4J ACRES SCOTCH COLLIES
People ask me all the time what is the best way to train my pups. How do I get them to learn to work with me. My number one answer is always. The first 4-5 weeks the pup MUST be in the house with YOU!! These pups obey and work for you out of their love for you! They are super loyal. The only way to gain that loyalty is to start them right by bringing them up in the home. ALL of my dogs have been trained the very same way. From my very first collie, Gabby, that I bought from Sojourner Farm to my most recent pup, Windsor. You need to train correctly the First time and affirm everything that the pup dose correctly. And GENTLY correct if he does something wrong. It is worth the effort to spend the first 5 weeks working hard to get it done right then to have a pup with to much freedom and then having to correct all the time and spend time RETRAINING. The one book that I highly like and recommend is the book:
The Art Of Raising A Puppy
By
The Monks of New Skete
Several puppy buyers bought the books above and DVDs on puppy training by The Monks of New Skete. They only had praises for them and said it really works! So for those looking for some good dog training books, check out The Monks of New Skete.
I also recommend that if you are not up to reading a book and work on basic puppy training on your own, then it is best that you and your pup go to PUPPY SCHOOL. Many places offer 8 week puppy classes. They will help you to learn to communicate to your pup. Your pup needs to learn basic : sit, stay, down, come, heel, off or leave it.
If you spend the time gaining your collies loyalty and friendship, teach it basic commands, then you are good to go. I have found that is all they really need. When working with the animals or around the farm these basic skills all come into place. Because of their love and loyalty for you, they watch you and learn from your everyday movements, chores, habits, etc. I have found that they love a routine/schedule. If you try to change the routine, like moving goats from one area to another, it takes about 3 days for them to catch on. At first they will want to put the goats where they used to be. After 3 days of putting the goats in a new pen, the dogs caught on and started to put the goats in the new area. Just talk to them and tell them what is going on. They’ll get it. Always give them hugs and kisses when they do anything right!
The Following Are Training Tips by Steve Niedrauer (Sojourner’s Farm)
These are tips that they gave me when I bought Gabby from them.
Behavior: ankle-biting and clothes pulling, especially when people are moving.
Instinct Displayed: Herding
Training Solutions: grasp the puppy firmly with one hand under his jaw and the other behind his head. Say “NO” firmly (not loudly). Make eye contact. Continue to hold the pup this way until you get his full attention. Repeat firm “NO” and then release him.
Behavior: bike/car chasing
Instinct displayed: Herding
Training Solutions: Set up training sessions where you can stop the bike (or car) immediately, catch the dog by the ruff, get eye contact and say “NO.” Another method is to get the pup on a very light long cord. When he begins to chase a vehicle, step on the end of the cord and bring him up short. Go to him and correct him as described above.
Sometimes it will work to ask the folks in the car or on the bike to throw water in the dog’s face as they begin to chase.
Another method is to begin from the start calling the dog to you whenever a car approaches or drives away. The dog will begin to associate coming to you with the movement of the vehicle. This will only work if the dog is not allowed outdoors unsupervised for the first year or so (or until the chasing is no longer a problem).
Behavior: poultry chasing
Instinct Displayed: Herding
Training Solutions: Never allow an unproven pup unsupervised around loose poultry. At the first sign of chasing, catch the pup by the ruff, get good eye contact and say a firm “NO.” A determined pup may need a light shake as you do this. If you wait till the pup is older to deal with this, it will take stronger measures, so it is wise to do this as soon as the problem surfaces. Once the pup has actually caught a bird, it may be necessary to swat his rear to really get his attention, so it is best to never allow it to get to this point.
Once the dog has actually killed a bird, the training becomes even more difficult. Avoid this if at all possible. Even with precautions, it sometimes happens however. Don’t despair–most pups can be broken even at this point if it is handled properly. The key is to make the correction strong enough that it will only have to happen once or twice.
Stage a situation where the dog will have every opportunity to chase a bird(s) in a confined place, so the dog cannot run away. It often works to actually shut the pup in the chicken yard with the birds. Make it look to the dog as if you are leaving, but return to hide behind something nearby. When the dog begins to lunge at the birds, run to him as fast as you can, shouting :NO, NO, NO” (don’t worry if you feel like a fool–hopefully no one is watching!), grab him by the scruff of the neck and whale on his rear with a leather handle of a leash or other similar strap. Do a thorough job as he should be convinced that he is going to die before you stop (just remember that this is a psychological correction more than a physical one–it isn’t the object to injure the dog, only get his attention).
This may need to be repeated a few times, but if you do a complete job of it, once or twice is usually all that is needed. A very few working dogs are psychologically incapable of reform, but they are fortunately rare.
Just be sure that this correction is reserved for the really serious situations (i.e. a bird killed or injured by the dog because he won’t stop chasing). In the majority of cases, proper prevention will make it unnecessary to ever correct a pup with this kind of severity.
Behavior: growling at or chasing the other working dogs (or farm cats) when livestock is around, especially baby animals.
Instinct Displayed: Guardian
Training Solutions: Try to avoid the situation if possible. Only correct the pup if it appears he is really going to get into a fight. Catch him and take him back to the stock and get him calm. Say a firm “Settle down!” or “Easy.” Be careful not to discourage his protective instincts. Through repetition, he will learn to tone it down, especially as he matures. Don’t take it too seriously, especially if this is his first experience with baby stock. Count your blessings–he’s going to be a good one.
