We are currently house training our collie pup and just want to make sure we re doing it right! We take her outside after mealtimes and naps, sometimes she "performs" on cue . The problem we have is that usually she sees her trips into the garden as playtime and will run around chewing plants/grass etc having a great time. She can be out there half an hour then as soon as she comes in she will pee on the floor.

Any advice would be much appreciated

Of course she will want to play and indeed she needs to to develop. :)  I always think an essential item of puppy equipment is a warm, waterproof and easy to slip on coat :)

keep her on a lead  & say your "word"until she "goes",tibit praise,then let her have play time

Trouble is Guest hasn't said how far into the process they have got, if it is very early days they may still be "applying" the word rather than the puppy fully appreciating what it means in which case they are going to be out there for the duration :) and might as well let her have a play about while they are waiting to apply it I don't think staying on the lead would speed up the process.  However if Guest does feel she ought to understand it by now then, yes, you could keep her on the lead pushing her to get on with it and using free play as a reward :)

i think it will keep the puppy from getting distracted, & playing instead of "getting on with it"
once the pup figures out it gets a play after producing it will sppeed it up alot! ;)

From an eight week old puppy I have always found keeping it on the lead until it goes speeds up the process no end.  As Michelle says, give the command you are going to use as soon it it goes.  Then if you want playtime let it off and play.  They soon pick it up.

Sandra

especially as then you can go to the plaCE IN THE GARDEN WERE THE PUPS GONE before & it all clicks in. both nell & flynn were housetrained in 3days,doing it this way & getting up throughout the night. & nell had lived in a run outside with a kennel (summer baby) & flynn had never gone outside before he came home (bitter winter baby)