Too many people wait too long before beginning to socialize their Border Collie puppy.
This can be a big mistake that takes a lot of time to correct when your pup grows into an adult. Expose your Border Collie puppy to the norms of life in your household.
Start socialising your Border Collie puppy the day it comes home.
Introduce Border Collie puppy gently to all your family members and let them play with it gently.
Do let visitors meet your new Border Collie puppy and interact with it.
It is important your Border Collie puppy learns to trust humans so make sure all their experiences are pleasant.
This will help you to avoid the common problems a Border Collie can develop, such as fear aggression and shyness, if it is not used to socialising with other people and dogs.
Do use commonsense of course.
Do not put your 8-week old Border Collie puppy on a lead and take it down the street if it is not fully vaccinated.
Do take your new Border Collie puppy to friends’ houses where you know their dogs are fully immunised.
Border Collies are bred to work and are always looking for something to keep their minds active.
They are curious creatures that need a lot of mental stimulation and, if they do not get it, your Border Collie puppy can develop all sorts of behavioural problems.
Border Collies that are working are usually well-balanced and get most of the stimulation and exercise they need from their pack leader, working on the farm.
Border Colliess that are pets may find themselves in a lot of trouble if you do not keep your Border Collie’s mind active and stimulated.
The more time you spend interacting and exercising your Border Collie, the better behaved it will be at home.
Your Border Collie puppy will have no trouble finding things to occupy its mind if you do not spend enough time with it. If you want your house and garden ripped to shreds, ignore your Border Collie puppy.
In fact, if you are not prepared to put a lot of time and energy into your Border Collie, then why have this type of breed?
Before your Border Collie puppy is fully vaccinated there are a lot of things you can do.
Take your Border Collie puppy out in the street, but do not let it onto the ground, so your Border Collie puppy can experience the world.
Take your Border Collie puppy to the shopping centre and have play dates at your house with Border Collies you know are fully vaccinated.
Once your Border Collie puppy has its full vaccinations by 12 week old and you have allowed 2 weeks after that for the vaccination to take, the world is your oyster.
Start taking your Border Collie puppy out to dog parks, for short walks and take it to puppy school so you can learn the training basics together.
Puppy preschool is an excellent way for your pup to learn about socialising with other dogs in a safe environment.
When your pup is older, take it to the local dog obedience school and do some training together.
This is great as it helps the bond between you deepen and you learn how to get the best out of your Border Collie puppy.
You learn how to teach your Border Collie puppy what you want from it and your Border Collie puppy has fun learning to understand what you want.
The biggest mistake a Border Collie owner can make is to fail in their pup’s early socialisation.
It is one of the most important stages of a Border Collie puppy's life, as what it experiences as a Border Collie puppy is likely to be carried through the rest of their lives.
It is far easier to do the early groundwork to produce a healthy, well-balanced Border Collie than to change unwanted behaviour.
If you want a Border Collie, ask yourself how much time you are willing to put into your Border Collie puppy throughout its life.