Traumatized Pit Bull

Question
"Delilah" is our 6 month old American Pit Bull puppy. We received her unexpectedly from a friend,saying she had been rescued from an associate of her's. She was only 8 weeks old, yet had suffered being hit, thrown, and kicked by another human. Up until now, I've been successful in most of her training. I make her work for mostly everything we do throughout the day ie; going outside (she must sit and stay at the door) feeding time (she must sit and become submissive) and laying with me. She picked up on housebreaking easily, but other training is quite difficult. Though I now have taught her to sit and lay down, teaching her to "shake" has become a challenge. When you start speaking to her while looking straight at her, she fears she has done something wrong.... she will LITERALLY start shaking all over, will crouch down, and totally withdraw from the world. Even trying to get her to come to you at times can be a challenge. Her first reaction is to run and hide. If you can stop her, she's so frightened I'm afraid I could give her a heart attack. She has serious self esteem issues. I never give her affection when she goes into her fits, not even reassurance. I just try to ignore her until her mind goes into a different state....but it never does. I'm afraid her training her will stop at sit and lay down if I don't come up with something. It's sad that she can't enjoy life. I have 2 other very stable submissive dogs that reside in the same household. If you can help me in any way, I would be forever in your debt. Thank you so much for your time.

Answer
Fortunately you got her out of the abusive home while still young enough to make a difference   Much of what you are doing is right, not rewarding her for showing fear by petting her.  You do want to avoid looking her in the eye plus not letting her see your teeth or putting your hand over her head.  

There are some things you can do to build her 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.

''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.