Starting a working border collie puppy

In my previous post, I wrote about the first couple weeks home with our Border Collie puppy, Ketch. Someone asked on social media about how I go about starting a working Border Collie puppy. I had recently been giving this thought because I found myself comparing what we're doing with Ketch, to what I have my puppy clients do. So while this is not a detailed description (that would be an entire book), this post will be an overview. 

wrestling with a Jack Russell

I encourage clients to do several short training sessions per day, and to help them coordinate them, I suggest doing them just before puppy meals. ​The truth is, Ketch's training sessions are much less formal. He is learning all day long, as all puppies and animals do, but I try to be careful that I manage his days thoughtfully. The specific skills he is learning are woven into those days in a practical manner, rather than in times set aside for puppy training. This is easy for me because I think in training approaches. Others who need to focus more on their training need those specific sessions. 

Having coordinated his routine with our needs in his first couple weeks here, we have been able to adapt to his ever decreasing needs for sleep and increasing needs for activity. It's far easier when the weather is pleasant for being outside. ​

My list of skills for a herding dog for us is different than the list of skills for many pet owners. For example sit has no use and walking on a leash will have very limited use. Recalls remain the most important skill in both situations. One thing I really stress for pet dogs is eye contact...voluntary. I don't want to cue a dog to look at me (they should look at what they think is important), but I do want them to learn that checking in with me is a great way to earn reinforcers. Eye contact is something I DO NOT want Ketch to learn. We want his eyes on livestock, not us. I don't want him to take his eyes off the stock for a second. Border Collies use their eye to both read and control their stock. Other breeds work differently. 

Ketch watches the big Border Collie working sheep way off in the distance.

Basic household manners are the same: keep your feet on the floor; take treats from my hand "politely"; wait for your dish to come to you; wait to be released through doors; settle on your bed over there while we eat, etc. 

When it comes to the working skills themselves, I do not teach those. His genes will turn those on over time. Our job is to channel those skills toward our needed uses. I have discovered the fun of playing Kay Laurence's "sheep balls" game, which is a wonderful way to watch and guide a growing BC puppy's herding skills. We also have to manage him very, very carefully to prevent him from practicing his herding skills on inappropriate targets such as vehicles and horses. 

Finally, there is still a ton of exposure to farm life for him as his mind and body grows. My husband spends a period of time each day just sitting in the truck cab with him so that becomes a comfortable place to hang out and wait until he is needed. He takes him for walks in the woods to build his puppy proprioception as he clambers over fallen trees, wades through puddles and snow; slides down banks and climbs up hills. Ketch wrestles, plays tug and races with the other dogs as he learns to coordinate his limbs which are growing by the day. 

A high pressure hose makes a lot of noise cleaning out the stinky stock trailer!

I almost hate to write about one last point as I don't want to jinx us. But I'll toss some salt over the shoulder and hope for the best. Ketch is my husband's dog. He is our seventh Border Collie and we have tried many different approaches to attempt to use me as the trainer and him as the eventual handler. With our first couple BCs, I was trainer and handler as I did a little trialing and learned my way. But things have changed over the decades and now my job is working with my horses and dogs as well as other people and their dogs and horses. My husband is truly the livestock person so I get the Border Collies as puppies and retirees (my favorites as it is), then hand them to him for their working careers. 
I seem to have worn off on him over the decades and gained his grudging respect for my training techniques. He feels less enamored with my human training. So with Ketch, we're trying a day training model. While he spends time playing with him and going on farm adventures with him, I do the basic training. Only when I feel like Ketch is reasonably solid on a behavior, do I transfer it all to my husband. So far, so good. But we've got a ways to go.