When your Border Collie responds as you want it to, reward it every single time. This is crucial, and it is also important you are consistent with your expectations. The more praise your dog gets, the quicker it learns the behavior you want from it.

Practice and repetition is also important, so make sure your dog gets plenty of opportunities to do the right thing. Praise your dog every, single time it does a good job....

I know this can be easier said than done. You will need patience, especially when your house is being torn apart before your eyes.

But, do not forget the good times when your dog is lying quietly at your feet or playing with its toys. Praise your Border Collie at these times too. This will reinforce the good behavior and you both feel good.

Repetition and Reward at Work

Have you ever known a dog you thought was highly intelligent because it would wait for its pack leader by the door every single day, at least half an hour before its pack leader came home?

What about the dog that gets its pack leader every morning at 6 am to go for their morning walk?

Many dogs know the difference between weekdays and weekends because of your timetable. But there is an old saying, “dog’s can tell the time”. For a dog to do this it does not mean they are particularly more intelligent, it means they are particularly tuned into their environment, your habits, and have been conditioned by repetition and reward. These dogs have essentially been trained, whether you realise it or not.

The dog that sits by the door waiting every night for you to come home knows that you always come home around the same time.

If your dog sits at the door or harasses you at the same time every day for its walk, it is because you have taught it to by repetition (walking at the same time every day) and reward (the walk).

Does your Border Collie tell you when it is time to feed it? Dogs tell time by your habits, by what you do every day, especially if you are a creature of habit.

Does your Border Collie race to the door or the car every time you pick up the car keys? What about the dog that sits at the treat jar wishing for a treat? Why do they do that? Because you have taught them they will go for a ride in the car when you pick up the car keys or give them a treat if they stare at the treat jar long enough.

Reverse Repetition and Reward

Repetition and reward works in reverse and can create all sorts of problems. For example, if every time your Border Collie barks when it wants something and you stop what you are doing and give it to him, you teach it to bark at you for everything it wants.

Just remember, try to ignore the behaviour you do not want in your Border Collie and reward the behaviour you want to foster.