animal fear

Question
Hi, I recently purchased a 9 month old female shepard, Gracie is her name.  When I went to pick her up I realized I was saving this baby from a terrible life of selfish, mony hungry idiots!.  She was kept in an outside kennel her entire time here on earh with really not much human interaction.  She was terrified the entire way home.  I could only think O my god can i help this dog.  She since has become at ease at home with us, we also have another older dog and a cat.  But she gets very scared when others come in she with just take off and run from one side of the house to the other to get away.  How can I help her get over this?  She is extremely smart she has learned to sit, come, lay down, stay and walk on a lease or without and listens completely.  We have had her fixed and is now healed.  I just want her to be happy and feel safe and it is obvious she doesn't feel this way when others are around. She has never acted aggressively during all this never growls or barks even at my 2 grandchildren which are 2 she just can't get further away from them.  She does run but always comes back into the room and trys to get sneeky sniffs of them lol.  Please can you help us and her.  Thank You for your personal time.  Dawn

Answer
That is a big problem.  It is tough overcoming poor early socialization.  I would focus on a limited number of people for now.  Have them talk to her, but not look her in the eye, let their teeth show in a smile, or tower over her.  Have them keep their hands away from the top of her head.  Offering her treats helps too.  Let her approach them.  

There are some other tings you can do to build confidence.  Start with obedience training. The key to most behavior problems is approaching things using the dog's natural instincts. 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 with a treat. Start at http://www.dogsbestfriend.com/ As you praise the dog for following your commands, it will build its confidence.

Play tug of war with the dog and lose. However at the end of the game, take the rope or toy and put it up, less the dog becomes confused about who is top dog. Ropes from the pets' store quickly turn to hazardous shreds. Ones I made lasted much better. Go to a hardware or home center that sells rope by the foot. Buy 2' of 3/4" poly rope. Melt the ends, and tie knots in it. Get them as tight as possible, put it in a vise and pound it with a hammer. Watch carefully, and be ready to discard when it comes apart.

Finally, make sure it has a den to live in. If you are not using a crate, buy one. The dog may be happier in its den than loose in the house. It relaxes, it feels safe in its den. It rests, the body slows down reducing the need for water and relieving its self. Dogs that have been crated all along do very well. Many of them will rest in their crates even when the door is open. I think the plastic ones give the dog more of a safe, enclosed den feeling. Metal ones can be put in a corner or covered with something the dog can't pull in and chew. Select a crate just big enough for the full grown dog to stretch out in.

A dog that has not been crated since it was little, may take some work. Start out just putting its toys and treats in the crate. Praise it for going in. Feed it in the crate. This is also an easy way to maintain order at feeding time for more than one dog.  If she was shut up in too small of an enclosure, she may reject the crate.  

If the above doesn't seem to be helping at all, you may have to try a private trainer.