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Border Collie Training Guide – Crate, Toilet & More Tips!

Dr. Cristina Vulpe
Reviewed by:
Dr. Cristina Alice Vulpe
Veterinarian

Training any dog is essential, and if you have an energetic and intelligent dog like a Border Collie, you must ensure they are well trained from a young age.

Training your dog takes in all aspects of their behaviour, including how they interact with people and other dogs and how they behave in the home, and will even stop them from going to the toilet indoors.

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Should I Train My Border Collie?

Absolutely!. Border Collies are traditionally working dogs with strong herding instincts, so training and socialisation from a young age will help them interact with other dogs and animals.
 

Are Border Collies Easy To Train?

Border collies are intelligent dogs who can easily pick up training and commands. It is worth noting that intelligent dogs need a lot of mental stimulation to help them stay focused and minimise the risk of losing interest.
 

What Kind Of Training Does A Border Collie Need?

Obedience and socialisation training are essential for Border Collie puppies, and training them from a young age will help them learn acceptable behaviours as they grow. Obedience training will help the dog learn to follow the rules and minimise the risk of behavioural issues. Socialisation classes are an excellent way for young Border Collies to mix with other dogs.

Border Collie puppy training can be challenging as the dog will need to be mentally stimulated, so being persistent and training in short sessions so the dog doesn’t get bored can help.

Other training a Border Collie owner must consider includes toilet and crate training.
 

Toilet Training A Border Collie Puppy

Toilet training is essential for all dog breeds to ensure your home is kept nice and clean, and you can take the dog into other inside areas without worrying that they might go to the loo.

When to start toilet training your Border Collie puppy

You can start toilet-training your Border Collie puppy as soon as you get them; it can take up to around four to six months for them to get the hang of it. Even after this timescale, accidents might still happen, so being able to take them out regularly will help.

How to toilet train your Border Collie puppy

Toilet training a dog takes persistence, and you shouldn’t get angry with your dog for not picking it up immediately. The following steps should help with toilet training Border Collies.

Step 1: Establish a Designated Area

Establishing an area for your dog to go to the toilet will help them pick up the training faster. This could be in your garden, a nearby tree or lamp post, or even a puppy pad in a specific area if you live in an apartment.

Step 2: Create a Regular Schedule

Trying to create a regular schedule, like first thing in the morning and the last thing at night, will help your dog grow accustomed to when they should go. Spotting the signs and behaviours for when they need to go is also important and will allow you to get them to the designated spot.

Step 3: Positive Reinforcement

Strong encouragement and giving your dog a treat when they go to the toilet in their designated area will have a positive effect.
 

Crate Training Your Border Collie

Dog crates are typically made of metal, plastic, or wire and are used to mimic a dog’s den. This provides the dog with a safe space and can be used for travelling.

Why is it important to crate train your Border Collie puppy?

Crate training a Border Collie puppy is important as they will learn to get used to this space that is their own. It also gives you somewhere to put the dog while unsupervised, so it is not destructive in the home.

When to start crate training your Border Collie puppy

Dogs can be crate trained after around eight weeks, so you can start when your puppy comes home with you.

How to crate train your Border Collie puppy

Crate training your puppy is relatively straightforward as you let them get used to the space.

Because you want it to be a positive experience, hiding some of their favourite treats under their blankets will let them go in and sniff around.

Leave the crate door open the first few times the dog goes in the crate, and always sit nearby to encourage and interact with your dog.

Gradually, you can close the crate door, but stay with the dog and encourage them. After you open the door to let them out, make a big fuss and tell them how well they have done.

You will then be able to start leaving the dog in the crate for longer or leaving the dog to search for treats before returning and praising it. Over time the dog will associate this with being its own safe space where it can relax.

Pros and cons of crate training

Crate training can mean you have a safe space to leave your dog without fearing it is chewing or being destructive. It will also give the dog somewhere to sleep at night, where it won’t bother you.

Crate training will also positively impact toilet training as it will not want to go where it sleeps.

The cons of crate training include the dog getting physically frustrated or emotionally distressed when put in the crate. Likewise, your pup could view it as a punishment if crate training has not gone well.
 

Can I Train My Border Collie To Do Tricks?

Border collies can learn tricks easily, and shaking hands, rolling over, and playing dead are some of the most popular tricks they can be taught. Agility training is another option that border collies take well to.
 

Tips For Training Your Border Collie

An untrained Border Collie could be dangerous to itself, other animals, or even people. Training your dog to be obedient and have good recall is important for these energetic dogs.

Be consistent

Being both consistent and persistent with your training will benefit your dog immensely. Dogs respond well to structure, so regular exercise and persistence when things don’t go to plan will greatly help your Border Collie.

Positive reinforcement is key

Your Border Collie will love making you happy, and showing positive reinforcement is one of the best ways to encourage them during training. If they see you behaving positively, they will actively try harder.

Avoid over-using treats

Treats can be a great way to reward your dog during training, but overuse of this reward method can lead to your dog gaining weight or can cause stomach upsets.

Consider clicker training

Conditioning your dog to associate the clicking sound with being positive will help you train your dog without having to give them treats every time.
 

Final Thoughts on Training A Border Collie

Border Collie training can be very rewarding for your dog’s behaviour if you stick with it. Because this breed is such an intelligent dog, they can pick up training quickly. However, you must stimulate their training to keep their attention mentally.

Training an adult Border Collie will always be more complicated than training a puppy because there is an element of having to undo all the bad habits the dog has picked up to teach it acceptable behaviours.

Training your dog is as important as providing physical and mental exercise, and a well-trained dog will be much more enjoyable for you and other dog owners to spend time with.

Learn more about: Border Collie Dog Breed Information

Other helpful information

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