Think of your Border Collie as a child and talk to your dog the same way when they do something they are not supposed to do. When you catch your dog doing something wrong, tell it ‘no’ and redirect the behavior to something it is allowed to do, and praise and reward.

An example of this is if you catch your dog lying on the couch, tell it to ‘get down’ and praise and reward when it does. Doing this you teach your dog to happily do as you ask. There is no point telling your dog it is a bad dog or to get off, when you can simply tell it to get down. You only create a negative atmosphere and stress you can well do without....

To reprimand correctly, use your voice in a short, sharp reprimand. Never hit, kick, slap, or physically correct your Border Collie. Why? Physically punishing your dog can cause your dog to become a fear aggressive, timid, manic, or an aggressive dog and you can cause each other injury. Walk away without a word if you are losing your temper. Come back later and try again.

Reprimands are Important

Reprimanding, or correcting, your Border Collie is a necessary part of your life and training together. What is important is how you reprimand your dog. Today positive reinforcement is the most common way to train your Border Collie. The last thing we want to do is use punishment as a reprimand so positive reinforcement allows you to withhold the reward when your dog does not do as it asks. This helps to build a strong bond and trust between you both.

When you first start training you teach your Border Collie what you want by using treats and praise as a reward. At this stage it is simple. You either give the treat to reward your dog’s desired response or you withhold the treat if the response is not what you asked for.

Once your Border Collie understands your commands you need to change your feedback to reward or reprimand if it does not do what you ask.

Reprimanding your Border Collie

Your Border Collie dog is not fully trained until it obeys your commands every single time. To test your dog, ask it to repeat a command, such as sit, up to 20 times during a 10 minute period. If your dog does it every single time then you know it is fully trained. If not, you know there is still some training to do. Always remember to reward and praise good behaviour.

When you reprimand your Border Collie, the reprimand needs to be strong enough to get the desired result without harming the trust between the two of you. When you reprimand your dog must understand:

1. it has done something wrong, and
2. how to do it right next time.

For example, you tell your dog to sit and it just stands there ignoring you. How would you reprimand it? You can tell it to sit again in a strong, firm voice so it automatically sits or you can scoop up its behind and help it to sit as you repeat the command.

Keep your reprimand words short and simple, such as:

• off
• outside
• leave or leave it

Here are some basics to keep in mind when reprimanding your Border Collie during your training sessions:

• Reprimand Immediately. Reprimand your dog instantly for an undesired behavior. This gives your dog the best chance of associating the behaviour with the reprimand. Your dog will not understand you if your reprimands are more than a few seconds late.
• Do one thing at a Time. Bombarding your Border Collie with commands and corrections will only confuse it. Nagging your dog will not help it get it right. Your dog will shutdown if you constantly nag and pull at it. Keep it simple and take your time so you are sending, clear, positive messages to your dog.
• Praise as a Follow Up to a Reprimand. Once your dog gets it right after your reprimand, be quick to praise and reward. Dogs live in the moment and so should you when working with your Border Collie. This reinforces the desired behaviour. You do not need to use force or physical punishment to show your dog you are the pack leader. You Border Collie will understand this from your demeanour.
• Make sure the Reprimand fits the Crime. You are your Border Collie’s pack leader, and it is your responsibility to be fair when handing out reprimands and rewards. If you are too severe in your correction of a behaviour, you will lose your dog’s trust and respect. For example, do not correct your dog the same way you would for failing to obey a command as you would if it is biting or snarling at someone or another dog. Obviously biting is a much more severe infraction than failing to sit when you ask. Make sure you use the appropriate level of punishment to fit the crime.

If you have put the hard work into training your Border Collie the basics of obedience, there should rarely be a time when a physical reprimand is needed. A well placed verbal reprimand should be enough for your Border Collie to behave itself instantly. If it is not, then help your dog by showing it what you want and keep practising its responses to your commands.

Border Collie’s are a very sensitive dog breed and all they want to do is please you. Always take a look at what you are doing if you are having trouble in any part of your training. Almost 99 percent of the time we have problems with our dog’s behaviour it comes down to something we are or are not doing, and a lack of consistency and clarity.

Most of all, remember do not punish your dog for your mistakes.