Rachel Rodgers
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
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
If your dog is refusing to get in the car, then the chances are that he is afraid of car travel for some reason. However, it’s important to rule out any other issues such as motion sickness or pain, so always ask your vet to check him over to rule these out. Dogs with certain … Read more
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
Training a border collie puppy not to bite can be difficult because biting is such a strong puppy behaviour. Biting is normal puppy behaviour but it is often painful, annoying, and difficult to manage. It often gets worse in the evenings when the family wants to relax in the lounge together and just watch TV. … Read more
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
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