My Confession...

It sounds like she's just got a bunch of pent up energy.  Can you take her for a run when you get home.  Maybe follow it up with some training exercises.  Don't be afraid to share the problems you're having.  You obviously care about her but all the changes have thrown you all into a different routine and it may take time to get a good routine down.  Don't give up, but do try to get her some serious exercise every day.

Don't worry, everyone has problems but sometimes while reading posts here it seems like everyone's got these 100% perfect, ideal dogs. Nope! Just look in the behavior or training section and see how many of us have leash reactivity issues, can't trust our dogs to have the run of the house, etc etc.

How old is Lizzie?
 
When I adopted my Lab, he was 17 months old.  I had to run him for a solid 2 1/2 hours each night to even get him to a MANAGEABLE point inside the house.  Thank goodness we had a pond nearby where I could swim him for retrieves, so he wouldn't overheat.  He drove me NUTS the first month after I adopted him, he was so wired!
 
That said, he is almost 6 now and is a VERY calm dog, and has that get-up-and-go when he knows it's time to work, but he doesn't need it to "take the edge off" anymore.  But he sure did for that first year or two after adoption. 
 
I think you might just have to work some hard exercise into Lizzie's schedule.  Tire that dog out!  You can also give her some raw bones, or frozen Kongs to occupy her when you can't be there all the time, or perhaps one of those treat puzzle-balls since she's a smart breed and needs something to challenge her mind. 

don't worry, just because you have issues with your own dog does not mean you don't know a thing or two about dogs. in fact it may give you more knowledge, you may not be going in the direction you would like to with her, but you are still learning something from her that others may never have experienced. my dog is never outside alone either, he hasn't even been left home alone in the past 3 years, he would whine the whole time at the top of his hound lungs. i enable my dog to never have to deal with his seperation anxiety, but despite that i still know how to identify a tapeworm []
i assure you, no ones dog is the perfectly well mannered beast every single second of the day. lighten up on yourself and accept that your advice is worthy.

ORIGINAL: LizzieCollie

One of the top reasons I am not around I-Dog very much is because of Lizzie. I dont feel like a competent dog owner so I dont feel right coming on here and giving advice when I cant get my dog under control.

 
Actually there is a lot of people coming to the training and behavior area in this forum to ask questions and be a better owner, so IMO you actually are not coming to the place where you can get help []. I dog is not a forum only to give advice but to receive it too
 
 

Lizzie, don't worry, we've all been there.  I was totally overwhelmed when I first brought Blitz home, and was ready to take him back multiple times within the first week [&:] (shhhh, don't tell him).  Lizzie sort of sounds like my Blitz.  He is an anxious dog who is easily upset by a change in scenery, which you guys have recently experienced.  Also, when he is hyper, he has the ability to drive me absolutely up the wall with whining, pacing, bugging Cuma and eventually getting into things he shouldn't.  Every one of these problems is easily solved with vigorous exercise.  Its time consuming, but on the plus side, a brisk long walk is good for not only him, but it keeps me in shape too.  Good luck to you!

Oh geez shall I too enumerate the problems my dogs have? Everybody got some time, cuz it's a long list! Conrad has seperation anxiety and reduced our home to a pile of smoking rubble every time we left him for more than a minute for the first three months we had him. He even flooded the house once (no, really!). It is only from getting through that experience that I know anything about seperation anxiety. He's also a bit leash and barrier reactive and will definately raise holy hell if another person and/or dog walk by the house while he's outside. So he gets a quick potty trip and a little time to chill on the porch, but that's the only time he's in the yard alone.

Marlowe is a hunter and will take every chance he gets to do so. He too is not outside alone a whole lot because, while Conrad is all concerned about gaurding his turf from strangers, Marlowe is barking his ever-loving head off at every single squirrel he sees (or thinks he sees). Marlowe did not take to his crate well and after recieving a VERY nasty and threatening note from an anonymous neighbor regarding his incessant barking while crated we had to devote an entire room just to him, for him to be alone in without making his own fun. Which he will do, with the garbage cans, with the dog food bin, with random plastic objects.... My cell phone has teeth puncture marks (though I gotta give Samsung credit, it took a lickin and kept on tickin).

