@siskie What do you mean by problem? As background, my dog, Ollie, was the same way as yours when we got him at 8 months. Even at 3 weeks. He looked the same on walks — anxious, a mess. He hid in his crate for a week when we got him; I think you said your dog was the same way but for longer.
Your dog will probably never be normal. Ollie loves other dogs more than life itself. Give her time. She looks anxious about the retractable leash, so use a regular leash or longline so she understands the boundary. I recommend Palomine lines. Ollie to this day (6 months since we got him) hates walking on concrete and gets anxious. If she likes sniffing, walk on grassy areas. Move so slowly with her. I get where your anxiety is coming from. We were worried for 2 months about whether Ollie was a good fit. When I woke up 30 minutes earlier before sunrise to coax him down the hallway because he wouldn’t MOVE out of terror, when he would freeze and shake when we passed a person, when he wouldn’t leave the elevator because he saw a person and I had to carry him out. I understand. I have a list of his fears from the first month for his trainer on a sticky note somewhere. I pasted it in my journal to laugh at now.
Yeah, he’s not “normal”. If people try to pet him, he‘ll back off. But he can sit next to me while we have a conversation, and walk up to sniff them. He has a couple human friends. He can be boarded at our trainers. He’s working on recall and can be trusted on a longline without anyone holding the other end. He is bouncy, and happy, and playful and smart and he tries his goddamn heart out for us every single day. Give your dog a chance. A scared dog is working 10000 times harder than a normal dog when it comes to every single experience they ever have. If your dog is giving 10000%, you can try 10000% to be the owner they deserve. That’s not me judging you, it’s what I told myself when things were hard.
Look, give it a try. Give her a few more months IF you can accept a dog that will always be shy, but loving with her people. Stay around here and gather more information. Cautious Canine by Patricia McConnell is a great read. Reach out to me over PM if you want, I’m not that knowledgeable but we have similar dogs and I’m happy to tell you what has and hasn’t worked. If she’s not the dog for you, work on rehoming her with someone who can keep working on her, but give it time. If it’s just you and her, I’m sure that adds to the sense of stress. My boyfriend and I relied on each other a ton to get through the hard days. We did give Ollie spots in the house (a bed, a crate) where, if he goes in, we NEVER touch him or reach for him. Ever. That seemed to help too. If they have an accident, it’s fine. If they don’t eat for a day or so, it’s fine. They need to feel safe first and foremost. If you want the name of a trainer doing remote sessions, I can try to dig something up.
I’m sorry this is such a journal. Your dog has major Ollie vibes and I want you guys to succeed. Hell, if timing were different, I would offer to adopt her from you if it didn’t work in a few months. Give her a chance
EDIT: My trainer’s major piece of advice that transformed our relationship? “Let him be naughty. Training doesn’t matter. Obedience comes second to comfort. We were starting to work on obedience after 3 months of having Ollie. That was when he was ready. Who cares if your dog can’t sit or come? It’s not important right now. Let her be naughty! (Caveat: as long as everyone is safe).