Dog rolls over on her back and is submissive

[Collette]

Our new 4 month old border collie, blue cattledog cross pup, rolls over on her back and is very submissive. How would I be able to stop her doing this and just come to me when she is called. Hope you can assist with this problem.

[McMegan]

Hi Collette,
Rolling on the back and other such "submissive" signals (avoiding eye contact, licking, submissive urination, etc) are all very strong dog communication and ultimately something you want to learn to read, not extinguish. She's not trying to misbehave - she's trying to tell you something. Has she ever been called and then punished? Perhaps she has developed a fear of coming when called but is also trying to signal to you that she's not being insubordinate or stubborn, she's just afraid of obeying the cue that has been given to her.

Even a very well-trained and obedient dog can't be expected to be 100% consistent (80% is considered about the highest realistic expectation you can set) and no dog can be consistent and reliable before reaching emotional maturity (1-3 years). Training for a 4-month-old puppy should be fun for everybody and there are some great puppy games that can be played to strengthen her recall (coming when called). Check out Ian Dunbar's puppy videos and Paul Owens' "Puppy Whisperer" book for just a few. Patricia McConnell's "The Other End of the Leash" is a lovely read on dog vs. human communication and Turid Rugaas' very short book "Calming Signals" is a brilliant "dog to human" translation dictionary.

Hope this helps! All the best to you and your puppy.
Megan