Originally posted by belles_momma15
When we got her, she was 5 months old, she just turned 6 months about a week ago. I'm sure it'll be harder to train her now she's older, but I knew she was the dog we had to get. I visited her every week, and finally, after preperation, we finally got her. I really hope puppy school helps her!!
Puppies usually have a fear period around 12 weeks of age. What happens to them during this period can be very detrimental to their future inhibitions and how they react to certain things. It sounds to me like something happened in the fear period because at 6 months she should be a confident pup waiting to attack the world with her curiosity. You may need to be especially sensitive to her past and be a little more tender and understanding than normal in your training. Have patience with her fears and help her to realize that you will be there to protect her.

Another thing to consider is that at 6 months you may want to forget about puppy kindergarten classes and start her in basic obedience where she will bond more with you as opposed to socialization with other dogs. The critical socialization period (up to 16 weeks) is past and it is now time to teach her that you are the alpha leader and she needs to trust you. She will get some socialization in basic classes too! Only do positive training with her such as clicker training or positive reinforcement. Stay away from choke chain training methods because they may tend to cause her to withdrawal more and be more fearful.