my rescued pitt bull

Question
I have rescued my 4 year old pit bull from a shelter about 3 years ago.  She is the most loving and caring animal ever, However, she is absolutely terrified of my husband, she barely has gone near him in the 3 years we have had him. I know she has been abused in the past but we have shown her nothing but love since she's been with us.  He has tried feeding her, giving her treats, throwing the ball, taking rides, etc but nothing seems to work can you help me in figuring this out.  thank you  Kathy


Answer
First, you may want to establish a pattern of being able to tell her that YOU want her to be ok with him.  One of the best ways is to train her using a clicker.  You can start by teaching, or even re-teacning some basic skills (www.clickertraining.com).  Then, you can start rewarding her for any bravery she shows toward him.  Keep in mind that he should avoid direct eye contact, not loom over her to try to pat her, and in general, allow her to make the first move (which you can reward with a click/treat, so that she doesn't get scared of him reaching out).  I had a similar problem with my hound, and the way we worked it out was that, for several weeks, he didn't get anything at all from me, my fiance walked, fed, and treated him - but I gave him nada.  I hated it (oh, those big hound eyes), but they got to be best buds.  The other thing you could try is to have hubby enroll in a class with her, where he takes her to class alone without you.  She may learn to trust him a bit more when she is dependent upon him in that way.