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We have a new pup in the house, 8 week old BC. I've been all over the net and have 100% access to the breeder/trainer but wondering where to start (with training). We've started name recognition and of course potty training but specifically wondering how many times a day the "name" training should be worked on. Thanks in advance and pics will be posted later. :)

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Congrats! First border collie then?

 

I, personally, like to start with impulse control. Leave it is essential in my house since I drop things... a lot.

 

It has been said that it takes somewhere to the tune of 9,000 good repetitions before a dog truly "knows" a command. I have never had much luck with drilling or specific training times, so I employ "commercial break training." This means that we'll have plenty of mini training sessions throughout the day with only 4-6 repetitions per session.

 

A solid recall is also a must for any dog. After that, manners and what you can live with (I know some wonderful dogs that have never been taught to sit or down on command in their lives, but they don't jump on guests or steal food, so it's all good).

 

Good luck!

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I really like Pat Miller's articles on dog behavior and training. You can find them here: http://www.peaceable...es.php?type=Pat

 

A trainer that I know here in MD also has good articles here: http://lookwhaticand...ad.com/my-blog/

 

Both of these gals use positive training and are members of APDT.

 

ETA: Leslie (the one I actually know) was trained by Pat Miller

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Thanks for the replies and I'll keep working on him. Another quick question...what do you do to tire these little guys out? Currently we work on name recognition, sit, and bringing the ball back while filling the rest of the day with naps, "no" (lol), walks on the lead, playing in the backyard and in the house and he just keeps going and going. Any suggestions would be great.

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Chew toys might take up a few minutes - to give you a break. (Note - many toys sold at pet stores are NOT chew toys. They can be used "with supervision", but are not to be left alone with a puppy - unless you like spending a lot of money on toys.) The old standby is a Kong that is filled with various mushy foodstuffs that can freeze. Fill and freeze several Kongs at a time so you just have to pull one out when you need it.

 

I have heard of many good suggestions for Kong fillings on these boards so maybe others will chime in. Peanut Butter or PB mixed with cream cheese (both high fat so I use very seldom), kibble that has been wetted into a mush and packed into the Kong, canned dog food, etc. You can also incorporate cut-up veggies into the mush for a healthy component.

 

Also, are you training him to be quiet and comfortable in a crate? Once he learns that skill, you can use crate time to get a break.

Good Luck,

Jovi

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I start with everything from day 1, including handling of all body parts, dealing with stress, obedience, house rules, socialization and trust. My pups spend most of their time just being puppies, but training is weaved into every experience and activity possible.

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Chew toys might take up a few minutes - to give you a break. (Note - many toys sold at pet stores are NOT chew toys. They can be used "with supervision", but are not to be left alone with a puppy - unless you like spending a lot of money on toys.) The old standby is a Kong that is filled with various mushy foodstuffs that can freeze. Fill and freeze several Kongs at a time so you just have to pull one out when you need it.

 

I have heard of many good suggestions for Kong fillings on these boards so maybe others will chime in. Peanut Butter or PB mixed with cream cheese (both high fat so I use very seldom), kibble that has been wetted into a mush and packed into the Kong, canned dog food, etc. You can also incorporate cut-up veggies into the mush for a healthy component.

 

Also, are you training him to be quiet and comfortable in a crate? Once he learns that skill, you can use crate time to get a break.

Good Luck,

Jovi

 

Great suggestion re: the Kong. I have two of them; one large and one medium. I fill them with cut up rolled food like Natural Balance (can't find Rollover anymore). This keeps Hannah busy for a while.

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Of course handling and socialization. When Kayzie was a puppy, we had quiet time every day,a couple of times a day. Sometimes she was alone in her crate, other times she was on the receiving end of a massage. The down time is important too to teach your pup to relax.

 

I have a bad knee, so I don't do a lot of extra physical activities (ie daily walks, jogging) with my dogs anymore. Instead, I focus on their minds. I have a lot of food puzzles, both purchased and home made. I rotate the puzzles so they never have the same one twice in a row. I've also become a clicker master...meaning I'm great at shaping behaviors by just catching parts and letting the dog figure out what I want.

 

About twice a week, we'll go on some little trip either to the pet store or to one of the local dog parks. Even though I could go it alone, Kayzie and I go to training classes several times throughout the year.

 

Best advice is to keep the physical and mental activities balanced.

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I like to work on things that I consider basic life skills from day one -- Things like trimming nails, grooming, brushing teeth -- learning to wait until released before going out the door or eating, etc.

