Training Tips & Tricks
Follow My Leader - Meet Gunner - A lesson in Consistency - The exception to the rule
Don't make the mistake of treating your dogs like humans, or they'll treat you like dogs.
--Martha Scott |
The phrase above is probably more applicable to Border Collies than any other breed.
A Border Collie will readily assume a leadership role (over you!) if it doesn't see you as it's leader. |
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It's natural. Border Collies are very, very smart! They will figure you out. And quickly too!
A simple example... You hook your precious new puppy to a leash for the first time, and it immediately throws itself onto it's back and wriggles around in complaint. If you remove the leash, pick your puppy up, hold it lovingly and say "Aw Diddums. If Fluffy-Wuffy isn't ready for a leash yet, that's OK." And then you repeat that behavior (even just a few times). Your Border Collie will very quickly learn what it needs to do, to get you to do what it wants you to do.
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And it won't be fun when you're wreslting a 40lb Wriggle-Monster twelve months later!
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It's the little things in life that help your Border Collie realize it is safe and secure, living comfortably and freely, in the hands of the world's greatest, most compassionate, admirable leader... You!
Your Border Collie does not want to be in charge.
Trust me on this.
When you're relatively new to the world, not sure how to act in the miriad of different situations that present themselves every day, the last thing you want is to have to be in charge! |
I mean...
What does the Boss do if something really terrible happens,
like the doorbell starts ringing? |
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Someone's obviously there!
Who knows who it could be!?
It could be anyone!
It could be an Axe-Murderer!
It could be a giant Grisley Bear standing there ringing the doorbell.
Who knows?
Original artwork by bcrescue.org |
The thing to do, probably, is to Freak Out! Bark like your life depended on it (It might!). Bounce off the floor and onto the couch (Never mind who's sitting there. Lives are at risk). Flip off the couch, onto the coffee table and over to the door (in one graceful nanosecond). And bark more.
That's perfect.
In a matter of seconds, everyone is alerted to the potential danger, and there's a pretty good chance that the intruder will be so afraid of the horrific noise of barking, injured human groans, and flying coffee cups, that they'll probably leave anyway.
Right? |
Unfortunately not.
I'll say it again... Your Border Collie, absolutely, does not want to be in charge.
Let's rerun that scenario, breifly, as an example.
The doorbell rings. Your dog barks instinctively, jumps to his feet and barks again. He looks round at you and finds you headed towards the door. You tell him he's a good boy and he wags his tail. You tell him to wait and he lays down. You peek out the little front-door spyhole, turn back around and happily announce that it's Aunt Clair. He wags his tale frantically and runs up beside you. You open the door and he jumps up on Aunt Clair (in excitement) even though he not supposed to.
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Emotionally, from the dog's perspective, these scenarios couldn't be further apart.
One is entirely driven by fear and instinct. The other full of trust, reward and happiness.
So how does it work?
Why would a dog, with it's own self-interest at heart, put it's own reactions aside and look to you for advice on what to do and how to act?
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Because...
Your Border Collie does not want to be in charge.
A dog would rather spend it's life with trust, reward and happiness
than live with the fear and uncertainty of leadership.
They like being happy. And they're happier if you are in charge.
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Meet Gunner.
He's one of our pups. He was born January 1st, 2006.
Gunner has issues! 
Actually, in fairness, Gunner had issues. And he didn't really have issues. His owner did.
I'll explain more in a minute, but first, let me tell you a little story of our getting reacquainted.
Gunner & The Demonic Snake Dragon
Prelude
When Vera has her puppies she's mean. Straight up. If you even look at the box when those puppies are making a noise, she'll have you! She'll be snarling and drooling and flicking her tonge in your face like a Demonic Snake Dragon. It's crazy. Honestly. God-forbid anyone ever get in that box with those pups. She'd rip them limb from limb.
Content
When Gunner was about 8months old he came back to visit. We were puppy-sitting. We hadn't seen him since he'd left. Vera had another litter in the same whelping box, in the same place, as when Gunner left. It was a surprise pregnancy, but that's another story. Anyhow...
We opened the door and Gunner bolted towards the whelping box. After that all I remember is in slow-motion. Everyone took off towards Gunner, arms outstretched, yelling "Nnnnoooooo."
