Need tips to help shelter dog with abuse triggers, please?

Question by Maxie: Need tips to help shelter dog with abuse triggers, please?
I asked something similar to this before and one person gave a good answer, but there is more now.

There is a dog at the shelter who has been abused. (We know this from her history.) Not many people want to mess with her because she honestly has a wide variety of people she has fear of. (Black people, men, and occassionally children) I’m basically the only person that bothers to walk/ sit next to this dog.

Her biggest issue besides the one above is the leash. Originally I believed it was because when she is put back in her kennel she would shrink back and not allow the leash to come off. I thought it was just because it was her personal space… but after a couple of days ago I discovered that it is not that fact that she is entering her cage (because she is fine with people coming up to it) it is when someone reaches to take the leash off of her neck. The way she reacts I can pretty much tell it is an abuse “trigger”. To help I’ve begun giving her a treat every time I take her off the leash. It is helping a little. Should I continue doing this? Should I ask the shelter staff to begin doing this, too?

How can I get her more accustomed to the people she is hesitant to even allow near her?

This is actually a special dog that when relaxed is wonderful.. I really want to help her.
It is the leash b/c when I was outside with her and tried to take it off she did the same reaction as inside. ( submissivly rolling over but at the same time pupils dilated and a thing she does with her much– which is very very subtle but I can tell when she may want to bite.)
** correction
I meant “thing she does with her mouth.”
Thanks for the comments, they are appreciated.

I would never ever flip her over, I’m not an idiot. Like I said, she does this on her own.

Best answer:

Answer by Jessica
Keep doing what you’re doing and ask the shelter staff to do the same. Continue treating her calmly and gently. When she meets new people, make sure they have treats to give her. Eventually, she will associate meeting new people with treats, which equates to a positive experience.

Is there any way you or someone else can foster her? All the strange sounds and noises at the shelter are only making things worse. I bet she would flourish in a foster home.

Thank you for taking care of this poor girl, people like you give me hope.

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