Ok I had a feeling she was from a shelter. The biggest thing you can do for her and I can’t stress this enough, is do NOT treat her like a delicate shelter pet that is too fragile to be a real dog. I see too many owners who sink so far into the “shes a rescue” excuse for why their dog is so poorly behaved. Just as you would do with a small puppy from a breeder, you need to begin to desensitize her and reward her for facing her fears. Petting her while shes scared only reinforces her being scared, it doesn’t calm dogs down like it does to children. Remember they aren’t human children. The best thing you can do is allow her to be a dog and respect her needs as a dog.
You haven’t been taking her outside because “she” is scared. However, often times owners project their own fears on to their pet. Take her everywhere with you. Allow her to see and experience things even if its just from a far. This will help socialize her. And no she doesn’t have to meet people right away, just see them. And if someone gets angry that they cant come pet her, tell them shes in training. Socialization isn’t always about meeting every dog and person you encounter. Sometimes its just about experiencing being around something unfamiliar. If you start building her confidence in that way, she will begin to act like a normal dog and be more interested in toys.
Get her into obedience classes. She will gain confidence from doing well in the classes. But not classes like at Petco. Go to a real trainer, preferably one that has dealt a lot with retrieving and hunting breeds. You may also want to consider getting her into some type of dog sport when shes older. Dock diving for example. Again, this builds confidence.
