Hello we have jut rescued our gorgeous border collie,she is 18 months old and is very timid,lets me fuss her but just crouches down,not at all like the bouncy jrt im used too. any advice or tips?

The OH bought in a lovely springer bitch, from a nice home, just the person who had her didn't get on with her, couldn't train her, complete character clash. She was incredibly timid to begin with, took 18 months to bring her round fully, now she's a different character, so just take things slowly, and don't try to rush anything with her. Whatever you do, don't encourage the timid behaviour by trying to console her, just give her time to work things out in her own mind and don't force situations on her she isn't comfortable with

If she's not confident about being fussed, don't fuss her. She'll trust you more if you don't pressure her. When you interact with her, sit down on the floor so it's at her level, use treats to make being near you a good thing. Some easy training should boost her confidence, start with sits, paw, down - using lots of praise and treats.

Do you know anything much about her background?

she was tied in a shed for ages, she has had a home for a year but it was a very quite household so she was just left to be,she is loving and sneakly jumped on sofa next to me when she thought i wasnt watching,she licks me and trys to lick my face (yuk) when i talk to her close to her face she wants to play its just like she is not sure how.

She'll get there, honestly, it's just time and patience

I had an old rescue gundog, who had been owned by someone quite oldschool and hard with his training methods, she was passed on to me via a farmer, after he was diagnosed with liver cancer and was dying. She didn't know how to switch off, but after a few weeks with the chocolate numpty girls, she learnt that she could switch off, and run around, and play, and even learnt she could retrieve things without having to bring them back to me. It is lovely to see the littlest of break throughs, so just take your time to watch them happen, and would love to see some photos if you get chance