescued a beagle, stubborn little thing, when she was 9. It took her a LONG time to be house trained. Like super long. and forget when it is raining. I've got not much advice since it took us so long. But we went back to basics with her. As soon as we got up, I actually carried her outside. lol. Because she would get distracted by sniffing and I wanted her outside. and I stayed with her until she peed and then really praised her. So back to basics.

Good luck!

[Jalapeñomel]

Have you talked to the vet about the overactive bladder? He could just be incontinent.

[followyourarrow]

Maybe the vet can help with some anti anxiety meds for him. I think a belly band is a great idea until you guys get this figured out. Have you tried a variety of treats to find the one that motivates him more? Or is he more interested in toys than treats? I'd work on finding his currency.

[snowflurry]

Jun 1, 2018 8:59:24 GMT -5 winecat said:

He is probably still be decompressing.

It might be worth getting a second opinion or taking him to a specialist (doggie urologist?)

I'd hire a behaviorist to help him and help you guys bond.

You might need to work on potty training him again.

I didn't even know that had behaviorist for dogs.  I think that could be beneficial for him and us.  Thanks!

[snowflurry]

Jun 1, 2018 9:10:29 GMT -5 revolution said:

Does he get treats? Can your DH be the only one that gives him treats, even if it means he puts them on the floor at first and walks away. Slowly getting to the point he can put his hand out and have the dog take the treat?

We rescued a beagle, stubborn little thing, when she was 9. It took her a LONG time to be house trained. Like super long. and forget when it is raining. I've got not much advice since it took us so long. But we went back to basics with her. As soon as we got up, I actually carried her outside. lol. Because she would get distracted by sniffing and I wanted her outside. and I stayed with her until she peed and then really praised her. So back to basics.

Good luck!

I forgot how stubborn beagles are, lol.  We had to put down our beloved beagle 5 years ago and the family has been begging for another dog ever since.  I didn't have the heart to get one until I stumbled across this little guy outside a pet store and instantly fell in love with him.  He does get so distracted sniffing on his short walk to the back door.  Maybe I should move his kennel closer and just start all over with the potty training.  Thanks

[snowflurry]

And if anyone is interested in a picture of him:

[puppylove64]

I would try: whenever your husband wants to pet him for the first time (gets home from work etc) pet him outside first, so he pees outside. While outside get very excited and love all over the dog. Then after coming inside be very calm and try gentle pets inside to see if he still pees inside too. This is how we trained a female dog to calm down her excited pees. It only took a week or so. Also when I get home, my dogs immediately go outside since they have been holding it for hours.

I bet it is mostly just going to be a big adjustment in his new home and it will take time.

[revolution]

Jun 1, 2018 9:34:55 GMT -5 snowflurry said:

Jun 1, 2018 9:10:29 GMT -5 revolution said:

Does he get treats? Can your DH be the only one that gives him treats, even if it means he puts them on the floor at first and walks away. Slowly getting to the point he can put his hand out and have the dog take the treat?

We rescued a beagle, stubborn little thing, when she was 9. It took her a LONG time to be house trained. Like super long. and forget when it is raining. I've got not much advice since it took us so long. But we went back to basics with her. As soon as we got up, I actually carried her outside. lol. Because she would get distracted by sniffing and I wanted her outside. and I stayed with her until she peed and then really praised her. So back to basics.

Good luck!

I forgot how stubborn beagles are, lol.  We had to put down our beloved beagle 5 years ago and the family has been begging for another dog ever since.  I didn't have the heart to get one until I stumbled across this little guy outside a pet store and instantly fell in love with him.  He does get so distracted sniffing on his short walk to the back door.  Maybe I should move his kennel closer and just start all over with the potty training.  Thanks

I had NO IDEA how stubborn.  and mouthy!  but so sweet.  I've had two golden retrievers, so people pleaser and easy dogs.  The stubborness and stinkiness in the beagle caught me off guard.  I mean, I read and heard they were stubborn, but I guess I didn't actually realize HOW stubborn.

[snowflurry]

Jun 1, 2018 9:38:42 GMT -5 puppylove64 said:

I would try: whenever your husband wants to pet him for the first time (gets home from work etc) pet him outside first, so he pees outside. While outside get very excited and love all over the dog. Then after coming inside be very calm and try gentle pets inside to see if he still pees inside too. This is how we trained a female dog to calm down her excited pees. It only took a week or so. Also when I get home, my dogs immediately go outside since they have been holding it for hours.

I bet it is mostly just going to be a big adjustment in his new home and it will take time.

I like this strategy and will definitely try it out.  My husband works nights so he is home with him during the day and arguably spends the most time with him which is why he is desperate to bond with the little guy.  Thanks for the suggestion.

[snowflurry]

Does anyone see any issue in the fact that he doesn't bark? I am not kidding when I say he has never once barked since we got him. His foster mom said the same thing - that he only barked once when the other dogs were going crazy and he joined in for one bark. I've had a beagle before and he like revolution dog was very mouthy and barked and howled a lot.

I'm thinking maybe he used to get abused if he barked so now he is super quiet. I'm not complaining but I want him to feel like he has a voice and can use it, kwim?

[glinda]

He may just not have found anything worth barking at yet! Give him time to settle in and I bet he will start barking at things like "normal" dogs. For what it's worth, I have a breed that is known to be very barky (a collie like Lassie) and he is darn near mute unless he sees someone on our property. Most things he just can't be bothered to bark at.

[sofamonkey]

If the pup isn’t interested in barking, you might try the bell method for potty training. What a cute pup!!

[jmc325]

Awww, what a cutie!

When my rescue first got home I seriously thought there was something wrong with him as he never, ever barked. During one of our check-ups the vet told us that once he felt completely comfortable and could "be himself" in his new home he'd start barking. Lo and behold several months later he finally let out his first bark. Give it time!

