She is a 6 month old Female- had her 2 weeks as of Xmas 2008

Question
For Christmas my husband bought me a beautiful female puppy. She was raised in outside kennels, her parents lived in fence next to her and her sister. They were both bought on the same day and seperated. Since bringing her home, we put her in the house with us and crate her at night and while at work. 1st night she didnt make a sound all night. Which I found odd. For about 1 day she wouldnt drink anything or eat anything more then a lick or nibble. She will not use the bathroom outside when I walk her or stand still. So I put her outside on a chain for 30 min at a time and she will do her thing. I spend time with her on the floor and she has taken to me, on the floor or if I stand still. If I take her outside, she is more free but still scared. Since crate training her, she will come to me if I call her in the house. However, she spends 85% of time running to her crate and me calling her, repeat, repeat. I tried to put her on lease and hold, but she freezes and lays at end of lease. So I stopped. I have 1- 2.5 year old male German Shep that she has finally started to bond to. She likes to eat with him. How can I help her bond to us? P.S. we have 5 children ages 7-15 in our house. We are thinking about putting her in obedience classes. Did we get her too old? Should we give her to a new home she can adapt to? She is a beautiful wonderful puppy. I want to make her happy. Our family is a big adjustment, I know. Thank you for your help.

Answer
Yes, some of her behavior is due to living in a kennel too long.  She should slowly improve, but may never bond as well as if she was in your home at 7 weeks.  She may be too big for some of this, but do what you can.  

''Elevation for small puppies: Sit on the floor and gently put your hands around your pup's middle, below his front legs, and lift him up. He is facing you. Hold him for 15 seconds. Repeat until he no longer struggles. If he is past 10-12 weeks, lift his front feet off the ground, but don't pick him up.

Cradling for small puppies: Hold your puppy gently on his back, as you would cradle a small baby. If he struggles, hold him firmly until he quiets for 10-15 seconds. With larger pups, you can do this as your sit on the floor, with your pup between your legs.

Quiet lying down: Place your pup on the floor on his side, with all 4 legs pointing away from you. Use your hands on his neck/shoulder area and middle, to hold him in this position. When he is quiet, praise him. Lengthen the time that you keep him quietly in this position. When he accepts this position well, handle his paws and muzzle, while keeping him quiet.''

The quotes mean this isn't my original work. It is copied from my Puppy Raising Manual. I have long used these or minor variations of them, and they are very effective. You may want to give him a belly rub while he is on his back too. Helps bonding. There is a big difference between him rolling over and demanding a belly rub, and you choosing a time to roll him over and rub his belly. The latter cements your place as pack leader.

Let one of the older children take her to 4-H. In my area, clubs form soon after the first of the year. Even many urban areas have 4-H. For info look in your phone book under government listings for extension or cooperative extension offices. Ask specifically about a dog or canine club. The dogs see all the people and dogs in the household as a pack with each having their own rank in the pack and a top dog. Life is much easier if the 2 legged pack members outrank the 4 legged ones. You can learn to play the role of top dog by reading some books or going to a good obedience class. A good obedience class or book is about you being top dog, not about rewarding standard commands a treat. Start at http://www.dogsbestfriend.com/ For more on being top dog, see http://www.dogbreedinfo.com./topdogrules.htm

Talk to your vet about spaying her.  Get it done now before you have to go through the risks, hassles, and mess of her coming into season.