dog and husband problems?

Question

i've never had my dog act this way and am pretty puzzled:
prior to getting married a few months ago, my dog (wendell) and my then fiance (matt) got along fine. when matt came over to visit at my parents house wendell licked him all over and brought him toys to play with. my fiance would help me feed, walk and generally take care of my dog and this was no problem for either of them.
however shortly after moving in together, my dog started acting differently towards my husband. matt still feeds, walks, bathes, and plays with him. he lets my dog have the majority of his side of the bed at night. he uses that squeaky, high pitched voice that dogs love.
half the time, my dog reacts positively to all these things. the other half, seemingly at random, wendell will roll on to his back, whine like he's having the hell beat out of him and pee on himself. my husband usually isn't even touching him when this happens. wendell has never done this before, except rolling on his back when he's in trouble. 
we've been living in our apartment for about three months now and wendell seems to have settled in completely, with the exception of this.
i've had wendell for about five years and i found him when he was around a year old, so i dont know anything about his life before i found him. i dont think he's afraid of men because he doesn't do this to my dad or uncle and just started with my husband.
my husband isn't a dog person, so he had to learn how to live with a spastic jack russell terrior, but he does love wendell. this is also his first dog. we live in a two bedroom apt with my dog and his cat. the dog and cat generally ignore each other, but we make sure they get equal attention.
if there is anything you can suggest about helping wendell trust my husband more or even about where this is coming from, we would greatly appreciate it.

Jessie · Accepted Answer

I think the dog can sense that the dynamic in the house has changed and that your husband is some sort of authority figure. So he's giving submissive displays to show he understands that. 

As long as no one in the house is using physical punishment or screaming at the dog, he's just a dog who's on the submissive side. 

You might have your husband run the dog through some basic obedience commands a few times a day--sit, stay, give paw, down, etc.  to help build confidence in both of them that they understand one another. 

The dog has been through a lot--new husband, new cat, new home (your new apartment). Some of this is adjusting to all this change. Hang in there!

ETA: yes, obedience classes or simply rehearsing obedience at home does help to build both of their confidence. However, I wouldn't worry so much about your dog acting submissively around your husband. It's not an emotional thing with the dog--he's just communicating clearly that he's not the guy in charge.It doesn't distress him to do it, anymore than it does for you at work to say-yup, that guy over there is the boss.  

I don't think your dog will be upset over going back to your parents' house. That place is very familiar to him and he likes it.  He's also used to your husband coming and going form your dating days, so he will probably make the transition pretty well.

Anonymous · Answer

Dog and husband problems?

Naysa☆彡 · Answer

You dog is showing submission. He's showing that he accepts this new man in the house and his position (at the top) This is NOT a bad thing!

Male dogs around male men get two different responses... 1. The male dog can sense the testosterone and will try and assert his dominance over the male man << Dominant dogs are the ones who test it.
2. Same as above but will give in and become submissive << Submissive dogs don't fight for it and just accept it.

EDIT: Never... and you shouldn't want it to change, this is PERFECT the way it should be. The dog is perfectly comfortable around him, he has no issues what so ever, It wont stop it, the only thing that will go away with time is the submissive peeing (maybe), but the rolling over will continue to happen.
You have a very good situation going here, accept it and love it lol

gertie · Answer

I do not understand why you guys brought in a new puppy into your home when you already had a dog who is dog aggressive. I think that was a bad mistake. A great dane could easily kill a puppy so it is good your keeping them a part. If things do not get any better the puppy should be re-homed. The great Dane was there first and unfortunately did not get proper social training when young. He does not like a ne puppy in his space , and is dog aggressive, this is not the best thing to do , to get a new puppy when you guys already have a aggressive , very large dog.

Kathleen · Answer

Since this is new behaviour, take your dog to the vet to rule out any underlying medical issues. 
Also, get your husband to sign up for obedience classes with the dog. It will help them forge a bond. He will learn to be a good leader, the dog will learn to trust him. It will be a win-win situation all around.

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dog and husband problems?

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