new dog with seperation anxiety

Question
I just got a 6 month old American Terrier Pitbull from a lady that had to give her up, with caretakers that mistreated her inbetween living with this woman.  When Diamond was with the owner, her attitude was fine, but now she is very unresponsive to me.  She'll eat when I am not looking, but other than that she lays in one spot.  What am I to do; how can I get her to trust me?

Answer
This dog has suffered some serious abuse somewhere and you are now seeing a state of depression and anxiety.  She is so submissive and fearful that she refuses to eat when being observed (a sign of serious rank demotion and a dog that has no confidence.)  Her persistent lying in one spot is also a sign of fear and insecurity.  Your best attitude is to be very calm, very soft spoken, no sudden movements, no restraint (picking her up, hugging her), no force used for any reason.  When you say "just got" I'm assuming it's very recent; give this young dog a few weeks to habituate to your household, find her "place" and observe you (she's watching you very closely all the time, even though you may be unaware of this.)  Do not allow friends or other household members to mess with her.  Let her come around at her own pace.  She should begin to show more confidence within a week or two at which point you should repost with whatever else is occurring and I will tell you how to proceed from there.