Hi Everyone, I am new here and I need some direction as to which forum I should be on. I guess I could be on the right forum, so I'll go ahead and tell you what the problem is. If I need to ask this question on a different forum, please direct me.

I have a female 2-3 year old GSD rescue that I need help with. I've had her for 8 months. She was picked up off the streets by animal control, rescued by a shelter, remained there for 4 months, then I adopted her. She has been abused- has shotgun pellets in her and was terrified of anything that resembled a rope when I got her (much better now). It is very clear she has been treated harshly. She isn't afraid of noises, fireworks, or anything like that. She has some quirks, but nothing extreme. She likes people in general, loves kids, other animals, no aggression. She seems quite confident woth other dogs and enjoys attention for people. She has no drives except maybe a little prey drive. She won't play even though I've made many attempts to engage and entice her. She basically seems down and has a poor appetite (I've tried withholding food, but it doesn't make a difference). As far as diet goes, she gets a raw diet- she eats that better than anything else. I've had her throughly checked by a vet- blood work, urinalysis, stool check, heartworm check, hip x-rays and chest x-ray and she is fine. One of my biggest problems is that when I ask anything of her, she is so afraid that something is going to happen to her. I ask very little of her, the training sessions are infrequent and last for maybe 2 minutes. I use only praise (no treats as she has no food drive)- never force or corrections. She is a real pleaser so she just endures and tries to do what is asked of her, but you can see the extreme fear in her eyes. I've read a lot of Frawley's e-book and applied much of it. I am definitely her pack leader and she respects me. I am very gentle and fair with her. She must "work" for most of her (sorry, I'm not perfect!) pets and attention she gets and I don't play into her fears. In the beginning I will admit I babied her more, but not anymore becasue I realized that I was not helping her. But the truth is that no matter what I have tried it hasn't made a big difference. Maybe I am expecting too much too soon. Any ideas as to what I can do to build drives, help her feel more secure and become a happy dog?

Drive is actually something you can uncover and encourage, but not create.

JMO.

But you can absolutely build this girl's confidence.

I would back up on the training sessions (and you are right about keeping them short and upbeat) and start using markers and food rewards. I think that you and the dog will get a TON out of this:
http://leerburg.com/219.htm

There is a "chapter" on encouraging food drive. IMO, this is well worth doing. Excellent food rewards are so small and convenient and easy to use.

Start with loading your marker (tell us if this is not a familiar term to you); I would have a pre-dinner dog (hungry), and I would have the best of the best rewards ready. I am thinking all-out no-holds-barred stuff, like warm cooked bacon in tiny bits.

This is going to take some time, but I've worked with extremely frightened dogs (traumatized dogs, to the point of lying in a corner and trembling) and seen the most confidence improvement from marker work. I used to use positive-reward-based training, but marker training is a dillion times better. The clarity, the instant feedback, the control the dog perceives that she has over what happens next -- these are invaluable to a frightened dog.

She is a LUCKY girl to have you! The road back may take a while but will be well worth it and it seems like you've come a long way already.

Connie's post is excellent. The marker work allows her to make the decision and she does not have to fear the outcome. That in itself will go far to build her confidence.

How is your bond with her....you are obviously attached to her; do you feel she is attached to you or withdrawn? A bonding game I discovered quite by accident when transferring a terrified rescue is singing. I don't know why ( the songbird I resemble is a crow) . But my singing seems to have a good affect. My personal favorite is Loch LOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWMAN; and some of the dogs actually sing along with me; howling together seems to act as an instant bond. I'm sure this sounds crazy but it has worked and you have nothing to lose but your dignity.

 Quote: sheila buckley

A bonding game I discovered quite by accident when transferring a terrified rescue is singing.

I sing to the dogs too! Another trainer loooong ago told me how beneficial it can be to repeat an anxious dog's name in an upbeat voice, and so I sometimes sing to the dogs, using their names in places where other lyrics belong.

It doesn't matter what the song is, as long as it sounds upbeat. I just insert the dog's name in every line. One dog I have will stare at my face the whole time, and his tail goes up like a mailbox flag every time I say "Leo" in the song.

