Alright, I have a boxer who is about 2 years old, and he is fixed. I can't figure out for the life of me, when I or anyone else goes to pet him or give him attention, he cowers and pisses EVERYWHERE.

Last night I went to pet him, and he pissed on the floor. No big deal. I figured he got rid of it all and tried to pet him on the couch, and of course he pissed everywhere.

I took him outside and let him go to the bathroom, sat next to him and tried to pet him, he pissed everywhere again!

He just sat there for a few seconds and then got up and walked around literally pelvic thrusting the air . WTH is wrong with him?

He has some submissive issues for sure.

he needs therapy including counseling and pills.

I used to have a Boxer

Have you tried kneeling down and letting him come to you ?

Yup, he cowers, walks slowly, and as soon as you reach out to pet him... SQUIRT!

Never seen a dog do that before, he's never been beat or anything like that, we don't yell, I can't imagine why he is such a wuss.

I'd suggest just sitting down and ignoring him with a few treats......when he comes up to you make him sit and ONLTY give him affection if he DOESN'T piss.


It may take some time.

He's not being a "wuss", he is just showing submission.


Try getting down on his level, let him come to you.   Use a happy, not commanding voice.

I shouldn't have said wuss, wrong word. I'll try said advice tho

www.usask.ca/wcvm/herdmed/applied-ethology/behaviourproblems/suburine.html

Quoted: www.usask.ca/wcvm/herdmed/applied-ethology/behaviourproblems/suburine.html

I had a problem with a cocker that would pee all over the floor every time you came in the house. The advice in this link is good -- just ignore the dog until they calm down. If they pee at other times, like when you pet them, then let them manage the relationship with you for a while. Pet them when they come to you, but don't seek them out.

My cockers are submisive like that. We tell everyone when they first come in to not pay any attention to them,otherwise they will pee allover the place.

You need to send your dog to see Big Gay Al.  He'll fix up your pooch.

Big Gay Al has a heart of gold and looks after all the abandoned, neglected and unhappy animals who've been stigmatized by the paralysis of a heterosexual society. Big gay Al is refuge to all the queer mammals, et. al.

A lot happens to a puppy that shapes it for the rest of its life from birth to 8 weeks old. Most dog owners never see or could even imagine. Thats one reason to avoid puppy mills and go to a good local breeder where you can inspect and see how they treat their pups. You are way behind the curve dealing with this at two years old he was alot more to unlearn. Its a lot easier to raise a baddog then a good one.
When you say he has never been beat or yelled I take it to mean you have never abused him. It does sound like he has some kind of trama, be it mental or physical. Do you have kids, is the wife home with him during the day? Have you left him with someone else to watch? When he got fixed how did that go ? I worked with a dog who never got over being fixed became very aggresive and had to be put down. Some dogs deal with it different ways.

The pelvic air thrusting for a male that isnt around a female in heat is strange. I dont know what to say because that normaly would be a dominant thing and the pissing is a submissive behavior. You dont live next to anyone breeding dogs do ya ?

He needs his confidence built up. As other have said wait until he comes to you and even then dont make a big deal, a pat on the head if he doesnt pee he gets a treat all this is very NON exciting and nonshalant like way. He will come to you sonner or later.
The bad part is it will take time and effort from you. One of the easest ways is to raise his confidence is to just teach him the normal dog tricks sit,heel,down,come etc...... Praise and treats are the best ways to teach him.  You want build his confidence up so any harsh tone or smacking will be counter productive.
Does he get around other dogs ? If not try to get into a class or go to a doggy park and see how he interacts with other dogs. Does every dog punk him or does he stand his own in the butt sniffing fest ?
You may be able to build his confidence if he holds his own against a few other dogs in a play session.

Summary : Start slow and on his level. Take it slow and calm. It could take a year before you see good progress.

I helped trained a puppy that was worse, frieghtened of everything people,doors,cars,cats,phone you name it she would piss if it made noise or moved. That was at 10 weeks old so the owners worked with her by waiting for her to seek them out, acting calm and making her feel safe. At 4 months old they took her to puppy class twice a week for an hour the class lasted 6 weeks. The owners worked with her very little during the rest of the week. She improved alot in class due to the contact with other dogs. 6 months later she was still weird about alot of stuff but much better dealing with people. She was 2 years old before I would say she was a close to normal dog. She turned out to be one of the best looking Rotties I have ever seen. The owners never showed her because of her mental state but they say she turned out to be the best family pet they ever had.

wish i could help...

the only time I witnessed the "air humping" behavior in a fixed dog was after my dog suffered a seizure.

Seizure was a result of compressed vertebrate in his neck when he ran to the end of his rope chasing after a neighbor walking his dog.

I had to put him down eventually

not saying this is your problem, but  just my experience.

Was this a new behavior or something he's done since you've gotten him?

It's your fault for having him fixed.

It's possibly he's got a urinary tract infection.  More common in female dogs (and womenz) than males, but a possibility.

One thing I did with a puppy that was like that --

He was shaking like a leaf at everything around him. Terrified.

