Raising a puppy (1st time dog owner)

elsien

Please also consider the facebook group I linked to.
They are force free, positive methods only, have guides for toilet training, impulse control when your pup is being a landshark and mental stimulation amongst others. They can also answer questions if you have read the guides and are stuck, and can direct to trainers if they know of any in your area. 
It's less about commands, and more about  your pup thinking that doing what you want them to do is a great idea. 

I completely agree with not using aversives such as water pistols or holding.

Katiehound

Of course at this stage you are using treats for training but they can be very small.
As one trainer I know said 'Would you work for a penny??!! (or even no money!)
So high value treats. A cold cooked sausage can be cut into very tiny pieces.
Always add the word 'Good'. Further along you can say the word 'Good' and delay the treat a little.

You might get on well with clicker training but you really have to be on the ball with timing in that you reward the action you want, not a couple of minutes later.

dekaspace1

Thanks all, what I was worried about for treats was her pooping more especially during night or when I am working from home (I work 2 and a half days a week so not too bad so was giving her pieces of her dry food for treats, I worry about treats as even puppy ones say only give a few a day, many people said give puppy tiny scraps of hot dogs or even cocktail sausages as treats but I was unsure as it would make her toilet more.

Currently her land shark mode is bettter than it was even last week but still hurts.

Currently trying to get her to stop biting bare feet/in slippers by taking shoes off and going barefoot when feeding her and telling her wait when doing so and taking a few steps, its working as last night and today the few times I went barefoot i.e when changing clothes she ignored feet, or at least long enough that by time she noticed and lunged it was with less force,

Her toilet habits are so random, today she decided to break her normal routine and even didn't seem to want to go into garden (but was happy to have walks, I think she may be a little more off on work days as she seems to hate electronic device noise i.e people on phone,      

Caught her crouching in her "spot" so I took her outside, she did nothing, took her for a walk that took about 8 minutes, took her back into garden, nothing then she came in and did it in her spot straight way, in fact she had nothing but accidents today.

She did nap a lot of the day in my arms too as it was better for myself as I was working, she did get a 30 minute walk at lunchtime and was overall chilled when I was on phone.

Her normal pattern is mostly calm in mornings, many days even napping and even doesn't drink much, around lunch time she has some water and lunch and gets a little energetic, then gradually over the day till evening gets full of energy until she reaches witching hour where she randomly does things like bite furniture, bite me, bark, run around, poop/wee and not care about doing it outside (she is much better for that in morning)                                  

SensibleSarah

I've never had a pup as young as yours (and can't help with toilet training) but my most recent rescue was 10 months old when I adopted him and used to get very overstimulated, both on walks and at certain times of the day at home. With him, having a very firm routine was key. He knew what was coming next in the day and roughly when, so he learned to switch off inbetween things. 
The real breakthrough with him came when I started giving him something positive but calming to do at the times when he'd normally start to escalate and show unwanted behaviours like zoomies around the house (he's a big dog so just knocked everything over) and chewing things he shouldn't etc. 

Chewing and licking are really good calming activities for this so perhaps look at some long-lasting (non-rawhide) chews for your pup? Licki mats too - although you'll need to really keep a close eye at first so she doesn't chew them after getting the food off. 

I highly recommend a Facebook group called Canine Enrichment  - it's run by the author of a very good book by the same name. It's not about training (there is a seperate group run by the same team for that though) but is all about making sure your pup/dog can fulfil it's natural instincts and the things that make life fun for them in a safe way e.g. letting a collie herd ducks at the local pond is not OK, using a herding ball in your garden or a safe enclosed space can be a good alternative in moderation.

My boy isn't toy motivated at all, so I mainly use food enrichment activities to help tire his brain out. He still gets a couple of small meals in his bowl every day, but the majority of his food is from enrichment. I use a lot of food dispensing toys (like Kongs and different varieties of a similar theme) that are frozen once filled, as that takes him longer to get through and he likes the challenge - but things like snuffle mats with a few bits of kibble sprinkled over, throwing a handful of small kibble into the garden so he has to sniff them all out (nature's snuffle mat), rolling a few treats up in an old towel and the dog has to find them all - these are all things that might take 5-10 minutes for them to actually do, but that's equivalent to a 30+ minute walk in terms of brain activity. 

Katiehound

I am wondering if you are using a crate because that is perfect for a puppy to have some down time. It would also be good when you have electronic devices that are over stimulating her. More ideas from other animal charities
https://www.dogstrust.org.uk/dog-advice/training/home/crate-training?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI9MDZmc6I_AIVBO_tCh1gRgXEEAAYASAAEgLm4vD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

She certainly should not be 'performing' indoors. have you got words to the actions?- words, actions, treat, high pitched excited voice.
The treats I use are home made sardine flapjack- I know exactly what goes into them.

Another vote for kongs. Perfect toys. semi filled with peanut butter (100% peanit from Aldi- beware xylitol which is toxic for dogs)
cream cheese 
Look here for recipes:
https://www.bluecross.org.uk/advice/dog/top-10-kong-recipes-for-dogs?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIuITL582I_AIVyNDtCh13jgBiEAAYASAAEgKfS_D_BwE

elsien

The way to prevent her from going in "her" spot is simply to prevent access to it. Are you able to block off her route to the settee except when you are with her to monitor? Room dividers can be good for this - not a recommendation but this sort of thing?
Oypla Dog Safety Folding Wooden Pet Gate Portable Indoor Barrier : Amazon.co.uk: Baby Products

Can you put your phone on vibrate, turn the sound down or turn off notifications so you can still see it is ringing but the sound isn't upsetting her? 

