Ted will be 23 months next week, and recently, over the past few weeks, he has during walks begun to routinely adopt the submissive position whenever a) a larger dog approaches, b)he's outnumbered by approaching dogs. He will do this on or off the lead. What happens is that he will jam on the brakes and plant his paws firmly and immovably on the ground, hyper-alert. Then as the dog(s) get closer he descends into a sphinx-like posture then gets even lower, with his head on his paws - becoming as small as possible. This can have several endings 1) if he's off lead he will wait until the dog(s) have passed and then gallop full tilt towards me as if pursued by, well, hounds. 2) Also off lead, he will sometimes let them approach, give a tentative wag of the tail, and unexpectedly explode into action - usually "chase me" or a "wait, you didn't leave your number!" pursuit of the other dog. 3) On lead, he will become rock-like and is almost impossible to move as he lowers himself into the mud. I have to say other owners think it's cute, but I warn them not to be fooled, as he sometimes gets a whiff of their treat stash, and has no respect for personal boundaries at that moment. But it's the submissive drop to the ground that is beginning to get tiresome - particularly in a muddy English "spring". I dont recall any traumatic encounters in his history when he's been out with me or the family. I'm sure other have seen this behaviour in their own lab. Is it something to worry about? He is otherwise not anxious - no sign of separation anxiety, or fear of noises, etc. Is there anything I can do to interrupt the behaviour and stop it? All tips and ideas gratefully received, not least because he's getting through two bath towels a day.
Sorry, no advice. But just to say that my boy used to do this, and as he got older he stopped doing it. I preferred it when he did do it - less confrontational to big dogs. Now he’s 6 yo and very confident (always has been confident) and will stand stiffly when confronted by another confrontational dog - I don’t like this, makes me nervous - although thankfully nothing really terrible has ever transpired, a couple of times the other dog has eventually gone for him (mouth over the back of the neck or back) and then I get involved and shout loudly at the other dog. A few weeks ago my boy lay down to an approaching dog - most unusual behavior now. And it was a much younger dog but very big, and one we meet regularly. So... I really have no idea!! Our boy doesn’t have the best eyesight (it seems), so maybe from afar he hadn’t recognized this particular dog. How’s your dog’s eyesight?
It sounds like perfectly appropriate doggy body language to me - he's saying "Hey! I'm not a threat!". The play behaviour makes it sound as if he's unafraid, just being very clear about his good intentions. On lead, he may be a bit fearful because his choices are limited, which is perfectly natural. I would work on U-turns, letting him know that you'll remove him from a situation he's potentially not comfortable with. That should help him to relax. I don't like to meet other dogs on lead, except with Squidge and when I am very confident the other dog is as rock solid as she is. That's because she is super confident, has brilliant body language (including, on occasion, looking submissive) and she doesn't have a nasty bone in her body. If she looked nervous at all, I definitely wouldn't allow it. But body language that is indicating that she isn't a threat is very different to being anxious. In her case, it's because she knows exactly what she's doing - dispelling any qualms the other dog may have in order to get to the play part sooner
Maisy does this, always has done since a puppy, she is one now and is doing it less. It is not every dog now but I don't know how she decides who is worth stretching out in the mud for and who deserves the instant 'play with me' stampede. She has never been afraid of other dogs, the opposite in fact so I don't see this as submissive, I think of it as the 'rest' before the 'pounce'. Other people do say how cute it is but then, like you say, she is up in a shot and ready to play or raid the treat stash. It can be embarrassing when she will not budge, even high value treats will not shift her sometimes, but if you stand next to your dog and look cool, people will think you have trained them to do it!
Quinn still does this pretty often (on and off leash) and she turned 2 in December. I don't mind it, as she is on the cautious side so I know she can be uncomfortable with large approaching dogs and is letting them know she is not threatening. If she doesn't like the look of them, she stays down until they pass. I can always tell which dogs she decides are playful and try and stop her springing forward by using her cue "look" which means look at me for a treat, especially on leash. With her friends, I let her be...she likes to crawl towards them, laying low and surprising them by running towards them at full speed in play mode once they see her
