What makes you think he's extremely submissive? Nothing you describes seems to indicate that to me at all. What you're describing is a dog that is scared, possibly under socialized and definitely adapting to a brand new environment.
It's not a moot point. I want to know why she thinks the puppy is submissive. Maybe something the breeder did or maybe she noticed something there. She suggested something negative about the breeder but still took the puppy. Now if she took the puppy because she felt sorry for it the this might lead her to treat him in a certain way. Now if there was neglect at the breeders, poor living conditions, hoarding situation etc. then the puppy could just be under socialized and maybe in need of medical attention.Westhighlander...her reasons for buying the pup are moot now. This is guaranteed to send the thread off topic, let's just see what we can do to help her with the things she has NOW occurring!