[Sarah.Jenna]

My dog she is scared, Her recent owner used to abuse her. I took her in and all she does is hide. She doesn't eat, all she does is just lay down all day and sleep. She is like weak. She doesn't eat anything but she has diareah.

[Wondergirl]

Do you know how old she is? Is she spayed?

How long have you had her?

Here's what I do with a rescued cat: I lie down on the floor which puts me on the cat's level and then mostly ignore her, but just talk softly, maybe say out loud the story about Goldilocks and the Three Bears or something long and droning so she can get used to my voice and not feel threatened. Don't try to pet her but just keep talking softly. Do this three or four times a day.

Make sure she has water and is drinking it. I'm guessing you haven't taken her to a vet yet?

[Lucky098]

She's weak because she is not eating and has diarrhea due to stress.

Leave her alone.. Don't force her to do anything. Let her come to you. Maybe bribe her with some really smelly food... At this point, I wouldn't dwell on her eating in front of you.. leave the food out and she should eat eventually. Healthy dogs won't starve themselves to death.. Sick ones might so you are going to have to keep track of when she eats and how much.

How was she abused? Was she starved? Beaten? Keep in mind just because a dog shows submissive behaviors, doesn't mean they've been abused. She just might be a very submissive dog.

Continue life as is. Don't walk around on egg shells with her in your home. If you are a loud household, than continue on. She will adjust and she will come out. How long is that going to take? It could take a few days, few weeks or a few months... Just have patience and don't cater to her. Even if she has been abused.. being extra quiet and tip toeing around isn't going to help her. The minute you feel comfortable around her, she will crawl back into her shell.

Get her to the vet as soon as you can. Make sure that you saved a healthy dog...

Talk with trainers and ask them advise on how to handle a submissive, scared dog. Scared dogs are more prone to bite than aggressive dogs.. just keep that in mind when handling her. Especially since she has an etchy background. Maybe look into some type of at home training with her. And this type of training isn't going to be "sit" at first.. its going to be trust.

Good luck with your rescue dog. Some dogs have a bumpy road, but they do turn into wonderful pets!