You are right: it's not very dignified. I do it during the day when the neighbors are pretty much gone to work.

Thanks everyone for your great advice. I am going to read up again on the info on markers and start applying it. I think her bond with me seems quite good, but truthfully I am not sure how to assess that. As for singing, well.... you haven't heard my voice! Actually I just sang to her for about 20 seconds or so and she looked up at me with a relaxed expression. I just need to do it when no humans are close by! Again, thank you so much. I will give you an update soon.

I like hide-and-seek. It makes the dog use its senses to find you which builds confidence. Then she gets a big reward... your excitement and maybe a song

SINGING!! I love that. My mom sings to her dogs, plants.... I have to try this. I know with nervous horses I am constantly talking. Very theraputic for myself actually.

I will try singing when no one is around. My boxer will probably think a cat is being tortured.

Charlene, have you tried any toys at all to engage her in play? Balls, tugs, squeekies? Maybe even tie a toy to the end of a lightweight rope, if she won't engage you directly with the toy...
BTW, I love the idea of singing!

Please let us know how she is coming along...

I always say the dogs (Teagan in particular) are the only beings in the world who appreciate my singing

Patience is very important, as Connie talked about. I've never worked with a dog like yours, but I have worked with a dog that is nervous and wasn't socialized, and my one thought is to find something your girl is good at, and do that lots, and give lots of praise, treats, etc, so that whatever it is becomes very positive for her and something she can look forward to. Make a big fuss, be silly, be all WOW! when she does something well - be over-the-top, even if it's just something silly and small, b/c in my experience at least, it really encourages them, it makes them happy, excited, and proud, all together, and it makes whatever the activity is something that's fun and something to look forward to.

We also rescued a Dog. She was dumped at the side of the road about a quarter of a mile from our Farm.It took my Dad over a month of leaving food for her at the side of the road,and gently talking to her before he could get her into his truck. She was frightened of every thing.It seemed no matter what we tried nothing worked.Our entire family loved her dearly,sending her to the shelter or to anyone else was out of the question. We hired a Dog Behaviorist to help us. She told us to take her for rides in the car daily. She was at first put on a long lead before we took her on the daily outings,and we just followed her as she looked. Then we threw balls,toys,and bits of liver.This went on for about a month.She would run to investigate as we cheered her on in happy tones.Finally she started bringing the items back to us! Her face lit up now,when we got her lead, & she heard the keys. We got her to come back on recall, by running in the opposite direction, this was a game she loved. When the Behaviorist first suggested this,we thought she was nuts,and we would never see this Dog again. Never was force of any kind ever used. Each Day she gain more confidence. If we missed a day she would get that same sad look in her eyes,it took all summer before she finally trusted totally in us. It was then that the Behaviorist thought it would benefit her by slowly expecting her to always have to work for us. No more free anything. We were so scared that she would revert back to the same sad creature we had first known. To our total surprise she LOVED the direction & expectations we now placed on her. EVERYTHING,she had grown to love, she now had to sit for. Her food,toys,going outdoors,car rides. EVERYTHING had an expected command! Next it was others; down,come,stay,no,,leave it,etc. Always mixed with tons of lavished praise. The dog that our neighbor said should have a bullet in it's head a year earlier,was scratching his head now. She followed our commands using hand signals,Head held high,& Tail wagging. Her appetite came back the more we asked of her,no longer was she a mangy looking mess.Her coat glistened as much as her personality. No one could believe it was the same dog, not even our Vet. She needed someone to lead her back out of the darkness,this Dog needed a patient,fair, and loving leader. We lost our beautiful companion just as she was approaching her 16th year of being found. We felt blessed that we had the years we shared with her. She was found one morning with her head in her paws. Jackie, had passed on. Looking back I would have to admit,she changed us,as much as we changed her. Never give up, just keep going forward, even if it seems impossible. This was many years ago, but seems just like yesterday. Given half the chance, we would do it all over again. By the way, my Father was a Butcher by trade, Jackie never ate kibble the whole while we had her,only the best of meats,bones and table scraps.The Farm Vet. figured she was about 5 yrs. old when we found her. She died a peaceful death in her sleep at around 21 yrs. of age, loved & beloved forever.