With a single leap Gunner cleared the whelping box walls, floated for what felt like 10 seconds, then landed amidst his younger brothers and sisters On The Inside!
3 or 4 nanoseconds later Vera was on the scene.
She jumped her front paws onto the wall of the box. And then... started wagging her tail!
We were stunned.
Not only did she know that Gunner was one of her pups but, in the days that followed, she was happiest when he was curled up right along side his younger brothers and sisters. Amazing!
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For at least three months before Gunner came back to visit, his owner had been phoning us asking for advice regarding his behavior.
He couldn't, apparently, be taken for a walk because he would lunge at people.
He couldn't be lose in the house because he would snap at the owner's daughter's young friends.
It was really quite bizarre behavior, especially for a Border Collie.
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What could be wrong?
Gunner & The Floor.
(A short story about a naughty puppy)
You know, in some houses, they have those hardwood-floor (looking) floors? They are hardwood, but it's really only a thin slither of hardwood on top of compressed paper or particle-board. They do look nice, but if water is left on the floor they swell up. And, if a peice in the middle gets damaged, you can't easily fix it. You just have to rip it all up and replace it. And that's big bucks!
Well, Gunner knows all about that!
Watching his owner he soon figured out how the fridge-door water/ice dispenser worked. Soon afterwards his owner came home and found Gunner sitting in a pool of water and ice-cubes, in the middle of a large floor that was, by now, swollen and buckled. A $4,000 property damage insurance claim eventually solved the problem. What a naughty pup!
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We were glad to have already heard this story before we bought our super-dooper new water/ice dispensing refrigerator (with a dispenser locking feature on it!).
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Gunner visited for a few days the first time he came to stay.
He was absolutely perfect. He didn't do a thing wrong.
He was super sweet, loving, friendly and well-mannered.
You couldn't ask for a better dog.
When we told his owner, she was dumbfounded.
"But what if people come round?" she said. "We've had several people stop by" we replied. "And he didn't lunge at them? He didn't snap at anyone?" she asked. "Nope!" we said "He was perfect."
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Something didn't make sense.
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It soon became clear.
Gunner regarded his owner as his pet!
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He would lunge at passers-by to tell them to stay away from his pet.
He would snarl at children because they were running around and looked as if they might be headed towards his pet.
He loved his pet. He'd adopted himself a little human and he was going to take care of her. Bless him.
His seemingly aggressive behavior was rooted in something quite sweet:
His love for his pet.
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So why was he so laid back when he was with us?
Because he wasn't in charge!
He was off the clock
He was happy.
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Nowadays Gunner is the perfect dog, all the time, always.
He rides in a convertible.
He goes boating.
He'll even ring a bell if he wants to go outside!
So what changed? |
His owner did hire a professional dog trainer. But he didn't spend his time training the dog.
He spent his time training the owner how to
tell Gunner that she was in charge .
Soon after that, Gunner relaxed.
And why? I ask you.
Why did Gunner relax?
Because...
Say it with me...
Your Border Collie, does not want to be in charge.
:o)
"Properly trained, a man can be dog's best friend."
--Corey Ford, American writer |
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A Lesson In Consistancy
Border Collies are Smart. Did I mention that already?
Being smart, they tend to see behavioral patterns very easily.
The key word in that sentence though is patterns.
If the behavior isn't consistant then there is no pattern to see.
Think about that for a second.
"If the behavior isn't consistent then there is no pattern to see."
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If, on a lazy Sunday, you see your dog on the couch and you say "You little rascal. You're not really allowed up there, but nevermind." and leave him there. Then, after a hard day at work on Monday, you find him on the couch again and you yell at him for it. How is the dog supposed to figure out if he's allowed on the couch or not? The only rational conclusion he can draw is that it is allowed, sometimes. So he'll keep trying and trying to find out if he's allowed this time or not. Naturally.
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It's even more confusing when one person allows something, but the other person does not.
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Consistancy is key.
Border Collies learn exceptionally quickly. They are either going to learn:
(i) that it is okay to do something,
(ii) that it's not okay to do something, or
(iii) that it's okay to do something sometimes.
Once they've concluded that it's not okay to do something, they'll probably never do it again.
Vera, for example, won't give kisses. When she was a baby she would eat cat poop! Shortly thereafter she'd run up and kiss someone. The reaction would always be the same... "Eeww!! Gettaway Stinkybreath!" She quickly concluded she should never kiss anyone ever. So she won't.
