What tricks should I teach my 6week old Border Collie?

Question

What are some basic tricks that I should teach my border collie? or tricks that are a MUST for obedience? Is 6 weeks too young to be teaching it tricks? if so, what age is a good age?

Answer 1

Six weeks is too young for the dog to be away from his littermates! First, work on housebreaking, teaching him his name and coming when you call (especially at breakfast and dinner time). Puppy training is mainly done with treats - not leash corrections. They are very willing to learn for the first few months. Take advantage of this time - it won't come again.

Then at three months, start working on basic obedience. Heel, sit, stay, down, come. Puppies have VERY short attention spans. Make your sessions short and fun - five minutes a few times a day. When he's doing that pretty well, you can add in some tricks.

Border Collies require a LOT of exercise, and preferably a job to do or they can be insane to live with. We're talking at least two thirty minute STRENUOUS runs every day, not a casual 3 mph walk around the block. Many Border Collies end up in the pound because people can't deal with their herding instincts and odd behavior (like herding the kids and guarding stuffed animals!) By the time he's six months old, you're going to have to be taking him for two LONG (30 minute) walks every day. By the time he's a year old, they will have to be strenuous RUNS or ball-playing sessions.

BEFORE you get any dog you should read some great books on training. (Try not to pick books randomly - there are a lot of bad books out there also!) These are some of my favorites and you can get them on Amazon.com
What All Good Dogs Should Know – Volhard http://www.volhard.com/
Good Owners, Great Dogs - Brian Kilcommins
Dog Tricks : Eighty-Eight Challenging Activities for Your Dog from World-Class Trainers by Haggerty and Benjamin
Don't Shoot the Dog - Pryor
Training Your Dog: The Step by Step Method - Volhard
Dog Problems - Benjamin
Cesar's Way - Cesar Millan
Also, watch the Dog Whisperer on the National Geographic Channel. Cesar Millan is the best trainer I've ever seen on TV.
http://www.dogpsychologycenter.com/

Answer 2

That is pretty young...getting them to potty outside is what you should try first..they are very intelligent..praise the dog each time it goes outside to potty and also let them know how good they are when they let you know...also put them on a light leash and just around the house teach them (you may want to wait a little bit for this but about a month after you get the collar for them..also take them out in the car ASAP for fun otherwise they will associate car rides with going to the vet..bad stuff...They love to play so get them soft toys not hard rubber..they like to catch and jump..they have what is called the "eye" which as they get older they will go into a position where they will lock on the toy or ball until you throw it...I tell you all this because I am the proud owner of a 13 year old Border Collie who I have had since he was 5 weeks old and he is pedigreed and has papers from 7 generations..I love him and he has brought such joy in my life..he is still pretty healthy and very smart and although he has some arthritis in his hips (this is normal with Border Collies) he still likes to jump and play, lets me know when he needs to outside, gives me his paw to shake..talks to me..follow commands. Give your dog attention and time to play with him..they are high energy and great companions..I don't know what I would have done without him..I would have another..I hope my friend lives forever but I know that will not be the case..when he stops eating or can't get up and go out or is in pain I will have to put him down otherwise I will keep him with me and comfortable..He is like a child..you will find you have a very special friend..I wish you many years of enjoyment with your dog.

Answer 3

At six weeks don't get overly involved and don't spend a lot of time per day working on it but you can start the basics like sit, down, stay, and stand. Come will come a little later on after you have these basic commands down. All of these are basic commands that are used in obedience. Obedience isn't terribly complicated, the hardest thing are the long down stays and long sit stays. Agility is a little harder but not really especially for a BC. For now work a few times a day for not longer than 5-15 mins. If your dog becomes bored stop because it can cause him/her to hate it later on. Focus on bonding with your dog, learning her body language so you can read her later on. Get deeply involved in her life so you can communicate effectively once you are out in competition.

Edit: babygal7772002 is right but for her advice is more for a Rotty than a BC. You should be firm but not unjustly. If your dog breaks the sit stay don't be jerking her back and setting her down as you would with the Rotty. Simply say no (don't even really need to raise your voice) and place her gently back. A BC isn't going to be constantly testing you like the R.