[tacokick]

Our dog growing up did this with my grandfather who lived in an apartment in the basement. He greeted the dog outside each time and eventually she grew out of it.

[winecat]

Jun 1, 2018 9:32:55 GMT -5 snowflurry said:

Jun 1, 2018 8:59:24 GMT -5 winecat said:

He is probably still be decompressing.

It might be worth getting a second opinion or taking him to a specialist (doggie urologist?)

I'd hire a behaviorist to help him and help you guys bond.

You might need to work on potty training him again.

I didn't even know that had behaviorist for dogs.  I think that could be beneficial for him and us.  Thanks!

You're welcome!  A good one can work miracles.  My neighbor's dog did a 180 after they worked with a behaviorist.  The rescue might have one they rec or maybe a local beagle rescue might have a rec.  

[Jalapeñomel]

HE's very cute!

[bellalynn]

Get a belly band. Worked 100% for our rescue and he marked EVERYWHERE.

[puppylove64]

snowflurry the no barking isn’t much of a concern to me. Some dogs just don’t bark unless necessary. My husky extremely rarely barks.

[dexteroni]

I don't have experience with excitable peeing (vet and behaviorist seems like a good plan though), but I wanted to say that our beagle mix rarely barked for the entire 10 years we had him. He was just a chill, quiet dog. Your guy is so sweet! I'm sure you'll find a solution. This seems to be a fairly common problem.

[wambam]

Checking in with a rescue that didn't bark for like 2 months after we brought him home. I second a belly band. My dog daycare uses them because otherwise the dogs mark every goddamn thing in the play area.

[pixy0stix]

It sounds like submissive peeing. Our rescue corgi did that all the time. Basically you just need to get his confidence up. Obedience training does wonders for that, mostly because it helps them figure out what you want from them.

When your DH pets him, make sure he gets down to the dog's level and isn't bending over him.

pethelpful.com/dogs/overly-submissive-dog

Plus the book mentioned in that article is really good - www.amazon.com/gp/product/1891767003

[pixy0stix]

Y'all, the dog isn't marking. That's two different behaviors.

[snowflurry]

Jun 1, 2018 10:59:26 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

It sounds like submissive peeing. Our rescue corgi did that all the time. Basically you just need to get his confidence up. Obedience training does wonders for that, mostly because it helps them figure out what you want from them.

When your DH pets him, make sure he gets down to the dog's level and isn't bending over him.

pethelpful.com/dogs/overly-submissive-dog

Plus the book mentioned in that article is really good - www.amazon.com/gp/product/1891767003

Yes, he is very submissive.  I really want to try to build up his confidence.  Thank you for the recs, I will start reading them. 

[snowflurry]

Thank you all for all the recommendations and words of advice! It has been really helpful. I plan on ordering a belly band and start working on building his confidence. This sounds weird but when I look into his eyes, I feel like I can see him just yearning to be loved and it makes me sad to think he didn't have that as a pup. And I know he can't understand my words but I tell him every day that he is now in a safe place and is very loved. I can't wait to see him gain confidence and his personality come to life!

[wambam]

Jun 1, 2018 11:19:44 GMT -5 snowflurry said:

Thank you all for all the recommendations and words of advice! It has been really helpful. I plan on ordering a belly band and start working on building his confidence. This sounds weird but when I look into his eyes, I feel like I can see him just yearning to be loved and it makes me sad to think he didn't have that as a pup. And I know he can't understand my words but I tell him every day that he is now in a safe place and is very loved. I can't wait to see him gain confidence and his personality come to life!

I totally understand. I really do. I can't think too hard of Kappy's life before he was adopted and not cry. Also, I talk to him constantly. You are in good company <3

[notsocreepylurker]

Is that an Astros shirt on your pup? Any chance you're in Houston? If so you can reach out to Friends for Life (rescue I volunteer with) - they have behaviorists on staff.

[mrs.jacinthe]

Jun 1, 2018 9:43:34 GMT -5 snowflurry said:

Does anyone see any issue in the fact that he doesn't bark? I am not kidding when I say he has never once barked since we got him. His foster mom said the same thing - that he only barked once when the other dogs were going crazy and he joined in for one bark. I've had a beagle before and he like revolution dog was very mouthy and barked and howled a lot.

I'm thinking maybe he used to get abused if he barked so now he is super quiet. I'm not complaining but I want him to feel like he has a voice and can use it, kwim?

We have had two beagle mixes.  Neither of them were/are big barkers.  Our old girl literally barked exactly once in the 5 years we had her, and it freaked us the hell out because it was the middle of the night (we think maybe there was a skunk by the sliding door.)  Our new girl barks ONLY when she is in the yard on leash AND someone walks another dog past on leash.  She wants to play, I guess.  But she doesn't bark any other time, ever.  So, no, not really concerning to me.  

[foundmylazybum]

We have a submissive pee-er too and he especially does it with my husband. We make sure my husband doesn't loom over our dog. It's never something he does to be mean but when he goes to bend over to pet him, my god it's even a little overwhelming for me!

Have your husband--and lots and lots of other men get down on eye level with your sweet dog and have him (your dog) come to them, to do the greeting. That kind of slows it down a little and makes it less overwhelming. Have the dog learn and practice basic obedience tools like Sit (treat--at eye level not looming!) come, praise, no looming! lay down etc. So they get more confidence. Honestly even things like submissive peeing with noise, you can handle some of that by teaching your dog safe places like "place" (on beds) or crate. I swear a lot of dogs, b/c they are pack animals are looking for guidance from someone! When they don't have that the world is just pretty overwhelming, and they..pee everywhere lol.

Your dog is cute btw.