We plan on adopting a 2 year old female labrador retreiver who is very submissive towards people. We were told that she has been in and out of shelters over the past few weeks is unsure of environment and fate. She is very loving and warms up nicely to us. Do you have any suggestions for encouraging her to be less submissive? Is this a serious behaviorial problem which we should be wary of?-

Only if the behavior is extended to the extreme of fear biting. It's not usually a problem with Labs. But, if she has been beaten, it is a possibility. Usually the only lasting problem might be submissive urination (if she's yelled at, she pees). Make sure she feels secure with you, then begin to socialize her with others, both people and dogs. You probably should not yell at her - or need to. This does not sound serious. Good luck!

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