How to train a timid dog

[mittens1997]

We got my girl Charlie about six months back,
She is a husky - border collie X and she just turned a year old.

Charlie was previously abused. We got her from a lady, whose brother found her, along with five other puppies shoved in a box in a safeway parking lot.

The brother split up the puppies betweem the family, for each of them to work with.

The lady i got Charlie from had her for a few months, but she had three girls under the age of four, and couldn't handle a puppy- a puppy who needed a lot of work.

So i picked Charlie up for free and began to work.

It started slow, it took at least a month for me to pet her when she wasn't cornered in a room.

But now, she comes for pets and even wags her tail now and again.


Charlie is still afraid with strangers, and i need to work on that next,

but before i do, i need to get her to listen to me.

Charlie is a selective learner. She only comes if i have something she wants, or if my other dogs come running.
She knows how to sit, and does it almost whenever you come up to her.


Charlie also doesn't understand praise, i try to praise her for little things, but she doesn't understand it. Usually she just runs off to play with the other dogs.

So heres the question:

How can i train her to come, when i want, not when she wants? and how can i praise her in a way she can understand? (i don't want her to only listen when food is involved.)

The Goal: Bring her to the dog park, where she can meet and play with other dogs (which she LOVES.) and even get used to the idea of other people.

I would love to hear some personal experiences if you've got them.

heres some random pictures of Charlie-Bean: