Border Collies are full of energy and spirit. If you own one you’ll know exactly what we mean. They stick closely to your side and are always up for playing around. They’re confident and tenacious. That’s probably part of the reason you love yours. However, despite being intelligent, they can be somewhat reluctant to learn obedience commands at times. Before you can go on to train him to ‘roll over’ or herd sheep, you’ll need to teach him the basic commands. The first of which is ‘sit’. It may seem relatively straightforward, but if your Border Collie is stubborn it’s not always a walk in the park.
Get this training right and you’ll have the perfect foundation to turn him into an effective sheepdog. It will also help you assert your control, making it easier to stamp out any number of bad behaviors.
Border Collies are switched-on dogs. This means teaching yours to sit should be relatively straightforward. The biggest obstacle is finding the right incentive. Fortunately, they have a strong sense of smell and a weak spot for anything they can eat. So, you’ll use the right tasty motivator to get him dancing to your beat. In some cases, a favorite toy can also do the trick.
If he’s a tenacious little puppy he should be a quick learner. This means you could see results in a matter of days. If he’s older and never been good at following orders then you may need a little while longer. It could take up to 10 days. Succeed with this training and you’ll have taken the first step towards having a disciplined and receptive dog. You’ll also find you can then instruct him to calmly sit while you prepare his food or fit a leash to his collar.
Before training can begin you’ll need a few things. Break the smelliest food you can find into small pieces. Alternatively, if he loves a particular treat, stock up on that. For one of the methods, you’ll also need a clicker.
You’ll then need to set aside some time for training each day. Just 5 minutes should do the job. Practice in a quiet room away from distractions.
Once you have all that, just come with a can-do attitude and work can begin!