Hi, from a potential Border collie puppy owner

clashloz

New Member
Hi all
Just an introduction to say Hi.
I am picking up a Border Collie puppy on Saturday 6/12/08 after an 8 week impatient wait.
I have had time to secure the garden, and build a puppy "convenience". I hope that I can get some hints and tips from people here.
The first is clicker training.
What are peoples experiences of this training method.
Looking forward to replies
Cliff
 

lonewolfblue

New Member
Do you mean 12/6/08? hehehe. 6/12 has long past us....

Clicker training is great. There's lots you can do with it. But I would also recommend that once your dog has learned the new behavior, phase the clicker out. Also, look for training on free-shaping. Most of them are clicker based and excellent. I'm starting on this with my BC, and her Agility Foundations class is clicker based as well. Agility Foundations is the type of class you can take younger dogs, as you aren't running courses yet or jumping, etc. It just gives you the basic elements needed before moving on to Agility itself.

Oh, and congrats on getting the BC. You will be happy with your choice. They are very smart, and will keep you really busy learning new things.
 

CollieMan

Experienced Member
Do you mean 12/6/08? hehehe. 6/12 has long past us....
I think that's because you Americans write your date in a different format to us Europeans. You write it as mm/dd/yyyy, whereas we write it as dd/mm/yyyy. It can get very confusing can't it. :)

I am picking up a Border Collie puppy on Saturday 6/12/08 after an 8 week impatient wait.
Congratulations on getting the new puppy. Regardless of training method, I would say whatever else you do, don't waste a moment in starting to train. I didn't get my pup until 12 weeks of age and I wish to God I had got her at 8 weeks. I've seen so much accomplished in that four week period.

With regards to method, I beg, borrow, and steal from all methods to suit what I am teaching and to suit my dog. I don't think there is a single best universal method. That said, clicker training runs through the core of my training sessions.

Just have lots of fun with the pup and make yourself the best thing that dog will ever see. The rest becomes relatively easy once you accomplish that. :)
 

tx_cowgirl

Honored Member
Staff member
I highly recommend clicker training. Congrats on the BC pup!!! Training is going to be key to keeping your BC happy. Without it, he/she will be incredibly bored. Stay creative with your tricks, and don't stop with just the basics. Advanced tricks are a fantastic way to keep him/her mentally stimulated. Agility, flyball, and other active sports that are also really good for your dog. Better get used to lots of jogging! :)
 
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