Stopping your border collie from barking at larger animals

Contrary to expectations, border collie puppies tend to be a bit nervous of other larger animals, especially horses, cows and, surprisingly, sheep.  The first few times they encounter them they may be alarmed to see a much larger animal, that does not appear to communicate in dog language, which may cause them to hide, back … Read more

How can I stop my border collie resource guarding stolen items?

border collie resource guarding stolen items

Is your border collie resource guarding stolen items: stealing items and running off, then getting defensive when you try and take these items away?  This is known as resource guarding and may occur alongside similar resource guarding related to food, treats or proximity to the dog’s owner, particularly the owner that controls most of the … Read more

Preventing Chasing In Border Collies

preventing border collie chasing behaviour

Border collies have a strong predatory instinct, and it’s this drive that makes them ideal for herding sheep.  They rarely actually kill the chased object, they don’t have the final “kill” element of the predatory response – they are more driven to stop movement.  When first introduced to sheep, most border collies will instinctively hold … Read more

Recall Training – Fed Up With Having to Shout “Sausage”?

recall training

It often amuses me when doing recall training, that dogs won’t come to the recall cue that we think we have trained but will drop everything and come running as soon as we shout magic words such as “sausage”, “chewy” or “doggy swizzle sticks”.  We hate shouting these words because it’s embarrassing in front of … Read more