My poodle needs help!

Question
Hi,
We just adopted a standard poodle- age 16 months. We got "Cotton" from a younger couple who no longer had the money or the means to care for him.  The owner was very upset to see him go, said he is VERY good, never chews, is housetrained, very mellow.  She said he even sleeps with her 2.5 yr old daughter on the floor at the foot of her bed.  The couple was experiencing marital and financial troubles and the owner said the dog had "been through alot."  As we left with the dog, who walks very skittishly looking in all directions and very paranoid, the husband mentioned he doesn't like men.
In public (we've only had him two days) he shivers an shakes.  He will only come to my husband or I if we crouch down and call his name with our hand out. He prances around with his tail down and runs quickly past us.  

He seems very sweet and I know we're committed to helping him through this, I just worry about him around our 16 month old son.
Any advice on this behavior, what caused it, and how we can help him???
Thanks!

Answer
Dear Jodie,
Thanks for the question. Some of the behavior is due to the tremendous changes in the dog's life. I'd give him about 10 days before I made any conclusions. IN addition, I'd suggest using a rewards-based training method- no corrections for this guy!

You are right to be concerned about your young child. I would never ever let any 16 month old child interact with any strange dog. Good for you!

If the dog doesn't come around, you'll need more help than can be offered via a message board. Buy the book, The Cautious Canine by Patricia B McConnell. Read the book, follow her instructions. If you are not successful, hire a trainer that has experience working with fearful dogs.

Good Luck!

AT
http://howsbentley.com