If you are only working from home two days a week then who is helping her with her toilet training and going outside, and keeping her stimulated the other 2.5 days when you are not there? Or did you mean you are working part time so not out at the office at all?

dekaspace1

I worked out its not the phone as much as certain types of noise, since I played a handheld games console a few days ago and had the same issues as with a phone, she only seems to tolerate sounds from tv's/pc speakers/laptop, she was ok before I made a landline call earlier (in terms of her craziness it goes from landline makes her the worst, then mobile, then calls through headset/computer)

My living room is more a square, not huge but not small as such either I cannot block the access but I could potentially put things on top to stop her jumping on the sofa, a room divider may not work unless I put it right in front of the sofa.

And yes I mean I work part time so have most of the week to take care of her, I am in the office about once a month and friend takes care of her.

Another worry I have is she loves to run out of front door so if I have a delivery I have to put her on her lead and walk her downstairs to the door (to be clear its just a few steps to front door)

I could put in a gate at top of stairs but she can jump high and also would bark so not sure best way to deal with that.

I have 1 real kong I bought for her, that is a "large" size I have a Wilko similar one on a rope which is huge and a small one I got from Poundland (though was £3) she does like them and if I remember I put yogurt and dry food in for her later meal as that also gives me time to eat my own as when I eat she jumps on me and tries to eat off my plate or fork, and if I instead stand she barks until she gets attention.

She doesn't seem to know words I use for her actions, she knows "going out/out" "dinner" etc but part of that can be the tone of voice I use.

I may be paranoid but I may have made her nervous to do it around me, the sofa she goes on is behind the armchair I sit (I sit there as its in front of my pc) the rare time she goes in hall or even rarer bedroom (outside of during night) she pretty much walks off from me and out of sight then does it but maybe mixed in with a little she finds the sofa (or the rug if its the hall) more comfy and warm than going outside.

Oh and she has a crate but she never uses it, I have tried scattering her food in it sometimes and she goes inside happily and eats and even scratches to find scraps after but other than that never goes in it.

On another note, the times when I have to go to shops and leave her alone which is between 1-2 hours almost every time about once or twice a week I leave her in kitchen with a bowl of water, I notice she never drinks any (at least to my knowledge and the second I get back (after she jumps on me for cuddles) is drink water then do her business, she has never to this day had any accidents when I have been out.

With her going during the night whats the latest to give her food/treats, it helps with the zoomies but I tolerate them most of the time as I worry she will go during the night (or wake me to take her out)  I only randomly use them to get her to lie down on the rug as that seems to often make her nap.

Katiehound

She's training you well

The use of the crate is with training- it doesn't just 'happen'

You need to do a massive amount more of training- I don't mean simple commands, I mean approaching the door, reacting to people at the door, toilet training.
 Whatever words you use need to mean the same thing whatever the place , so for example, 'sit' means sit indoors, sit  in the park, sit in the street.

She shouldn't be jumping up at your food- that is when she could be in her crate with the stuffed kong.

Teach 'leave'- for food
Wait
Watch me

You need to get yourself to some good training asap because the longer she  is left to things 'her way' the harder it will be.
 Sadly bad habits seem to be learned much faster than good ones! Been there and had the tee shirt!
 

dekaspace1

I have been teaching "wait" "leave it" and "off" but she only really listens if I have a treat in my hand, for wait I do it more for stopping, I haven't taught "stay" though as that is a different command.

I say "look" for looking at me, 

Sit is the one command she is great at, she listens a lot unless she is having a zoomie and even then she can listen and I use that indoors or outdoors.

I knew crate training wasn't quick as is any training i was trying to prioritse certain things over the other i.e getting her to sit or down so she isn't jumping about, leave it for food etc.

I am seeing tiny improvements, like when I am eating if I do say leave it, she might hesitate for a second and go back to trying to eat.

The reason she jumps at me is I try and keep her food time to a set time frame whilst mine is different i.e I have break from work between 12-1 but she eats at 1.30 (can be 1.45 if I am busy) I finish at 4.45 and feed her at 5.30 so by time I have chilled after work and made dinner its close to it, but that is often the one time of day I can eat in peace.

She can stay in living room my herself and not follow me but if I am away more than about 2 minutes she barks, I used to leave her in living room when I went to front door but she barks non stop and tried rushing out when I went onto stairs.

SensibleSarah

I'd say that stair gates are an essential. I have an extra tall one on the living room that stops the dogs getting to the front door so there is no chance they can get out when someone comes in or if I have a delivery etc. It's about 50% taller than a normal one so should stop the casual jumper. 

I'd say that you need to stop your dog from being near you and focusing on you when you're eating, so you get some peace and the bad habits stop. Not sure if you sometimes feed her from your plate but it's something I don't do with mine - I hate being watched while I eat and I dont want them to associate me eating with them eating! I'd agree that she needs something to do safely away (maybe in her crate) while you have your own meals etc - a snuffle mat could be a good place to start because it's not frustrating like a kong can be for some dogs. Teaching a working breed dog to switch off and settle can be really challenging - but if you google teaching a settle command then there are lots of videos etc on YouTube. I recommend Kikopup's videos - she has plenty of collie experience.