How much training have you done with Maggie? How old is she now? First of all, she shouldn't be off her leash ever until she's completely reliable. She also shouldn't be left alone outside unsupervised if she's expected not to get into trouble. If she has to be outside without someone to watch her, could you put up a small fence or something around the flowers to protect them? Do you have access to a pet store or a community center or somewhere else like that where you can get her into obedience classes? As far as "coming when called", that's a difficult thing for a puppy who's distracted to do consistently. Finn is over five months old now, and, I work with him every day, but, if he's distracted (chasing a squirrel, around other dogs, etc), he usually won't listen to me. I only take him off leash at the dog park (it's all fenced in) or in the backyard. it's not fair to expect a young dog to be 100% reliable. It depends on the breed and how much training has gone into the dog. Try not to let Maggie become a statistic. People who don't train their dogs give up on them and blame the dog, and, they end up in the shelter. As far as the biting thing, is she being agressive? Or is she playing too hard? Give us a lot of details. Someone will have advice for you.