Your pet seems to be flaunting his bad behavior. He comes up to you and piddles right in front of you! Don't lose your temper: Your dog is acting out of fear and trying to placate you with a classic canine show of submission.

Trainers and behaviorists call this behavior submissive urination, and it's something another dog would recognize as a show of respect to a more dominant member of the pack. In many cases, this display is offered to the man of the house — usually the biggest member of the family and the one with the deepest voice.

If you punish your pet for this behavior, you're making yourself seem even more powerful — and making matters worse.

A puppy or dog who has this problem is very sensitive and lacks confidence. Recognize that submissive urination is not a house-training problem: It's a relationship problem. This puppy needs gentle obedience training and lots of encouragement to understand that while you're indeed the boss, you're a kind and benevolent one.

Don't punish your pet for submissive urination. As you work to develop a loving and trusting relationship with your puppy, his confidence will grow, his fear will decrease, and his submissive urination will stop.