Does this mean I should keep border collie puppies locked up until they are over their chewing phase?  Absolutely not!  This is not only cruel; it will only make the problem worse.  Hence, what will happen is instead of having an out-of-control chomping puppy, you’ll have a fully grown destructive dog.  However, this doesn’t mean that you should let your pooch have free reign of your home either.  There is an effective way to control this behavior without being unfair to your pet and without losing every item you own.  Below are some helpful hints:

•    Provide your pooch with mental and physical stimulation.  One of the main reasons border-collies chew so much is because they are bored.  This is a very smart dog that has high energy.  Don’t forget they were originally bred for herding.  You must provide him with a good run, playtime, training and walks.

•    Give him teething toys.  You won’t be able to stop border collie puppies from chewing because part of the reason they do it is for comfort.   As their adult teeth begin to develop they will lose their baby teeth, which can cause their gums great discomfort.  Make sure you give them a variety of their own items to chew on.

•    Constructive discipline.  Only scold your fury friend when you catch him in the act of biting on something that isn’t his.  If you happen across a previously destroyed object, you can’t reprimand him because he won’t understand why you are upset.  Dogs associate your reactions to the last action they committed.  When you catch him tearing apart something that isn’t his, tell him “no” firmly and then give him one of his toys.  When he takes and begins to chew it, praise him to let him know this is acceptable.

•    Border collie puppies should be kept in a limited space when they are home alone.  Put him in a proper sized crate or board him up in an area of the house or in a room when he cannot be watched.  Make sure he has his own play things but keep all other objects safely out of the way.

•    Ensure you and your family members keep your items off the floor and room doors closed.  The last thing you want to do is unnecessarily tempt your buddy or risk his safety.

Remember, the more control you have over border collie puppies, the more tolerable the chewing phase will be.  Don’t get mad at your pup for being a dog.  Not every characteristic is pleasant, so to enjoy the good you need to manage the bad and accept natural canine behaviors.

Fetching a frisbee is probably one of the best border collie dog training activities your pet can learn.  This is because he can release a lot of his energy and can also exercise his mind as he won’t always be able to anticipate the direction the soaring toy will take.

How can you teach this activity?  It’s very simple.  For starters you will require a disc you can throw to your dog.  You can obtain one at the local or online pet or toy store.  However, it’s a good idea to purchase a soft (I.E. cloth) frisbee instead of one made from rubber or hard plastic.  The reason being most dogs can easily destroy plastic or may damage their teeth or mouth if they catch it and it splinters, etc.  Rubber, on the other hand, might not easily break but it does not have a flavor that appeals to most canines.

Second, make sure you have a few treats and take your dog into your backyard, a dog park or an area where he is permitted to run free without disturbing others.  Then follow these border collie dog training fetching guidelines:

•    Have him sit in front of you and let him smell the flying disc but don’t allow him to have it.

•    When you have your four-legged buddy’s interest, give the command “fetch” and immediately toss the frisbee.  You don’t need to launch it a great distance; just enough that your sheepdog needs to run to claim it.

•    As soon as he runs and collects it, encourage him with praise and have him come back to you.   When he comes back trade the frisbee for a treat and more praise.

After a few of these border collie dog training exercises he’ll catch on and you’ll have a great new game to play together.  Nevertheless, do keep in mind that while your pet will love this game, try not to throw the disk too high because you don’t want your pal jumping and twisting as this can lead to serious back injuries.   Also, don’t forget that balls are also fun to fetch!

After just a few weeks Issy show off some more of her dog training tricks…

You too can have a Border Collie link Issy. Click here to find out more.

Dazzle knows over 60 tricks most of which were clicker trained.  Free-shaping was also used. Here the trainer waits for behavior to be show naturally and build on that.

Dazzle’s next video show off a few more of of here repertoire.

Whilst you don’t need to train your Border Collie to these high standards all collies will benefit from regular obedience work to keep their brains active. An obedient dog is also a joy to own and a source of great pride.

Luckily Border Collie training is not that difficult as they are so receptive to training and love to please their owners.

The good new is, however, that border collie training isn’t too difficult to achieve because this sheepdog is a fast learner, loves to be given a task and enjoys a challenge.  This is one of the main reasons you often see border-collies in obstacle course competitions and why you may want to consider teaching your dog agility.

This is a sport that involves a handler directing a pooch through an obstacle course as quickly and accurately as possible, without the aid of treats or toys.  It is a true demonstration of a real working partnership between dog and owner.  The course mostly consists of jumps (I.E. tire jump, long jump, double and triple jump, etc.) and may include some or all of the following: A-frame, dogwalk, seesaw, tunnels, weave poles, pause box, and pause table.  Additional obstacles, such as a swing plank and a sway bridge may also exist but usually the diversity depends on which organization is hosting the event.

Regardless of the equipment that is used, understand that the dog’s physical and mental ability needs to be rigorously trained.  Therefore, you have to devote a substantial amount of time to this border collie training and subject your pet to a lot of hard work.  This means you need to think long and hard before deciding if competing is the right choice for you and your buddy.

Dogs can start agility lessons at a young age.  However, you must bear in mind that the safety of your pup is of utter importance.  You don’t want to do anything to injure the bone structure of a young canine because this can shorten his life span.   Hence, your pal should not undergo serious border collie training in the art of agility until they are old enough to endure it.  Usually a collie shouldn’t begin his obstacle course education until he is 18 months old.   That said, you should consult a professional instructor before you begin any lessons to ensure the safety of your pal.

Finally, you should know that you can still include agility in your border collie training even if you don’t want your four-legged friend to compete professionally.  Basic equipment is sold online and in pet stores, which will allow you to create a mini obstacle course in your backyard that can be lots of fun.