we have a border collie puppy who is 3 and a half months old and is very disobedeant. she hates walkin on the lead and wil not listen 2 any form of comands. she also has an obsession with r household bin, as soon as we go out or go 2 bed she destroys it. we were told that she was a sheep dog when we brought her but i think she may be a cross!! she looks like a sheep dog but her fur isnt right and her hearing and learning abilities arent that good!! she can b a lovely natured dog but she has alot oif trouble with biteing! does any body have any ideas? it would great to get some advice! danielle

Hi Danielle,
Are you taking her to training classes? That would be the first thing to do. When you say 'her fur isn't right', how do you mean? What colour is she? You say her hearing isn't good - has she been BAER tested?

I can't see how you can say a 14 week old puppy is disobedient. At this age they will still be learning and working out what you require. They need to be taught gently and slowly and you can't expect her to understand commands that haven't been taught in this way.

What are you expecting her 'fur' to do at this age? She may well be a short coated collie as many farm dogs are. Did you see the parents?

It sounds like you are expecting far too much from such a young pup, they don't come ready trained, a lot of work and commitment will have to come from you. A Collie is a very sensitive breed to train, they will usually try very hard to please you, but if they don't understand something it can send them completely over the top and you have to go back to basics.

As the previous poster suggested join a training club and they will point you in the right direction.

Regards
Sandra

Our dog never did a thing it was told, it learned things but would often feign ignorance. She really come together around the 5-6months mark. I just kept up the training and finally it clicked into place! Don't give up!!

As for the bin, move it out of the way?
It takes me a good 15mins before i go to bed or out to move everything chewable out her reach.
Sarah

Collies of any age need an awful lot of training. Everyone always says that they are so intelligent and indeed they are but they also have a lot of problems that can occur too. She can only listen to commands that she has been taught and repeated over and over again. I have found mine also had an extremely short attention span, so i had to really work at keeping her interested using treats or her ball. My collie is a pure collie, but she has a short coat as her father was a working sheepdog. She has been very hard work to train, into everything, chases everything and needs constant stimulation or she becomes naughtly again. Nearly 2 years down the line she is much better doing really well in both obedience classes and agility, but i am not ashamed to admit i nearly gave up things got so bad. I couldn't be parted from her now, but i know it was incredible hard work, much harder than with my retriever pup. Anyway, i would definately advise you to enrol in puppy class and persevere in the training. I would also say that socialisation is incredibly important with collies as is keeping their mind occupied. Just don't give up becuase they are great dogs in the end!!

Hi Danielle,

Sorry to have to say this, but it sounds like you have a normal puppy there!!
To be honest, with any breed of dog, you have to put a lot of work into training. You may have been told, or you may have already known that Border collies are easily trained. It's true, they do learn things quickly and easily, because they're very intelligent....but because of that intelligence, they need constant mental stimulation, otherwise they get extremely bored and can become destructive.

Puppy training classes are a good idea, and also, when your pup is fully grown, maybe agility or obedience would be good.

With regards to her coat, she is still only a baby, and coats change a lot during that time. As for her hearing and learning abilities, it takes a lot of time and a lot of patience. Do you have a book on puppies & training? If not, I'm sure some of the other members could recommend one.
Also, biting, at that age is completely normal. Give her lots of toys to chew, and if she bites you a sharp 'NO' and then ignoring her for a few minutes should help.

Take care
Lisa

hiya danii

i have a 5mth old border collie who seems to be doing quite well with his training (up to now lol).if you dont already you need to persistently be training them say a certain amount every day and with lots of good/different treats and you should see she will start to respond/learn and in no time you will see a big difference. also have you heard of kong toys? they are excellent for when you go out as when you stuff them with food if you do it really well then it can last hrs! also i did persist with lead training for 2 mths everyday and just couldnt stop my border colie from bouncing on everyone and everything and pulling me for walks, so finally we gave in and bought a halti head restraint and omg what a difference lol he is walking brilliantly now not perfect but the difference is undescribable! do try one if in a mth or so she still isnt takign to the lead properly. another good point is take them for a walk before you go out - more likely to sleep than route around the house for things to destroy lol

best of luck and let us know how she goes
nails

ahh you were told a sheep dog, does that mean she is a working sheepdog? this is a name given to dogs very much like a border collie but have been crossed at some point and are working sheepdogs, they are very popular in obedience.

A working sheepdog doesnt always mean they have been crossed it mainly means they are not registered on the KC breeds register as most farmers will not bother with it.Gillian

A working sheepdog is a border collie without KC reg papers. I have a WSD, but most come from farms and farmers don't want the bother or extra money sending off for KC registration. I personally prefer WSDs or collies from working lines as that is the collie bred with it's original purpose in mind.

Maybe you were thinking Welsh Sheepdog which is bigger than a collie and is collie cross originally.

Gina

People tell others how border collies are the most intelligent breed and yes they are intelligent but it doesn't mean they are easy to train. My collie was very difficult to train a lot more so than my sheltie or my x-breed. At 3 1/2 months old I wouldn't expect a puppy not to bite, it's how they play. Also what do you mean her coat is odd? Collies coats vary from thick to thin, from short, smooth, long or medium. Also curly. And again at that age her full coat won't have developed.
Gina