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.

The first thing you need to understand is that border collie dogs were bred with a herding instinct.  Their main purpose was to herd livestock and even today they are considered to be the best herders of any dog.  The second thing you need to realize is that no matter what you do, you will never train this characteristic out of this canine.  It is part of his genetic makeup.

The instinct is stronger in some than in others, but the need to round-up and herd sheep will almost always overtake the dog and, the reality is, in the mind of this pooch, children are simply wool-less sheep.  Thus, without knowing how to control the issue, kids and border collies can be a disaster waiting to happen.

Why?  Basically the reason is the natural instincts of the two are completely incompatible.   Consider the following situation:  An excited child who was minding his/her own business or was playing with their sweet four legged friend, runs out the front door or into the backyard.  Suddenly, the border collie dogs herding nature kicks in and he wants to re-collect the escaped “sheep”.  He runs full tilt and blocks the child’s path, looking very threatening.

The child’s natural reaction is to become frightened, scream and run.  Unfortunately, this response only furthers the collie’s desire to put the “livestock” back in line and he will become even more ferocious, nipping at the kid’s heels or grabbing on to them to drag them back into the home.  Though the animal will find nothing wrong with his actions, the poor little boy or girl and any onlooker will be traumatized by the ordeal.

Therefore, in order for a child and border collie dogs to pleasantly exist together, you need to make sure you don’t inadvertently train your family pet to treat your children as farm animals.  This can be achieved by…

• Teaching him obedience and dominance training.  You need to make it clear to your canine where his place is in your pack.   Make sure you feed him after you and your family eat, walk through doors before him, etc.
• Telling your child to stay quiet, calm and stand still when the pooch attempts to herd them.  This will make him less likely to nip or bite and he’ll no longer think of the kid escaping and turn back into “normal” mode.
• Do not leave your kids unsupervised with the dog.   Especially those under the age of 10.

Thus, the answer as to whether or not border collie dogs are a good family pet is something that can only be determined by the individual owner.  If you are willing to fully understand this breed and are ready to put a full-time effort in to train this dog, as well as educate your children on how to react and respond to the pooch, you should have no major problems creating a happy and healthy environment where everyone gets along.