Border Collie Training

Hi. My name is Julie and I've had Cookies now for about 2 years. When I first brought her home, I couldn't believe how much work she was. I was cleaning up pee in every room in my house, including my bed! She would get into everything, and she would chew on anything she could sink her teeth into. I still remember the day I found my new pair of $200 leather shoes chewed beyond recognition when I got home from work. Little Cookies was definitely not very lovable that day :(

I felt so frustrated. I tried doing everything possible like spraying her cute little face with water, spanking her bum with newspaper and shouting NO! NO! NO! BAD! BAD! BAD DOG! They all didn’t work and she would give me her little sad face and I would just feel horrible.

That's when I decided to seek for help. After doing research online I discovered thisgreat border collie training guide that taught me how to train Cookies without any yelling, hitting or spraying. The change in Cookies has been incredible! In no time I got her housetrained. She doesn't bark crazily anymore. She doesn't jump all over my guests and most importantly she doesn't chew on my shoes anymore :)

If you're as frustrated with your dog as I was with Cookies, then I really recommend the guide. It worked great for me, it will work for you too..

Training your Border Collie should begin the moment you come in contact with your puppy or maturing dog. Do not allow a dog to settle into his new surroundings and develop nasty habits that will become larger problems, for the canine and you the master in the future. Border Collies display natural herding instincts, high levels of energy, and quick minds, which calls for patience and consistency from you, as you attempt to train your companion. Below are ways to make the training process much easier:

House-training your Border Collie puppy should start the moment he or she enters your household. It is important to teach your Border Collie a designated location in the yard where toilet activities are allowed. Puppies usually need to use the bathroom after sleeping, eating, and after play. Border Collies are very eager to please their masters and housetraining is quite easy to accomplish if you use the right house training techniques . Just a note, popular housetraining methods often backfire with these dogs.

I learned a great way to correct a Border Collies unwanted behavior in the guide I mentioned above. The method is based on an easy distraction technique that the author used to train Police dogs.

Puppies usually chew everything because they are teething. This is between 12 to 26 weeks and older dogs tend to chew on things when they are bored. Anything is fair game, including furniture, shoes, and even plants. It is important to establish the kind of things deemed acceptable for chewing.

One thing you can try is, when you catch your Border Collie in the act of chewing, is the use of a serious tone of voice to convey disapproval. If the dog stops, a reward should be given. Sometimes, allowing them to associate the act with fear or negativity may help. For example, create loud, frightening noises whenever a dog attempts to chew on something unacceptable. They will equate the object with negativity and avoid it in the future. Whatever you do, physical punishment does not solve the problem.

Voice tone, speed and pitch are important to get your Border Collie listen to you. As you attempt to get your Border Collie to stop barking, sit, come to you, or simply get off of the couch, the tone of voice is an important factor to consider. If you wish for your Border Collie to speed up when walking, the voice pitch should be high and quick. Lowering the pitch of your voice while slowly dragging your words should encourage your dog to slow down. To correct bad behavior, lower the voice pitch and speak in a growling tone. Border Collies also respond well to a conversational tone, as well as whispering, which helps improve their attention span.

Barking is not a canine response that should be smothered, but instead - controlled. It is important to respect your dog when he barks by investigating the reason behind the excessive barking. You'll want to learn an easy step-by-step training plan for your Border Collie that you can follow anytime you want to train them to do something, whether it's new tricks, or stop annoying behavior. Since dogs bark at unknown presences and potential intruders, you should praise the dog when he or she appropriately distinguishes between proper and improper barking habits.

A common trait of a Border Collie is to pull their handler forward and ran ahead while on a leash. Some individuals have found success in holding a treat or toy in front of the dog's nose to teach them how to heel. Constant praise and periodic rewards will teach a dog to stay in this position. When all else fails, the use of a lightweight pinch collar may help.

Many dogs love riding in the backseat of the car, while others need a little practice. When dealing with the first car ride, the dog should be placed in the backseat of the car. If a dog begins to whimper, cry, or howl, do not comfort or pet - this will only feed into his or her fears.

An overly anxious dog may need a backseat companion on the first car ride to introduce the experience, but no cuddling, petting, or coaxing words should be used. For extra protection, some owners invest in a seatbelt for dogs.

That depends on how persistent and patient you are and on the personality of your Border Collie. One of the coolest things I learned was a simple "anchor" method that slashed the time it took me to train Cookies. I was able to get great results with just 15 minutes a day of training.