Answer 4

Well his first trick should be to understand NO and GOOD DOGGIE. Although border collies are very very smart and need to be trained and challenged or they get distructive.. 6 weeks is too young to begin much obedience. Just love your puppy and bond with it.. play play play and teach it those two basic things.. NO and Good Doggie. Maybe start house training it. Yell when he does wrong DO NOT HIT YOUR DOGGIE.. and GO outside with him. Be patient out there, and when he goes outside.. praise the dickens out of the little snork. He'll learn very fast how to please you and that it pays to do the right tthing.

Answer 5

At 6 weeks, don't get too fanatical about teahing him anything!!! Work on manners and the start to sit and down. Find a puppy kindergarten class for when he is a little older. Tricks can come a little down the road. Really at 6 weeks they should dtill be with mom and siblings learning manners.

Answer 6

My favourite tricks with my collie are a mixture of fun stuff and the practical. "Away" is a good one, as is "wait" (I use this when throwing a toy for him and he absolutely adores the anticipation and having to think rather than mindlessly retrieve. I get him to come to me then sit. I started by placing the toy at arms length and telling him 'wait' then 'on you go' Now I throw the toy and he waits beautifully until the 'go' command). A good one for fun is to get a treat in one hand then show him two closed fists and ask 'which one?'. If he paws the hand with the treat he gets it, get him to lie down, go to bed etc and then call him and try again. It has no practical application but lots of the 'awww' factor when friends visit. The trick I'm currently working on is getting him to balance a treat on his nose and leave it until I say.

Answer 7

Hi! I have a border collie pup too, he was 7 weeks when I got him. I started to train him right away- I started with 'sit' 'lay down' 'stay' - well the first thing was to get him to know his name- but the more you call him/her the more they'll get used to it. I bought a book called puppy school by gwen bailey 7 steps to the perfect puppy. there are alot of great ways to train in that. We followed it for most, so we started with hand signals and commands not just commands- now he will sit, laydown, and give his paw with just signals or for giving his paw- i taught him by clicking my fingers. the easiest way to get your pup to learn 'sit' is when he sits down, immediatly say 'sit!' quite loud- but nicely and give him praise and or a treat, keep that up- as often as you can as soon as he sits. Laddie is now 4 months old, and can sit, stay, lay down, give his paw, give 'other' paw (hehe I like that one), get 'off' , jump up, get down, and now im looking for other things to teach him, its very important to keep a border collie's brain active, or they get bored and maybe distructive. I have had alot of probs with him, and got alot of them sorted myself, so if you need any advice I will do my best to help you out.
** just if you dont know, as i didnt- when you start taking your pup for its walks, dont let him/her off the lead- as too much running before 18 months of age can damage their joints, also dont let him/her jump up on things or down from things - like in and out the car- as it does the same thing- but thats only until 9 months old- it is also a myth that you have to take collies for really long walks, they need walks yes, but the longer the walks to take them for, the more they will want, also not more than 2 20 min walks a day until they're bones have formed 18 months aprox. I got all the info from experts by the way.
I really hope you enjoy you pup, is it a boy/girl and what is his/her name?
lastly if you are eager to get its injections done, there is an injection that can be done soon- 7 weeks old, and then again at 11 weeks i think, then after the usual wait- he/she can go for walkies.
x

Answer 8

with my rotty x staffy a stubborn and aggresive breed of dog, i trained her from get go, by 5mths old, she was able to walk without a lead, find her way home from the park, near home ofcourse and not run away but sit next to mums ute if the gate was unlocked, sit at all roads and wait for permission to cross and fetch a ball.
among all the small things
u need to be firm with them. aslo be the friend but a parent. dont be sofy when they do something wrong bad mistake, dont let them see ur weakness

Answer 9

Teach it to play dead when you point at it and say "BANG BANG", to rollover, shake paws, and flip a treat up in the air with it's nose and catch it. My Border Collie dident take long at all to catch on.

Answer 10

sit, down and come command. you can train dogs as early as 6 wks for this command but make it like a play time and shorter. puppies have shorter attention span. treats make training a lot faster and easier.