 

Aside from that, I do trick training! Border Collies were more or less made for shaping games and pick up on it very quickly. The possibilities are endless and it's great for working their little brains -- because that tires them out more than physical activity, especially at that age.

 

Do take the pup out for socializing as much as possible! They are little sponges at this age. Carry him until he's completed his vaccinations, but take him to places like PetSmart, etc. where he'll be introduced to all sorts of people, sights & sounds.

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specifically wondering how many times a day the "name" training should be worked on.

 

Getting a dog to recognise what we see as it's "name" normally takes no time at all as long as it is paired with something rewarding for the dog - treat, toy, the chance to do something it enjoys.

It's not a subject for training sessions - take every opportunity you can to reinforce the connection between "name" and good things. Pairing it with meal times is a good start but quite honestly I've never had a dog that didn't learn to start to respond to its name within minutes.

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Getting a dog to recognise what we see as it's "name" normally takes no time at all as long as it is paired with something rewarding for the dog - treat, toy, the chance to do something it enjoys.

It's not a subject for training sessions - take every opportunity you can to reinforce the connection between "name" and good things. Pairing it with meal times is a good start but quite honestly I've never had a dog that didn't learn to start to respond to its name within minutes.

 

 

I should be more detailed....Summit knows his name (looks and runs over when called), just not when he's interested in something else....like the cat, etc. lol

 

We have moved to a new issue now that he's 9.5 weeeks old. Biting! No, doesn't work, time outs work for a little while, and now when you try to get him to stop he starts growling and biting harer. Any ideas. He just finished his second set of shots and will be starting obedience training mid January but I don't want to wait that long to fix any issues.

 

Almost forgot, we start retrieval (fetch) training 4 days ago and he's picked it up quickly. We get about 7 throws before he moves on to somthing else (usually the biting game or chasing the cat.

 

 

pics are downloading now and will be up in a few minutes. :)

 

Thanks for all the info...great site.

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I should be more detailed....Summit knows his name (looks and runs over when called), just not when he's interested in something else....like the cat, etc. lol

 

Don't poison the recall cue by pushing your luck and calling him when there's a good chance you will be ignored.

 

Distractions should be built up gradually. Start with calling him off something that isn't very interesting to him. Obviously the presence of the cat is too much atm.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I've found that kongs, even if frozen, don't last long for a very food-motivated dog. If you decide you need something more difficult, check out Busy Buddy's Squirrel Dude.

 

Wonderful! I have a 10 week old border collie, Bonita, who has already figured out the kong and can empty it at an unbelievable rate. I will have to find this!

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We have a new pup in the house, 8 week old BC. I've been all over the net and have 100% access to the breeder/trainer but wondering where to start (with training). We've started name recognition and of course potty training but specifically wondering how many times a day the "name" training should be worked on. Thanks in advance and pics will be posted later. :)

 

 

I am certainly no expert on training border collies as I too am a beginner, but we have a 10 week old border collie mix, Bonita, who has already picked up on her name quite well. We just talk to her a lot and make sure to say her name when we are working with her, ie: "Good Bonita" Or "NO Bonita" and "Bonita Sit" or "Bonita Come." She comes when we call her name or if we simply say "COME" now. On another note, she also comes when we call Kitty Kitty... I think that's under the assumption that treats are to follow... unfortunately for her, that isn't the case. lol Congrats on your new baby though!

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Are you asking for general puppy training, or are you hoping to get into a sport?

 

General puppy now but ideally want to start him in agility...so basically looking for whatever the experts (and other owners) think are good things to start training him on before formal training (which starts 2nd of Feb. :)

 

Thanks for all the replies...on a side note, so far he knows his name, sit, down, leave it (unless its the cat) and we are working on come (though he comes when you call his name (most of the time....again cat lol)

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What type of "formal" training are you referring to? With a pup you shouldn't do activities like jumping that can stress their growth plates. Please make sure you read up on when it is safe to start agility--I don't remember exactly, but I think it's no sooner than 1 yr old before formal agility training can be done safely. The same goes for activities such as sustained running and frisbee catching in the air. Just be careful--you havc many wonderful years ahead to train.

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No worries on the time line....I meant his general training starts next month and I will wait until the instructor says its good to enroll in the agility course (trainer is also the breeder and competes with her 7 dogs)

 

I just want to keep the little guy occupied and figured WTH, might as well do some pre-training before the formal starts.

 

Games???? What games are good for him. I'm open to all suggestions.

 

Thanks all for the great responses. :)

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