Everything you're feeling is totally normal, and everything Vixen is doing is also totally normal. I was so overwhelmed for the first couple months after we brought Marlowe home. Seriously, I was in therapy! Not just because of that, but it was not helping! It gets better, I promise. Conrad and Marlowe fought (sending Marlowe to the emergency room for stitches only about 3 weeks after we first brought him home!), Marlowe had zero training, was not housetrained, barked in his crate, we got a nasty note pinned to our door. He's the love of my life but good lord those first 6 or so months were tough.
Teaching a recall should be part of your basic obedience class, though most of the work on it you'll have to do on your own at home. With a herding breed, I'm thinking it will probably go quite well. It's typically the hound breeds and the nordic breeds that are the bears with the recall.
Teaching a recall should be part of your basic obedience class, though most of the work on it you'll have to do on your own at home. With a herding breed, I'm thinking it will probably go quite well. It's typically the hound breeds and the nordic breeds that are the bears with the recall.