BORDER COLLIE CLICKER TRAINING
Pupstart’s highly effective border collie clicker training courses provide one-to-one, regular, expert clicker training over 6 weeks, for just £240. These sessions are run at a time that suits you: once you have booked the 6 week course, you will be sent a code that will enable you to sign up to 6 sessions that fit in with your schedule.
If there is anything specific you would like to teach your dog, we can work on that. Otherwise, we can work through training general life skills, tricks and other desirable, useful or impressive behaviours. Become the envy of your friends and neighbours with a keen, responsive and obedient dog.
WHAT IS BORDER COLLIE CLICKER TRAINING?
There’s nothing magical about a clicker; it’s purely a noise-making device. It’s how you use it that’s important!
A clicker makes a consistent noise that’s clearly heard by dogs (although it’s used very successfully for training a variety of other animals too).
It’s a noise that your collie won’t hear in other circumstances in her daily life and there’s no issue with tone of voice, emphasis or volume, as there is with voice commands—it’s always clear, and always sounds the same. It can deliver immediate acknowledgement of correct behaviours, even when your dog is too far away to easily praise or instruct.
THE BENEFITS OF CLICKER TRAINING
My border collie clicker training is not about punishment or displaying displeasure with your dog when they haven’t done what’s been asked of them. It focuses entirely on positive reinforcement, acknowledging and rewarding what your dog is doing right rather than focusing on what your dog is doing wrong.
Like humans, dogs are more likely to repeat an action if it’s rewarded. But they need to know exactly what we want from them—and exactly what they did in the last minute or so to gain praise and reward. Was it wagging their tail? Getting to their feet? A clicker helps with positive reinforcement by helping to accurately pinpoint good behaviours.
The clicker isn’t the reward; it’s the method by which I let your dog know, instantly and precisely, that their very last action was a good one, so that they understand that action was the one I wanted from them. As soon as they hear that click, they know that a reward will be coming.
SO WHY CHOOSE PUPSTART FOR YOUR BORDER COLLIE CLICKER TRAINING?
1. Certified Training Partner
I'm a Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner
Karen Pryor is the most well-known founder of clicker training and the author of many books and papers on the subject. She is an active, leading spokesperson and teacher for effective force-free training across the globe.
I have completed an intensive 1-year course about all aspects of clicker training and positive training methods to become one of the few Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partners in the UK.
This means I have the qualifications and experience to teach people how to develop clicker training skills and build a loving and fulfilling relationship with their dog, using a dog training method that will allow them to teach their dog just about anything.
2. Gentle, Effective Training
MSc Clinical Animal Behaviour
Along with my qualification from the Karen Pryor Academy, I also hold a Canine Principles Canine Coaching Accredited Diploma, and have completed the Canine Principles Fear Course. I'm currently completing the highly regarded MSc in Clinical Animal Behaviour at the University of Lincoln.
This means I’m well-qualified to deliver expert border collie clicker training and assist you with any behavioural problems your dog may have. I’m also passionate about dogs and their well-being too—and based on my studies, training and personal experience as a border collie owner, I firmly believe that a well-trained dog is a happier dog!
I train using gentle, effective techniques based on fear-free principles.
3. Individual Attention
My courses allow you and your dog to learn in your home, in a calm and familiar environment, without the distractions of other dogs or owners. You will both get a full hour of my undivided attention, working on your relationship and your dog’s training.. Training classes can be large and easily dominated by demanding owners or dogs with difficult behaviours, meaning you and your dog may get very little time devoted to your needs.
My 6-week border collie clicker training course offers an hour-long training session every week, either in-person or by video call. I also offer additional support between sessions if required. These sessions are both long enough to instill new training concepts and regular enough to keep up the momentum, ensuring we steadily build on new concepts while they’re still fresh in your dog’s mind.
Yes! The clicker is used to introduce and underpin new behaviours or actions, but once these new behaviours are leant, your dog will know what the desired action is—and that action will continue to be reinforced by praise or rewards from you when they’ve demonstrated it.
Training in person is ideal, but yes—clicker training can be effective via video. If your dog can hear the clicker and I can see your dog, that’s all we need! I can still give you and your dog the individual attention and care on which I pride myself.
Here’s what one of my happy customers, Susan Schwartz, had to say about my video puppy training sessions with her gorgeous boy, Frankie:
“We're a long way from Lincolnshire (up in Scotland) but working on video call has been brilliant. Rachel has talked us through all sorts of training, including recall, stays, loose lead walking and an instant down. She has also given us lots of tips about how to keep him calm in the evenings and make a start on sheep training.”