Ok, now I definitely need to know what breeds she is. We have been up north at our cabin with her for a few days now and somehow she got off the long rope she was tied to.
Our cabin is on a hill and the yard slopes down a hill to a big yard by the lake and there are a bit of woods between the neighbors. She was in the water a bit, as far as the rope would let her. When she realized she wasn't tied up, she took off like a bat out of hell up through the woods and we lost her for half an hour , until our daughter saw her in the woods and somehow got her to stop and grabbed her.

I've seen both puppies and adult dogs run, but she must have something fast in her. If she is part border collie, I don't think border collies run THAT fast, do they?
I know she still has puppy energy in her,, but really, that fast? Anyone ever deal with a runner? Will it be possible to train her to stay in the yard without a shock collar? Will she always have to be tied up outside? I don't want to have to tie her up her whole life.(Our golden retreiver never needs to be tied up). I had no idea she was a runner when we adopted her. Can this be dealt with with training or should we take her back and tell them we can't handle her?

We have a greyhound/lab mix and he is not tied up. He is a good boy and stays within the boundaries of the yard. When he was younger though (he is now 9) he had to be tied. He just learned through time what was acceptable and what wasn't. By the age of around 4 he was not on a runner any longer. I am not sure if he could have been off a runner at a younger age because we did not try it. I think with proper training she can be taught to stay in the yard but like our dog it may not be right away.

I don't know but she's very sweet.

Knowing the breeds that are involved in your dog's make-up really is completely irrelevant. I don't know of many breeds or mongrels who wouldn't run off to explore when given the opportunity! Having said that, certain breeds - such as pointers, northern breeds such as huskies, alaskan malamutes etc. etc. - do have a higher propensity to take themselves off if given the opportunity. If you don't want to tie the dog up, and I don't blame you, then would it be possible to securely fence your garden or back yard? Or have a kennel with a secure run for her? We had a german shorthaired pointer and she was a runner and would take herself off hunting given half the chance, so I do understand your concerns.

Regarding your question about the e-collar - absolutely NOT!! In the situation that you describe it would totally inappropriate to use such a device. It would be cruel and pointless -

Thanks all! We'll have to do alot of training and tie her up when she is outside, until she learns to stay in the yard. Still wish I knew what breeds she is.