Teaching Border Collie to Heel 

If it makes you feel better, my young dog Skene who is a year and a half, struggles with those same issues, but it is honestly getting a lot better! One of the things we have worked on a LOT is counter conditioning (mark and treat). The video for that is here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-cYu1_eNWXos.html I will probably do a follow up video for this soon. Also I'll be sharing some games that we are playing. Although Skene is not perfect, I can see he is definitely improving and I am confident he will continue to improve. Border collies can be SO movement sensitive because they are bred for that exact trait (think keeping a flock of sheep in one place - attention to every movement and detail). Don't be discouraged. You have yourself an adolescent and the good news is that their brains can be "re-shaped".

So glad I could help!

I didn't know about harnesses for years either, but when I saw front clip harnesses, they made so much sense to me. I really love the front and back clip combination harnesses and they are making better versions of them all the time!

I like this method too. It's a fun way to teach heeling.

With that kind of effort, I bet she is an amazing dog. Great job!

Thank you! :)

It's another ""how to" video I'd like to eventually make. It takes time but just a series of steps that the dog needs to learn. I love that people each have their own interpretation of each dog painting. My dog Sprite would pick her own colours. :)

That was so cool, would Love to see the masterpiece!

@@SuzyTopAgent This is the video with my dog Sprite and the final masterpiece. lol She was recovering from vestibular disease. She was such a wuper cool dog. I miss her. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-3nW9bKexR4w.html

Suzy Valentin Realtor not always perfectly behaved but I work on it! My Sprite made really cool paintings. Going to teach Skene too.

You can do this with a pup, just remember that puppies can't catch as well, especially really young pups. Here is another way you can also teach heeling: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-c3kS5NIfMbk.html

I'm so glad to hear this! :)

You can start right away, just remember really young pups can't catch that well. Here is another training method you can use: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-c3kS5NIfMbk.html Also for training your pup to catch, here's a video you might want to use for more success: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Ug42e9ShuJU.html

Yay! So glad you liked it. :)

In that case you can start with impulse control games. You can hold a treat in your palm and if your dog mugs you for it, close your hand. If the dog moves a little back or settles then open your palm and with the other hand deliver the treat straight to their mouth. Doing this many times teaches them that grabbing doesn’t get them the treat.

Legion of Weirdos This is definitely not a fix all exercise. My border collie puppy Skene wasn’t allowed to play with other dogs after recovering from patella surgery and now he gets really amped up when he is around other dogs. But my border collie Keegan who was also fearful, is much more focused on leash now. There are lots of exercises to build better attention and this is just one. It takes time but honestly they can improve. Some dogs get overstimulated easily. All my dogs are “works in progress” but they have come a long way. 🙂

Legion of Weirdos also regarding collar pulling, I like using a front clip harness. Pressure on the neck is something most dogs don’t like. You can clip both the front and back for added security.

Mike Phillips let me know how it goes! It’s been fun doing this with my dogs. Takes a few sessions but really great for keeping their attention. Frenchies are neat dogs btw.

Oh wow, a border collie paddling across the lake - I could imagine it! :D And yes my childhood border collie knew that children were excellent targets for a game of fetch. He was often the back-catcher for our baseball games. :D

George Christofi yes leash walking is truly an art form. Training a dog is kind of like growing a RU-vid channel! 🙂 Results depend on strategy, adaptability, and lots of hard work! But also both can be fun. 🙂 And thanks about the hair. 😁

You could start this, just keep sessions short - like 3 minutes. This might be even better to do with your pup: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-c3kS5NIfMbk.html It's about keeping your dog wanting to stay close to you while keeping a loose leash. Any games for relationship building are great to do with puppies! Congrats on your puppy! So exciting.

This training is about getting your dog to change patterns (think, retrain the brain) and so it might seem weird at first, but after awhile it becomes a default for the dog. It's like with humans, the more we repeat certain habits, the more those habits become a lifestyle. :)

Some take a lot more patience to train! Doing short (1-3 minute) training sessions every day can really help over time though.

One thing you can do is use some or all of his food for training and do the training using the meal. There are lots of food games, one is called the mouse game. You trap the food under your hand and move it around to animate it, but don’t give it to him if he mugs you, wait until he doesn’t grab, then give the food or remove your hand. Also choose food for training that he really loves and you can train when he is most hungry for a meal.

You are very welcome! 🙂

With my younger dogs I frequently train this (couple of times a week, sometimes each day). Even for my oldest who heels very well, it is good to sometimes practice just to reinforce it.

I'm so glad you found this helpful!

I also used threats but my dog just became scared of me

What? No don't get another.

@@DrearyOne I got another one now, it's a lab BC mix. Having the same issues with leash pulling though

I have a 5 months old collie who is extremely energetic. She will pull for the first 10mins when we leave the house until she's at the park then I let her off the lead and throw her a stick. After that she's perfect. If her pulling is too much. Il hold a stick or ball and say 'what's this' then she'll follow me at my feet with all attention on me waiting for me to throw it. I think if your getting puppies and putting them down because they have too much energy then your not suitable to own a dog.

@@DrearyOne it's not my fault if the dog can't learn. Must be a bad breed. I'm already starting to think this one will have to go the same way as the last one. It makes me sad though

@@MF_JONES a border collie is not a bad breed, it is a smart dog and wants to work for you. If this is not how you experience it, its about you and not about the dog :)