very scared dog

Question
Hi,
i recently agreed to take my cousins pit bull after she divorced and couldn't keep her. I have since then noticed she is extremely frightened of EVERYTHING. she is a yr and a half old and up until i took her has always stayed in the back yard with 3 other pits. as a puppy she had parvo and was very ill and was picked on by the litter.when i talk to her she pees, when i let her into the house she will stay in a corner and not be social at all. her tail constantly stays between her legs, she continuously shakes and her ears are always down. when i try and pet her she turns the other way, puts her head down and pees. if i try to put her on a leash she pulls away in a scared manner and pees. what do i do? i want to make her happy and show her it is ok to have human interaction

Answer
It sounds like she has no experience of the world, and little socialization with people in addition to being in a new place which is probably pretty scary to her. Submissive  urination isn't uncommon in young females - as much as possible, I would let her make the approaches, and give her time. At this point, being asked to be handled is probably pretty scary. Don't reach for her. If you need to, when she's supervised so she won't get tangled, let her drag a line, so if you have to move her you can without reaching for her. Try not to bend over her, and while I know you are trying to make her feel loved and wanted, you probably need to ignore her as much as possible. You might look into clicker training (probably with an i-click, or other soft sound if she is sound sensative, as that allows you to get some communication going without having to touch her. If she doesn't improve, you may actually want to talk to your vet about consulting with a veterinary behaviorist to see if anti-anxiety medications might be helpful. Sandy Case BFA MEd CPDT www.positivelycanine.com