Need input on a situation.

[Slave2Magic]

My mum has a 6 month old cocker spaniel pup. He is boistrous as you would expect but generally mindful of other dogs. He plays with our 2 and most others that he meets out walking or at training class. My mums friend has a 6 month old lab bitch and he hates her! She is the only dog that he goes at with nasty intent. My mum has no idea why he does this. She is a submissive type. Does he sense this? Input on this would be helpful please.

 

[CAYLA]

Does she display excitement with the submission, how does she react to him, does she display appeasement by showing her stomach/rolling over/licking at his mouth, or does she avoid him and he immediately react to her?
How often do they see one another and how do they usually meet/interact, in a home/on a walk/in a garden?
There are varied displays of submission some will indeed as intended see a dog as less of a threat/target however some displays heighten the response to attack. A dog showing too much submission/excitement can make them a heightened target for other dogs. An attacking dog could see this behaviour as an irritation/threat and a need to correct said dog, esp a more over exuberant dog being in your face (dogs face) too excited and an instinct to want to correct the submissive/excited dog can lead to an attack or displays of aggression. My mam malamute is exactly what I described and she is the only dog my rotti has ever warned off because of this behaviour, but it's more common than you would think, I frequently observe it in rescues. My cavi also displays the same kind of submission to my rotti and my rotti does not take kind to it, she would never hurt her but it's one of the few times she will show her teeth and warn a dog (she will put up with anything).
I would walk them on lead together and minimalise the direct contact, and far better to distract her in her attempts to display such submission, a clicker would serve well for this purpose, the sound of the clicker equalling her immediately being distracted enough not to roll over/grovel/urinate as it equals something positive) (see positive training methods have a place) (as some submissive dogs do) but I would also step in and curb his aggressive advances if she is just submissive in a non confrontational/hugely physical manor otherwise it could create an attitude problem you really don't want to create and make her submission issues worse, he will see her always as a target.
Do they have issues with other dogs with her or any problems with her general submission? like rolling over/urinating? etc.

 

[Slave2Magic]

Cayla, thankyou for your reply. The lab bitch is very submissive. She rolls on her back with most dogs. Last week she was quite badly bitten by another dog in the park. I will have to ask the owner if she shows such submission to every dog. My mum and her walk regularly and go to training classes together. I will mention distracting her from showing submission. Also the clicker training. When it happened at training class the instructor grabbed Charlie and flattened him for his behaviour but it sounds as if the lab's behaviour also needs addressing.

 

[CAYLA]

Indeed no point scolding your boy if she is all over him and he is literally saying "get out of my face", her submissiveness needs to be tackled as she is the one being targeted for her behaviour. Certainly check him and give him an option to get away from her but I would not overly scold him or pin him down or any such reprimand.
The clicker training is a good aid to snap her focus from her submissive displays, so when she makes her way to a dog and proceeds to lick/pester and roll, the clicker is used to get her focus of the dog and also to stop the physical displays she is about to display.
If her owner is literlally letting her approach dogs in this manor and taking a wait and see approach she is going to get badly attacked one of these days. She needs to work with her to minimalise her displays.