I picked him up in my arms, so it was clear to him that I was in charge. We managed to get past the peeing part. Then I just sat down in a comfortable spot with him right next to me, and watched TV for a couple of hours. I made it clear to him that he wasn't going to leave my side, and that he was completely safe from anything and everything around him. If something, or someone, came around that scared him, I would make it clear that I was standing between him and the scary thing, to protect him.

We would just sit there, and I would casually pet him, usually laying my arm directly on top of him, like a security blanket. Casually feed him a little snack now and then. No trick or behavior required for the treat, just a snack while you both watch TV. No big thing, just buddies watching TV together. Repeat several times.

It completely turned him around. YMMV.

Quoted: A lot happens to a puppy that shapes it for the rest of its life from birth to 8 weeks old. Most dog owners never see or could even imagine. Thats one reason to avoid puppy mills and go to a good local breeder where you can inspect and see how they treat their pups. You are way behind the curve dealing with this at two years old he was alot more to unlearn. Its a lot easier to raise a baddog then a good one. When you say he has never been beat or yelled I take it to mean you have never abused him. What I mean is that a hand has never been raised towards the dog, we would tap him on the nose when we were house training him, but nothing more than that. It does sound like he has some kind of trama, be it mental or physical. If true, it would have come from his original owner in his pre-8 week stage, but his previous owner was a church going elderly lady. Do you have kids Nope, is the wife home with him during the day? My mother is home with him all day while she works, she adores the hell out of him Have you left him with someone else to watch? No. When he got fixed how did that go ? He seemed to calm down a little bit, no depression or anything like that it seemed I worked with a dog who never got over being fixed became very aggresive and had to be put down. Some dogs deal with it different ways. The pelvic air thrusting for a male that isnt around a female in heat is strange. I dont know what to say because that normaly would be a dominant thing and the pissing is a submissive behavior. You dont live next to anyone breeding dogs do ya ? Nope He needs his confidence built up. As other have said wait until he comes to you and even then dont make a big deal, a pat on the head if he doesnt pee he gets a treat all this is very NON exciting and nonshalant like way. He will come to you sonner or later. The bad part is it will take time and effort from you. One of the easest ways is to raise his confidence is to just teach him the normal dog tricks sit,heel,down,come etc...... Praise and treats are the best ways to teach him.  You want build his confidence up so any harsh tone or smacking will be counter productive. Does he get around other dogs ? He lives with a 12 year old boxer and 3 cats as well, the older boxer is the dominant one If not try to get into a class or go to a doggy park and see how he interacts with other dogs. Does every dog punk him or does he stand his own in the butt sniffing fest ? He's usually the shit disturber with any dog he meets You may be able to build his confidence if he holds his own against a few other dogs in a play session. Summary : Start slow and on his level. Take it slow and calm. It could take a year before you see good progress. I helped trained a puppy that was worse, frieghtened of everything people,doors,cars,cats,phone you name it she would piss if it made noise or moved. That was at 10 weeks old so the owners worked with her by waiting for her to seek them out, acting calm and making her feel safe. At 4 months old they took her to puppy class twice a week for an hour the class lasted 6 weeks. The owners worked with her very little during the rest of the week. She improved alot in class due to the contact with other dogs. 6 months later she was still weird about alot of stuff but much better dealing with people. She was 2 years old before I would say she was a close to normal dog. She turned out to be one of the best looking Rotties I have ever seen. The owners never showed her because of her mental state but they say she turned out to be the best family pet they ever had.

Quoted: Was this a new behavior or something he's done since you've gotten him?

It's been happening for a while now, mybe a few months, but the urinating is becoming more frequent and heavy as time goes on.

Quoted: Quoted: Was this a new behavior or something he's done since you've gotten him? It's been happening for a while now, mybe a few months, but the urinating is becoming more frequent and heavy as time goes on.

If he hasn't had a big trauma lately [such as new home, new baby, new pet, you corrected him sternly] and this has started recently [or gotten worse] then you should take him to your vet.  He could be having issues such as a bladder infection [very common in young males] or something similar.

If he's had a trauma or you've just recently gotten him then what you need to do is put a leash on him and have him with you as much as possible.  Take frequent trips outside to go potty and once he's gone potty kneel down give him petters.  Do not pet him with your arm over the top of his shoulders this is an Alpha move.  Do not hug him.  Just give him a good back scratch and talk softly to him.  Ignore any submissive behavoir.

Is he a rescue dog or have you had him since he was a puppy?

Where does he stay when you're not home? If ourside, do you by chance have an asshole neighbor that might be coming into your yard and abusing your dog in your absense?

Are you abusing the dog and not realizing it?

My female Boxer knows when I'm pissed and avoids me like the plague. I've made her piss once because she tore something up and I went off. She never did it again and 99% of the time she is right with me, loving and loyal.

I've had him since he was a puppy, he is home inside all day

Quoted: I've had him since he was a puppy, he is home inside all day

Well, given what you've said it sounds like the dogs is either abused or fucked up in the head. Sounds like a job for Cesar Millan: Dog Whisperer