Soooo....yes, I completely understand feeling at the end of your rope and helpless and a failure. Totally because I've felt that way MANY times before, with both dogs. When Conrad was at the apex of his unmanaged SA I was having daily panic attacks, with the hyperventilating and the crying and the all that. So please do come talk to us about the issues that Lizzy is having because, as you can see, none of our dogs are perfect. And in our house, they're pretty far from!

Who has perfect dogs?  What does a perfect dog look or act like?  I can't speak for anyone else but me.  I'm here BECAUSE my dogs are out of control.  This is a great place to learn how to help yourself become a better doggie parent. 

I don't have perfect dogs.  Well at least not by anyone else's standards.  Right now my moosedog is out in the back yard perfecting his howl, because his sister is in heat and he can't hang out with her.  Onyx is in her crate, because we are having dinner and she has decided that begging is an excepted behaviour.  Crusher has leash issues, Onyx is so skittish that if anyone comes to the house that she doesn't know it takes her a minimum of 2 hours to get comfy enough to approach them.  That aside, I love them, and therefore I am here, not only to learn about dogs, but to be with people that love thier dogs as much as I love mine.

Another note, I don't think I would trust anyone's advice, who told me they had perfect dogs.  I would call them a liar.  The fact that you admit to having problems, makes you real.

I completely understand how you feel!  Sometimes I feel like such a failure for having dogs that are not 100% reliable on things they should be.  Normally, this wouldn't bother me, except, I teach dog training classes!  My dogs are supposed to be perfect!  Not really, but that is what my boss expects of me.  She doesn't understand that I had to put obediece on hold for Colton because he started sitting in the show ring.  As for being difficult...Colton is the prime example of that.  He loves to jump onto my counters, get really excited and act like a maniac when other dogs come near and he is on leash.  Oh, and just this week he ate a pen, my phone charger, and started on my computer cord.  He is not allowed anywhere near any kind of wires at all now.  Three foot clearance!  It's like he reverted to being a puppy!  This must be his "teenage" period that everyone speaks of.  Rose never had one, so Colton is a bit harder to handle.  I just keep working on things a little at a time.  Even if the improvements are slow, at least hes making them.

I feel your pain. Gizzy is most defently a hearding dog as well and it's a constant struggle with her everyday. She has more energy than I will ever have and I get so upset at myself for not knowing what to do with her. Ask me about health issues and I can almost answer anything in a heatbeat but ask me about training and how to control a dog my answer is what the vet would say ant that would be give it meds to calm it, that doesn't exactly solve things in the long term. I've been to 3 different trainer all with different methouds and I feel like perhaps I'm confusing my dog more than I need to. I turned to using treats over all else to control my dog but even that is starting to have no effect on her.

We have all been where you are, it's not easy owning a dog but remember any questions you have we are here for you.[]

I don't think any of us would find this forum so addicting, ahem, er, entertaining if we knew it all. I think everyone here has their strengths and weaknesses, things to share and also things to learn.

As a newbie here, I have learned a lot from reading posts.  Also, the suggestions/advice is varied.  I find that everyone is respectful even when views are different.  
I have been training dogs for years, and still have a lot to learn.  My challenge I deal with (daily) is dog-dog aggression - of the small kind.  I can manage/aleviate the aggression but I know it will always be there.  It is a part of my daily life - being "on guard" when dogs are out.  Very frustrating having a 6# overly confident, cocky dog, that is suspect to having some OCD habits. 
 
He has taught me a lot, even more then my first obedience dog.
 
I am really enjoying this group.
 
Sandy

Don't feel like you shouldn't post just because Lizzie is having some issues right now.  Speaking for myself, I have days when I want to pull my hair out because the dogs are acting up.  I have a GSD pup right now that I am working my butt off to rehabilitate so that he can be adopted out instead of being euthanized.  I posted in behavior, & got some great responses that have helped this dog immensley.  If you like to post (I have really enjoyed your posts by the way) then go ahead & post.  Your advice could help someone else, who is at his/her wits end with their dog.  Don't be afraid to ask for help, that's what we are all here for.