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I have an eleven month old English Springer Spaniel "Rio". For the past nine months I have been using clicker training, the gentle leader, and various other methods with no success. The trainer who was helping me told me our dog was untrainable, which I didn't believe because she is so smart.

I purchased an electronic collar [not necessary, but sure makes training faster and life easier!] and a pinch collar per your advice.

Within two days I have a well behaved dog. She walks at my side, she is no longer running wild all over the house and jumping on all the furniture. She is so good, she sits in my lap at night, she no longer jumps on the counters.

Thank you again.

I still have one problem with Rio. She has submissive urination. She is out growing it. She probably only has an accident every 2 weeks. Usually when I put the leash on her to take her for a walk. Do you have any suggestions how to solve this problem permanently?

Maryann and "Rio"

Dear Maryann:

Excellent! I'm always happy to hear stories like this.

Regarding the submissive urination: If you've already confirmed that your dog doesn't have a bladder or urinary tract infection (unlikely) & then all you can really do is ignore the submissive urination. She will grow out of this. It usually happens when a young dog gets excited, and very often, the dog isn't even aware the she is doing it. Which makes it impossible to correct.

For now, just try keeping the dog calm until you're outside. She will outgrow this behavior. It really has nothing to do with housebreaking.

To read about the book she's referring to, take a look at: http://www.dogproblems.com/newvideos.htm

That's all for now, folks!
Adam