Rachel Rodgers
Border collie shadow obsession (also known as shadow chasing, light chasing, or fixating on reflections), is a fairly common border collie behaviour, in which collies start to fixate on moving shapes on floors and walls. Affected collies may just have brief periods of shadow watching at certain times of day, while others watch shadows … Read more
I’m often asked how long before a border collie puppy stops biting! People are disappointed and frustrated that their cute border collie puppy bites a LOT and makes everyone’s life difficult. It REALLY hurts and it’s disappointing that your cute puppy feels more like a monster. I’ve been there!! It’s unfortunately a VERY common … Read more
Why is my border collie jumping up? Border collies are very attached to their owners, and when they first see us, it’s a natural instinct to want to jump up. This can cause problems, particularly when it’s wet and muddy. Or when your dog jumps all over guests in your home so that they feel … Read more
What causes arousal in dogs? Dogs, particularly border collies who are prone to extremes of emotion, can become aroused in all sorts of situations, from excitement at meeting new people, to fear of new situations or other dogs. The more intense the emotion the dog feels, the higher the arousal. Arousal in border collies is … Read more
Owners often contact me to ask how they can teach their shadow chasing border collie not to chase shadows, a habit that, once started, is very difficult to break. If the habit is not managed properly it can quickly become an obsession and starts to take over a dog’s life. They can be so obsessed … Read more
Training the instant down is important and a behaviour that all dogs should be taught to do as it can be a lifesaver in certain situations. Imagine you are out walking your dog, when a car suddenly rounds a corner at close quarters. You are on one side of the road and the car is … Read more
The first stage in any behaviour modification program involves managing the problem behaviour. This is because the more a dog practises a behaviour, the more likely it is to perform that behaviour in that situation. We therefore try and ensure that, whilst training is ongoing, we don’t put the dog into any situations in … Read more
Border collies, on the whole, are not aggressive dogs, but they can very easily become overwhelmed and defensive. They are bred for working on farms, in the peace and quiet of the countryside, in close contact with their owner and a handful of other collies or farm dogs that are generally respectful of each other. … Read more
This is a great game for keeping border collie puppies amused during the long dark winter evenings, and it’s something you can do in the lounge at night while watching TV. It’s perfect for teaching dogs to bring balls back to you rather than just running off with them. Have at least three or four … Read more
A newly released paper (July 2022) reveals an extremely interesting link between “giftedness” and playfulness in border collies. In the paper, “A comparison of personality traits of gifted word learner and typical border collies” (click here to read the paper), the authors define “giftedness” as the ability of a dog to learn the names of … Read more