by Cynthia Wall

Created on: October 29, 2009   Last Updated: October 30, 2009

You've probably seen the bumper stickers that read: My Border Collie is Smarter than Your Honors Student. Anyone who has had a Border Collie knows that it is true. Border Collies are intelligent, intense, and inquisitive. They're also easily bored. If you don't give them a job, they'll find one of their own and it may not be to your liking.

The key to training a Border Collie is to keep them interested. They learn quickly. You don't need to repeat something 20 times for them to get the hang of it. What you do need to do is perform the exercise with different challenges so that your dog's brain is still turned on. An example would be our own beloved Border Collie who was the star pupil in her obedience class. However, on graduation night, a hot summer night with little breeze, she simply got up from the long down stay and walked down to the nearby stream which she could hear. I found her sitting in the water enjoying her cooling. That was the end of our regular obedience work because it was simply too boring for her.

However, taking a note to my husband in our fields was a wonderful challenge for her. With the command Go find, she was off and running with the note attached to her collar. She got to track, run fast, and be praised at the end. She also liked to fetch various objects, showing that she knew the difference between purple rabbit and slippers. But, if we showed off that trick more than twice, she was bored.

The biggest positive of training a Border Collie is that they are Velcro dogs. They want to be with you which makes teaching the recall easy. Coming when called is the one command that every dog must obey without exception. It is the command that can save his or her life so even if your dog gets bored, insist on obedience. Mix up the training by hiding or running away or doing any zigzag movement you can which makes it more of a challenge for the dog to come to you. Call your Border Collie in the face of temptation cats, squirrels, deer, etc. A well-trained Border Collie will drop anything to return to its owner.

Make training sessions brief but frequent. Border Collies are never couch potatoes. While, they can behave perfectly well inside, they need to go outside frequently to burn energy. So, go out to play Frisbee for a few minutes, do a few recalls or heeling exercises, and then play some more Frisbee. Border Collies excel at Agility and Fly ball; in fact, they are usually in the top positions in competition. If you are agile enough to keep up with your dog, take it to agility training. You'll be amazed at the speed with which your dog can jump hurdles, zoom through tunnels, and weave through poles. The Border Collie thrives on praise and excitement. Make sure to provide both.

If you're fortunate enough to live in an area that has herding opportunities, consider training your dog for herding. There are classes available just look them up online. Even if you don't have livestock of your own, your dog will enjoy an occasional herding exercise. Be warned that they will also herd small children and cats at home make sure to train your Border Collie early not to nip when around children or other animals.

A Border Collie will be the best pupil you'll ever have provided you are a good teacher. If you don't love excitement, moving fast, and lots of challenges, this is not the dog for you. But, if you want a loyal friend who will beg for a job every day, rejoice in your Border Collies' natural abilities, and keep him or her fully employed.

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