My dog is wild!! Please Help!

The reason we were trying to put him in the position was because our trainer thought that it would make sure that he would know is place in the "pack".
 
Is he being a dominant dog or is he scared of us? He never puts his tail between his legs, but sometimes when he breaks away from us when we try submission, he will run into a corner, but he doesn't look all that sad when he does that because his mouth is open in a "smile".

The "alpha roll" was popularized by the Monks of New Skeet.  Bad idea then, bad idea now.
 
It sounds like you have a "traditional" trainer who believes in using force to impose your will on the dog.  This is never a great idea but even a worse one when you are dealing with a dog that has the issues that yours has.  I strongly advise you to find a trainer who uses ONLY positive reinforcement.  You'll actually get far faster and longer lasting results with +R training.
 
 

Is he being a dominant dog or is he scared of us?

 
Do you have any reason to think he's trying to dominate you besides your (wrong, outdated) trainer's advice? Too often people think all "misbehavior" is the dog's attempt to run the house, when most of the time it's just the dog being a dog and not knowing any better.
 

He never puts his tail between his legs, but sometimes when he breaks away from us when we try submission, he will run into a corner, but he doesn't look all that sad when he does that because his mouth is open in a "smile".

 
The "smile" could be him just being clueless and happy-go-lucky, or it could be a submissive grin. Either way I don't see the need to force him into submission.
 
As Glenda and others have said, your trainer gave you wrong information.

ORIGINAL: mudpuppy

The dominant dogs NEVER physically force the submissive dogs into any position.

 
That is because it has already established its dominance in other ways.  In the wild this can possibly be near death fights if there has been a real challenge to their authority.  Usually it is with growls and the occasional snap or nip to get others to fall in line.  After a while and when the pack dynamics have worked themselves out there is little if any need for reinforcement, yet the subordinate pack members will lick the alpha's mouth, groom them and even occasionally, roll on their backs to let them now that the order of things is still in tact.  So, you are right.  dominant dogs are never trying to flip another dog on its back.  They are using the other tools that dogs have and we do not or will not use. 
 
So, I am not totally against using dog body language to communicate to the dog where it stands in my house's pack hierarchy.  I think the problem lies in that there is alpha rolling and then there is ALPHA ROLLING.  The idea is NOT to pick up your dog and body slam him on the floor and then grab him by the jugular while yelling "bad dog".  This is just my opinion, but I think you need to first train your dog to easily get into the down position.  Then ROLL (not dump) him on his side.  Hold him there until they relax.  You will know because they give this little exhale of the pent up energy they have built up and then lay there heads on the floor.  The dog will never relax if you are yelling at him or hyperventilating with anger no matter how naughty he has been.  He is going to feed off of your energy.  Dogs respect stability.  So, think of the alpha roll as imposed relaxation.  A dog pack does not tolerate instability in the pack order or dynamics and neither should you.  This is what you are trying to communicate to the dog by putting him on his side.  A scared dog is a bad dog and one that will bite more often then a dominant dog.  So, if the alpha rolling you are doing is causing the dog to be scared then either stop or adjust the methods you are using.  I think that the reason that the alpha roll has become so out of favor nowadays is that it is a very, very hard thing to get right.  Most of the time the dog is traumatized or is not receiving the intended message.
 
However, I think my dog likes the alpha roll.  I hardly have to do a thing at this point.  He has learned my body language and knows when its coming.  He basically will roll over on his own and lay there, head on the floor, until I say "OK".  Don't get me wrong, my little guy can be very naughty at times, but the adolescent challenges to his place in the house have stopped.  Also, I probably should have started by saying this but I am NOT a dog trainer or behaviorist.  I'm just a dog owner with a littel, nutty, seven month old GSD mix pup and this has worked well for us.  He follows me all over the place and licks my face if I go down to wipe the crud from his eyes.  He is not scared of me at all and I have rolled his little punk ass a few times (LOL).     

So... we shouldn't do the alpha roll at all?
 
In responce to minsk99: Somewhere in our training process, we got Chico to that point. We could gently take hold on his collar, guide him to the ground lay one hand of his hand and another on his stomanch. He would just lay there until we patted his belly and said "super!". Now, it is getting to be a bigger issue than it used to be, but we got a little out of practice with it.
 
