This is why socialisation is so important for puppies so they learn that they don't need to be defensive, 'things' mean them no harm .

I would try desensitising her to strangers, this involves taking her regularly to a place where there are a lot of people like a park/school where she can view them from a safe distance .
Go armed with lots of tiny treats.
Then sit /stand there ignoring the people, they don't exist.
Talk to your puppy, reward her for ignoring people.

As she gets more comfortable with them being around you can move a little closer.
If anyone comes up to speak to her you can use this too asking if they would like to give her a treat so she learns to associate passing people with a pleasurable experience

There is no problem asking her to wee on demand. Even if I quietly whisper "wee-wees" she instantly crouches on the spot and starts within literrally 3 seconds. She is faster doing the wee-wees "trick" than "down" or "sit". She is nearly as fast at weeing to order as she is taking food. Please explain why I need to change the command name.

I have not been unintentionally rewarding unasked for tricks, but when she crouches to wee I put the phone doen, grab her while still crouching and take her outside. That is attention so it is reward in itself. That is why I am now avioding the situation of her seeking attention, by answering the phone with her already on my lap.

As I said, that behaviour was historical. She was not a defensive barker anyway. On seeing a stranger she dragged at the lead in a frenzy to get to people and barked ruckusly until I let her walk towards them, when she would shut up and pull with all her strength on her hind legs and lauch herself at them like an overfriendly loving wriggling mass of licky tongued excitement. Not all dogs that bark at people want to drive them away or defend themselves! That was then, and no she knows better manners and sits until petted. However at places she used to frequently meet people, if no-one is there, she trie to earn treats by barking at nothing, stopping and sitting - all unprompted. If someone is their she now goes quitley up and sits in front of them looking lovingly.

She is a bit of a challenge because she does things for different motives to shelties which is what I am used to.

Almost if not all of the difficulties with her result from her over avid attempts to earn food or attention by enthusiastically repeating behavours that got her them in the past, but in contexts where they are undesirable. Even her bed wetting seems to have started by her mis-recognising her white felty bedding as being litter mats.

Don't get me wrong, there are advantages to her excessive learning behavour. When I got her at 12 weeks old I thought she had alrerady been taught loads, and only later found out she was an exeptionally good guesser at what I wanted. First time I sat with food on my lap I had to tell her to lie down and wait until I finished before she sat for the rest of the meal and got treated at the very end. Thereafter she has always done that at meals. Unbeknown to me she had not even been taught sit before, yet alone wait.

However behavours get set in stone that easily, and not surprisingly she makes some mistakes in comprehension of what I want, and they are set in stone immediatlely and just as perminantly.

Shelties have a much more laid back and malliable attitude to learning.

As she seems to like being under covers she might like something she can snuggle right into or under. You can get small cat soft beds with a roof , would it fit in the crate ? Or place a blanket over her?


I think you need to ask about diet in the appropriate section , perhaps you could start a new thread.
I would discuss it with the vet too. Also , she should havea check up in case there is a physical cause for her frequent peeing
perhaps you could remove the sheepskin rugs . She may end up with a hairball stuck inside her.

You can get various dishes that stop dogs gulping down their food.
If you dont already , feed her seperately from your shelties .

I have got her a vet appointment this evening. Three dry nights running!!!!!! Fingers crossed it seems to be linked with the frenzy games just before bed because that is what I have stopped her doing.

Well Done Missy and to you of course
Good luck at the vets

Fingers crossed, and if he just says there is nothing wrong with her, she still needs her kennel cough vaccination so it wont be a wasted visit.

Well done to you and well done to Missy.
Let us know what the vets says.