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I'm not advocating that you accept lengthy kisses from poopy-breathed puppies for fear of never being kissed again, but you should probably be mindful of how quickly they learn. If you get a poopy-breathed kiss and you react with a "Eww! Gettaway!" then you might want to try and get another fresher-breathed kiss later that day and act happy about it (if you want puppy kisses, of course).
Just be careful what you teach them. Try and see your actions from their eyes, like they do.
It's really not that hard, if you give it a moment's thought every now and then.
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So what do you do if you've already made mistakes?
What if your training so far has been inconsistant?
What if your dog thinks he's is in charge!?
Don't worry.
As I've said before... It's the little things in life that help your Border Collie realize it is safe and secure with you as it's leader. Roles change within packs of wild dogs all the time. One week this dog is the boss. The next week there's a new boss. Your relationship with your dog is no different. And the sooner you assert yourself into the leadership role, the sooner your dog will relax and be happy.
*** So how, exactly, do you lead your dog?
The best person to learn from, believe it or not, is your puppy's Mom.
No puppy we ever had ever doubted that it's Mom was in charge. Because she acted in charge.
If a puppy came bouncing along the floor and half-climbed/half-trampled over Vera while she was taking a nap, then she'd snap at that pup. Every time.
It doesn't take long for pups to figure out that Mom doesn't like being trampled on.
So the secret of a well behaved pup is to "snap at them", right?
Well... kind-of.
When Vera is wrestling a pup, playing with it, and the pup is behaving itself (not scratching her, biting too hard, or acting too crazy) there will be times that she'll hold that pup down and just love on it for minutes. She'll lick it's head and it's tummy. She'll use her nose to roll it over and lick it some more.
Sure, it's a natural hygiene/cleansliness kind-of thing. But there's definitely love there too.
Mom definitely rewards the pups when they're good and disciplines them when they're bad.
And she's absolutely, 100% consistant too.
*** So what can you do to be more like Mom?
Lots of things!
For starters, as I've said...
Be Consistant.
Puppies love to chew. At the time of writing this we have one puppy in the house. An 11 week old girl. She was recently spotted chewing on the couch and was pushed away with a firm "No." She came right back and started again. Again she was pushed away with a firm "No." And still she came back. Again, pushed away with a firm "No.", she barked angrily and came back yet again.
At this point Vera, the puppy's Mom, had apparently seen enough. She grabbed the pup by it's back leg and dragged it screaming 6-8 feet away. The pup scurried off to a corner to lay down.
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Nothing bad happened to the pup in the above example. No-one started yelling. It didn't get hit. Mom didn't hurt it. No-one got upset (except maybe pup!). But I bet it never bites the couch again!
Even the constant repitition of a firm "No" would have got the result we wanted. The pup would have probably gotten angry at not being able to do what it wants. It would've barked at you. It may jump at you. It may sulk for a minute then try to sneak and do it again. But...
Whatever it does...
Stay in charge.
You are a human. Your dog is a dog.
If that weren't the case then your dog would probably look something like this!
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Since he obviously doesn't (God forbid), it's up to you to assume the leadershoip role.
A quick example...
Some dogs have a tendancy to bolt out the door as soon as it is opened. This can be bad news for whoever is holding onto their leash! If your dog has a tendancy of doing this, brace yourself for their initial run, then pull them firmly back inside the door. Make them sit. Then you exit first and calmly invite your dog to come with you. If he bolts again, repeat the entire exercise.
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A dog that is accustomed to this habit may take some getting used to this new rule, but stay firm.
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There are hundreds of examples of exercises like this and they have proven themselves to be great at helping dogs to realize that you are in charge and will take care of them, rather than vice versa.
A few examples include:
Only allowing your dog to get out of your car when it is told it can.
Making your dog wait at the bottom of the stairs until you get a few stairs ahead.
Making him/her sit until their leash is hooked on (If they stand up, start all over again).
With all these exercises...
If they do well, recognise it.
You don't have to go nuts when you celebrate your dog doing a good job, or being a good boy! In fact, it's probably best you don't. A simple Good Boy and a quick pat should do the job. But do that often! If you say "Excuse me" and he moves say "Adda-Boy." If he gets down when you tell him to, say "Thanks Buddy". If he waits when he's told to, say "Way to go!" with another little pat.
