How to Train Border Collies
Break the trick down., Keep commands consistent., Say the command once., Use a treat to encourage the behavior you want., Fade out the treats., Keep repeating the practice., Limit your training periods to short intervals., Change up your tricks...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Break the trick down.
For instance, the command "stay" can be broken into a number of steps.
The first step is to teach your dog to sit and not get up until you tell her to.
Then, you can move on to staying for a short time.
Next, move on to staying for a longer period.One trick you might want to teach your border collie is "down," since border collies like to herd anything they animal or person they can find.
By teaching them this trick, you'll be able to control their behavior better when they start to herd, especially if you pair it with other commands such as "drop." -
Step 2: Keep commands consistent.
That is, always use the same word for the same behavior.
Switching between "sit" and "sit down" can confuse your dog.
Pick one, and stick to it.Border collies are also smart enough to learn whistle commands. , Border collies will pick up on the command quickly, so just say it once and teach the behavior.
If you say it multiple times, she may expect you to say it multiple times every time you give the command., For instance, if you want to teach a dog to sit, hold the treat an inch in front of her nose.
Slowly move the treat above her head.
This movement encourages her to sit.
Don't forget to use the command in conjunction with the action.
Once the dog sits, praise her and give her the retreat., Once the dog starts learning the trick, you can still guide the dog but take away the treat.
Reward him with praise and petting.Instead of fading out the treats completely, you can use intermittent reinforcement.
That is, only reward the dog with a treat at random times.
That way, she will still do what you want with the hope of getting a treat, but she won't expect one every time.
Border collies are smart enough to understand this process., Over time, keep repeating the command so that your dog will slowly learn what you want her to do., Most dogs get bored easily, and it can be especially true with border collies, given their high intelligence.
Don't let a training session go beyond 15 minutes., That is, don't try to teach the same trick for the whole 15 minutes.
You can do as few as 5 repetitions trying to teach one trick or up to
15.
Switch to another task after that., That is, end with a trick your dog knows how to do.
That way, you can praise her up and down, and she'll be willing to try learning tricks with you again sometime. -
Step 3: Say the command once.
-
Step 4: Use a treat to encourage the behavior you want.
-
Step 5: Fade out the treats.
-
Step 6: Keep repeating the practice.
-
Step 7: Limit your training periods to short intervals.
-
Step 8: Change up your tricks.
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Step 9: End happy.
Detailed Guide
For instance, the command "stay" can be broken into a number of steps.
The first step is to teach your dog to sit and not get up until you tell her to.
Then, you can move on to staying for a short time.
Next, move on to staying for a longer period.One trick you might want to teach your border collie is "down," since border collies like to herd anything they animal or person they can find.
By teaching them this trick, you'll be able to control their behavior better when they start to herd, especially if you pair it with other commands such as "drop."
That is, always use the same word for the same behavior.
Switching between "sit" and "sit down" can confuse your dog.
Pick one, and stick to it.Border collies are also smart enough to learn whistle commands. , Border collies will pick up on the command quickly, so just say it once and teach the behavior.
If you say it multiple times, she may expect you to say it multiple times every time you give the command., For instance, if you want to teach a dog to sit, hold the treat an inch in front of her nose.
Slowly move the treat above her head.
This movement encourages her to sit.
Don't forget to use the command in conjunction with the action.
Once the dog sits, praise her and give her the retreat., Once the dog starts learning the trick, you can still guide the dog but take away the treat.
Reward him with praise and petting.Instead of fading out the treats completely, you can use intermittent reinforcement.
That is, only reward the dog with a treat at random times.
That way, she will still do what you want with the hope of getting a treat, but she won't expect one every time.
Border collies are smart enough to understand this process., Over time, keep repeating the command so that your dog will slowly learn what you want her to do., Most dogs get bored easily, and it can be especially true with border collies, given their high intelligence.
Don't let a training session go beyond 15 minutes., That is, don't try to teach the same trick for the whole 15 minutes.
You can do as few as 5 repetitions trying to teach one trick or up to
15.
Switch to another task after that., That is, end with a trick your dog knows how to do.
That way, you can praise her up and down, and she'll be willing to try learning tricks with you again sometime.
About the Author
Cynthia Allen
Professional writer focused on creating easy-to-follow hobbies tutorials.
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