hey, deb! :--)

ages are stages, in dogs as well as ppl - i would bet that U as a toddler were more of a challenge for Ur mum vs U as a neonate, when all U did was depend on others.
the more independent a young animal becomes, the more they are self-willed - this is a natural process, not some anarchic rebellion, LOL. puberty (6-mos) is the beginning of the transit to adulthood, so naturally there are more independent behaviors and some testing.

i would just let her free inside a fenced area; it is not the end of a dogs life NOT to run entirely free! she will not go into a suicidal funk, LOL - so long as she gets adequate exercise + fun time in the sun + fresh air, it is fine!

if U like + feel it is safe, let her run with a drag on a harness - a 10 to 12 ft length of thin sturdy cord with NO wrist-loop is good, but U have to keep her within eyeshot to use it safely - if she can go haring-off into woods + brush, where she cannot be seen, that is not safe. she could get hung-up + be stranded out there.

if she wears the drag, call her ONCE - and make it inviting, squat, open Ur arms, etc.
if she does not respond, IGNORE her for a bit... then ever so casually, walk up NOT on the dog, but on the drag --- and Step On It. then bend-over + pick it up.

the reason for STEPPING on it is to pin the dog momentarily - many dogs learn to twitch the drag away when they see U bend-over in the distance, so to avoid that irritating behavior, Step on the drag to pin it down.

i would still work on recalls now + then - once or twice a week. they need practice to remain strong, and what U offer must be BETTER than what the environs offer at the moment. calling a dog who is chasing a bunny, or playing with another dog, is an exercise in futility - it teaches the dog not to come when called.

good luck - most dogs are way too immature to come RELIABLY under distraction until they are at minimum, 2 years old. a recall under distraction is Post-Graduate level schooling, and this pup is still in grade school, LOL.

** Levels Training ** is a terrific training program, designed by sue ailsby -
it is fun, pos-R, Free!, and on-line. her downloadable Book is on her website, dragonflyllama.com --
the TrainingLevels list is on Yahoo-Groups,
and the tracking log is on-line at honkersoftware

the steps to training or re-training a highly-reliable recall are brilliantly covered in Levels Training, and PROOFED thru the entire training process - so holes are found + fixed early. cheers,
--- terry

terry pride, APDT-Aus, apdt#1827, CVA, IPDTA, TDF