We adopted a beautiful German shepherd-husky cross about 8 months ago. She was under weight and had clearly been mistreated. We strongly suspect she has been beaten also (she would initially cower when our hands were raised). She was initially very aloof as a dog (in my limited experience this is not a shepherd trait and perhaps reflective of her past). She didn't really like contact or "cuddles". Over the months she has got closer and closer, responds we'll to basic commands and is also very good off lead. She is gorgeous, incredibly tough physically, but exceptional with people and other dogs (in that she tends to be aloof rather than jumping up on people). I have never seen her show any aggression with anyone or any animal, though she will bark if people come to the door. My concern is that something in her past has undermined her confidence. I am not confident she would protect my wife/daughter if they were challenged (I think she would run). She is also readily bullied by other dogs. Where this most clearly manifests itself is when I go running with her. We take a toy but if another dog approaches her, without aggression, she will immediately drop her toy and allow the other dog to run off with it. I then have to retrieve it. She will literally lay on the ground and let another dog bite her or try to hide between my legs. This even with dogs a fraction of her size. I know it's a fine line trying to make a powerful dog such as this "more aggressive" but it breaks my heart to see her crouch down and let small dogs literally walk over her. Any advice welcome.