Does that change it at all? Do you think it would be a good idea to do it again or should we forget about it completely?
 
Thanks for all the support and help

i would also like to preface my post by stating that i am not a dog trainer.

that said i wouldnt try an alpha roll with either of our dogs at all. i would also seriously question a trainer's techniques if this was their first option to training a dog. i would also not force our dogs into any position.

as i think was previously stated, with some good +R training, your dog will see you as their leader and learn to trust you without having to resort to physical tactics. look into a clicker training class in your area.

good luck.

I suppose that I should toss in that I'm not a trainer either.  Just an old broad with TONS of doggie experience under my belt.
 
I have six german shepherds.  I took THREE of them to the vet yesterday...yes, three, all together, to the vets office in the middle of the downtown of our little village.  With the exception of Theo, little big man, feeling the need to bark at the tech for looking at him, they were all fine.  And Theo settled once he realized she wasn't going to hurt him and that MOM was indeed in control of the situation.  Theo is 55 lbs, Tyler 78 and Thunder 69 so I had over 200 lbs of dog under my total control.  I'm fairly small and have issues with upper body strength due to an injury, but I could walk down the street in the village without a peep or a pull.  And I have NEVER alpha rolled a dog.  They KNOW their place in the pack because I am the leader and I don't have to use brute force to establish that.  I'm the mommy....and all good things come from the mommy.  And a look from mommy is all it takes, or a word for all six to fall in line.  And with THIS many dogs, you have the very real potential of a pack mentality, which we do see at times, but I'm still alpha, however, the benevolent leader of my pack.
 
Think about that....THREE german shepherds...over 200 lbs....being walked by a 5'4" slightly built woman on the streets of downtown.  Without a single hitch.

we do encourage our pups to roll over and get belly rubs-- because we want them to let us touch and handle all parts of their body. We use NO force. If the dog is uncomfortable putting himself in such a vulnerable position, physically holding him there sure isn't going to help. Even the most fearful or dominant dog will soon realize belly rubs are pleasant, if and only if you make it pleasant for them.
 
As to the grin-- dogs who are stressed and fearful grin. Your dog is probably completely terrified of your random attacks on him-- which is what, from his point of view, you are doing. 

Oh no! I feel so bad now! I'm going to go rub his little tummy... [sm=sad.gif]

I just wanted to add that dogs learn alot about dominant/submissive roles during their puppyhood with their mothers.  The mother isn't rough with her pups, but she is firm.  If you keep this in mind when raising your pup, force should never be necessary.  Like Glenda says...one word or a look, that should be all it takes.

Just a quick note on the question as to whether it is fear agression or dominance agression - usually with fear, when the dog reacts, the ears will be flat back against the head, and with dominance the ears will be forward. Either way the problem is solved by becoming a confident leader in the mind of the dog. One way to test whether a dog is overly fearful or not (use caution) is to suddenly whisk your hand over the top of the dog's head while the dog is sitting, without touching the dog.  A well adjusted dog will usually just look casually at your hand as if to say "what's this going on here?" A fearful dog will cower and possibly snarl.

teaching the dog to roll over and stay without touching them is the first step and its a lot easier then u think, the key to that part is food  lol  then eventually kneel down to the dogs level once he seems to be a little more comfortable with the procedure and distract him with food while touching the spots he seemed least comfortable with, dominance is good but u dont want the dog to be affraid and it sounds like thats all the trainer did

the dog trainer had to be very fierce with him and pull on his scruff and growl back at him

 
The trainer you used is an idiot.  This is the best way to get a dog to continue to be aggressive.  Most aggression is based in fear!!!!
Try getting some squeeze cheese or peanut butter, and let him lap it while you touch his feet.  As Xerxes said, go slowly, and find a positive trainer.
Go here:
[linkhttp://www.ccpdt.com]www.ccpdt.com[/link]
[linkhttp://www.clickertraining.com]www.clickertraining.com[/link]
Both sites have trainer searches.  You need someone to help you with some counterconditioning and classical conditioning to relieve this dog of his angst at having been terrorized and learn to trust you.
Please read "The Culture Clash" by Jean Donaldson.  It will open your eyes - believe me!  And, "How to Be the Leader of the Pack and Have Your Dog Love You For It" by Patricia McConnell.