Purchase

Taking a Border Puppy home is a fantastic, but it also raises a number of questions. Moreover, there are some things that you have to take into account. We explain you on the basis of 11 steps how you can raise your border collie puppy well.
It does not really matter if you have just brought a puppy into your home or if you have decided to teach your border collie some things from youtube.

The Breed: Border collie

The Border Collie is known as a working dog. This is mainly because they are bred to help the farmers. Especially for herding cattle or sheep. This has ensured that this breed has become very intelligent over the generations. So they not only have the “looks”, but also the “brains”. In addition to their intelligence, they also have a great learning capacity and a strong urge to move. It is therefore a breed that you must certainly give challenges and “keep busy”.

What age you start training?

We regularly receive questions about the age at which you can start raising a border collie. Answering that question is a bit double. Because it depends on what you want to practice. For example, if your dog is 12-16 months old and you only want to start with basic things like toilet training, obedience and socialization, then you are actually late. But if, on the other hand, you want to start using trucks in 4-5 months, that is early. It is best to wait up to 7-8 months to turn it into an exemplary pet. At that age they usually learn everything well.

Consistency is the key to success!

This is an important rule in education. Be consistent and sure during the learning process. So if he is allowed in the seat one time and not the day after, this will certainly not benefit the training. Make sure you always use the same command. Alternating between “sit down” and “sit down”, for example, is also not a good idea. Choose 1 command.

Positive training

Positive dog training is based on rewarding and does not work with corrections or punishment. Correct behavior is rewarded and we try to avoid wrong behavior. If this fails, we ignore it.
It is more difficult to change unwanted behavior than to teach good behavior. But as you will notice, unwanted behavior can also be changed in a positive way. In any case, try not (unknowingly) to reward wrong behavior and always reward the desired behavior. And the border collie lives to please his owner.

The 11 tips:

  1. Research and information.

Zorg er eerst voor dat je goed weet wat een border collie allemaal nodig heeft. Past dit ras echt bij jou? Bekijk ook waar je pup vandaan komt. Zijn er problemen met de ouders? Komt je Border Collie uit het asiel? Hebben ze daar extra informatie over zijn karakter? Past dit bij jou? Wees je er ook van bewust dat een oudere hond trainen meer tijd in beslag neemt.

  • Socialize your border collie.
    Teach him to interact with other dogs, other people and children. It is important that he learns how to react in different circumstances. Between 3 and 12 weeks your puppy will really absorb everything like a sponge. So that is the moment to teach him everything well.
  • Benchtraining
    A Border Collie puppy can best be raised with the help of a bench. Not only for toilet training, but also with separation anxiety, for example. Make sure he doesn’t see his bench as something that punishes him. But associate it with a reward.
  • Potty training
    Clean your border Collie by walking it out often and at the right times. Best after sleeping, after eating and after a game. Then take him to his permanent outlet and reward him if he has done his need. In the beginning you reward quite exuberantly with a few “bravo’s” and a nice candy. You gradually reduce this.
  • Movement and activities
    As previous mentioned. A border collie loves movement and challenge. Both mentally and physically. Also make sure he gets it. Otherwise you will get a problem dog.
  • Simple tasks
    Start with simple commands such as sit, lie, stay, … and make sure you are consistent. Also reward him with a caress and a good word if the assignment is well done.
  • Avoid changing trainers
    Not only at the dog school, but also at your home. Choose 1 or 2 trainers in the family. And agree the commands well among themselves.
  • On to the next level.
    If the basic commands are well taught, start with agility, frisbee or sheep driving. Your border collie will really enjoy that.
  • Exercise daily
    Boorder collies enjoy walks with their owners. And that is healthy for both of you. Teach him to walk on the loose line and enjoy the beautiful nature together.
  • Patience
    Always be patient. If you get frustrated, it only gets harder. Both for your dog and for yourself. Avoid shouting, even if it goes wrong twenty times. A strong but friendly voice works best.
  • The border collie instinct
    Bear in mind that the border collie instinct can always emerge. So certainly do not expect a lap dog and certainly do not think that you can limit his urge to move.

I recommend taking your Border Collie to the puppy course. Teach your border collie what is left and right. They are very suitable for participating in obedience as a follow-up, as a result of which you naturally get a good listening dog and a very nice family member.
Do not continue training with your border collie until it is ready. A border that is going to drive sheep will only become interested in sheep in its puberty (around eight months). Watching how a training goes with your puppy is of course also fun. That way, he will get to know sheep and as an owner you will see who is training. Feel free to ask, because most trainers are happy to help you further.
For other sports, more patience is needed. Agility and Doggydancing requires a lot from the body of a border collie and must jump and other tricks can do this. Because a body of a border only really grows a bit with one year, you can only start training fully from one year.
We first train our borders very intensively for showing, if you want to know more about it, feel free to send me an email.
In fact, a border collie is not too fond of anything and would like to do something for you. So think about YouTube or another form of social media that can help you with that.