Rescue Dog Issues

Question
QUESTION: Hi,
I adopted a 3 year old chocolate Lab a week ago. She is believed to be pure bred, but nothing is known of her history except that she was found tied to the shelter gate. Our vet examined her and found her to be healthy @ 72#. Her problem is that she has no idea how to play. She doesn't repond to a tennis ball, squeeky toy, rope or chew toy She looks confused and is scared by gently thrown or bouncing toy. We live at a lake and she is reluctant to swim, however, I have taken her to our concrete boat landing and can get her to swim there if I am wading with her. She will be spayed next week, so I am expecting some changes in her personality. Initially she was a very poor eater, with no desire to eat, or when started, finish. We seem to have solved this issue by adding an egg to her food in the am and feeding her a soft pouch as a suplement to her dry food in thepm. This not the behavior of a dog that has been in a shelter for over 2 months.
This is my third Lab and my daughter has had 4 that I have worked with. This is a very sweet animal and I want to give her the best life possible. Any ideas how to get her over these issues?

Thanks
Brian White

ANSWER: You say you have had the dog a week....give her time!!!!  And don't expect too much.  It's very possible that since she probably grew up not knowing what playing was and what toys are for, she may never be into them.  But taking her out of the shelter and having her for only 1 week is certainly not a great deal of time to make a proper assessment of her.  

Also, spaying does not change personality, so don't expect anything there.  

I am also not surprised that she was not a good eater based on her experience in a shelter and nerves with now living in a new home.  Why do you think her behavior is not of a dog that's been in a shelter for 2 months?  I think it's very indicative of it.  

Every dog is different.  Even if you have worked with shelter dogs in the past, every one is different.  Give her time.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: OK, I understand what you are saying. My experience with shelter dogs is that they eat anything that is available and fast (since she shared an enclosure and run with another dog). It may be as you say that a new home is very traumatic and may take a lot of time. She is very attached to me and much less so to my wife (I picked her up from the shelter 1 1/2 hours away without my wife being there).
Forgive my choice of words regarding spaying. I should have said that I expect some change due to hormone changes. I expect that it may be a couple of months plus before she settles down.
My main concern is that she may need some special care to help her overcome her problems, however, only time will tell.
Thanks for your advice.

Answer
You may be right that there are some underlying issues, but there are just some dogs with very soft personalities where the trauma of what got them in the shelter and the time they spent there makes it difficult for them to acclimate immediately to their new home.  

As she builds her trust with you and your wife, I am sure you'll see a marked change in her personality.  But if not, I would do confidence building things like obedience class, which allows structured socialization with other dogs.