Abused? Please read!

[angel_baby]

Well I posted about the little dog that I got because the woman didn't want her any longer, her name is Bailey and she is the sweetest thing when, A) You're not my stepdad and B) You don't have any type of paper in your hand or C) you do not touch her when trying to get her to sit or lay.

Now here's the downlow. She growls at my steo dad, yips and cowers if she sees someone with a paper. Whines if you push on her in any way to make her sit or down.

If she keeps growling at my step dad he said shes got to go because she could become dangerous....I don't know what to do...please help!!!!

[lucky13loves]

1st. have stepdad give treats in a slow gentle way, have him speak in a lower voice tone. If Bailey doesn't take the treat from SD at first, thats ok,just have him leave it near her.Just ignore the growling. Then both you & Sd ignore her. She might have been bopped with paper for training in the wrong way. Also ignore it when she cowers when she hears it,pretty soon she will realize that no-one will harm her.After you build trust the rest will follow, at random when you see her sitting or laying down just praise her saying something like this {is Bailey laying/sitting down good girl, even if you didn't give her the command to do so.. give her a treat, just because you love her esp. when she's sitting or laying down.Also keep your voice calm & normal..

[leplake]

It's not uncommon for dogs to be afraid of men. What is he doing when she growls at him? Is he trying to pet her or get closer despite her uncomfortable body language? Or is he just sitting there watching television? She needs to learn that he's not scary. He should keep a few yummy treats on hand, and let her come to him herself. If she wants to stay away thats fine, but he shouldn't go looking for a scared dog. If she takes treats from him, soon she'll learn that he's not scary. Also, when she decides to take a treat, keep the meeting short, so she doesn't get scared again, just a treat and MAYBE a little scratch on the head.
I have no clue why a dog could be afraid of paper, other than noise, or being hit by paper. Perhaps you should put a piece of paper on the floor with a treat a few feet away... if she comes to get the treat, put one a little closer. Eventually you should be able to put a treat on the paper... After she gets that put your hand on the paper, with the treat. Then, hold the paper with the treat... Eventually she'll associate the paper with a good thing rather than a bad.
As for whining when you try to put her in a sit, this could be abuse, or it could be sore joints (though if she's young it's probably not joints) There are ways of getting her to sit and lie down with out touching her. If you take a treat and move it up and over her head, while stepping forward, that will cause her to back up and sit down (If the treat goes over her head, it means head goes up so butt goes down). To get her into a down, put her in the sit, and lour her head down and hold your hand at the floor, if she gets uninterested in the treat, show it to her again. If you hold your hand still and she wants the treat, she'll eventually lay down... After she gets the hang of that, you can start moving your hand up higher and higher until you can stand straight and say down.