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I'm not trying to tell you what to say. I do hope you're not thinking that.
I'm just trying to emphasize that there are a million opportunities every day to say thanks to your dog. And you should take advantage of them. Especially if you want that dog to look up to you.
Border Collies are smart! Super smart. They're not really so different from you.
Have you ever been called in to your bosses office for doing good work?
Has anyone ever pointed out what a great job you did with your home/car/kids?
If so, you'll know how good it feels to be recognized.
Your dog is no different. And just think... If you're the source of your dog's good feelings it will naturally want to do more/better/faster in order to get more of those good feelings.
Reward your dog and it will reward you.
It likes being liked. And it's happy making you happy.
Although...
If it does wrong, correct it.
And correct it again. And correct it again. And correct it again (if necessary).
Don't get frustrated! Your dog is the one that is supposed to get frustrated. Stay in charge!
The reason your dog is doing something that it shouldn't be doing, is because it doesn't know that it shouldn't be doing it. Getting angry or frustrated is ridiculous. Imagine a Rocket Scientist getting angry or frustrated at you because you are not doing a good job of repairing his rocket. Can you imagine? I mean... How are you supposed to know that the Flux Capacitor was in backwards!?
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If you knew, you'd turn it round, get your picture in the paper, and feel great about yourself. That's vastly preferable to some Rocket Scientist yelling at you for somthing you know nothing about!
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Try this experiment...
Get a few friends or family in one room, ask three of them to step outside for a minute, and explain to the remainder that you are going to hide something in the room for one of the missing three to find. You are all to provide only positive feedback to the person looking for the object. Every time they walk closer to the object you can cheer loudly and urge them on, but every time they move further away from the object you just go silent. Time the length of time it takes them to find the object.
Now put the object back in the same place and try the exercise again with the next person. But, this time, you only provide negative feedback. Every time they walk closer to the object you stay completely quiet, but every time they move further away from the object you Boo and hiss and throw wads of paper at them! Again, be sure to time the length of time it takes them to find the object.
Now try it for a third time. But, this time, provide both positive and negative feedback. Every time they walk closer to the object you cheer them on, and every time they move further away from the object you Boo and hiss and throw more wads of paper! Yet again, time how long takes them to find the object.
I guarantee your results will be:
Positive & negative feedback = Fastest
Positive-only feedback = Next fastest
Negative-only feedback = Slow!
This simple test proves that our ability to perform is greatly impacted by the feedback we receive.
Be diligent to ensure that your pup gets a healthy balance of both positive and negative feedback.
But...
Live in the moment!
If you reach under your bed and find one of your favorite socks have been chewed up by your puppy, there is absolutely no point yelling, showing it the damaged goods, and asking it what the hell it thought it was doing! Your dog lives in the moment. Sure, he might put his head down, slink off and generally look very guilty. But grab an undamaged sock one day and act the same way. He'll still put his head down and slink off even though he didn't do anything to that item. He's not slinking off because of the sock. He's slinking off because you're yelling, Right now, in the moment.
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To correct a behavior you have to catch them in the act.
An immediate reaction enables your dog to quickly see the link between the two events.
Do this and that always happens. Do that and this always happens.
Nice and easy. ******************************
The topic of training, especially Border Collies, is very broad. A simple "Sit' command is one thing, but teaching your dog to run into a herd of sheep and bring you back the one sheep you want (by just whistling at it) is amazing. It really is.
It takes time. It takes patience. And it takes a mutual respect between you and your dog.
It would be wonderful if time and energy were in endless supply. I wish it was possible to devote my life to reading, practicing, learning, testing and writing about all the amazing ways of teching your dog new tricks. But unfortunately that's just not possible.
The information within the training section of this website is designed to help you forge a stronger link between you and your four-legged friend. Without that link more advanced training would be wasted.
Once your Border Collie knows you are boss...
Once he knows he is safe because you are caring for him...
Once he feels happiness by making you happy...
You will have found the best friend of your life.
Just remember... he'll always be a dog.
And that's not a bad thing.
He really is a dog!
:o)
****************************** Thanks for reading.
Emails welcome.
Arthur Produced
Arthur
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