[Lizzie07]

I don't know if she actually sounds abused, but she really sounds like a kennel dog to me. Not like a dog who has lived day in and day out interacting with people in a home. A lot of times, if a dog isn't played with as a puppy or given toys when a puppy, they don't know how to play with you or toys.
Have you checked out clicker training? It does work best with a food motivated dog and if Gracie likes treats, she might enjoy it. It might take her a little longer to realize how to earn a click, but once she does, learning new things should come pretty fast.
One of the first dogs I ever clickered trained was eight years old. My timing was off one time when I told him to sit and he sat, barked and I clicked. From then on, he sat and barked everytime I told him to sit. I found it amusing. Oz was very food motivated and he took to clicker training like a duck to water!