was just wondering would there be a limit to how many commands/tricks etc. you could teach your dog, on average how much can they cope with. i have a border collie and am trying to teach him certain instructions such as find your ball, which he does, and now i am trying to teach him tidy-up-time, to put his toys back in his box. is this daft to expect him to do this. . he is also joining obedience classes next week. is this too much imput for him.
2007-02-17 06:54:59 · 15 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Dogs
he absolutely can learn to clean up his toys however it will take a LOT of patience to move him from getting 1 toy, to getting 1 toy in the box, expanding it out to all toys.
As long as you break down any trick/command into it's simplest forms (ie. play dead would be an extension of a down-stay - so he would need to learn down, stay, down-stay before you can start to put them all together)
2007-02-17 06:59:43 · answer #1 · answered by RB 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I've heard the average dog can learn about 50 commands, but there was a record attempt on telly by a border collie owner who could do a lot more. He did a test where he had to try to retrieve about 70 different named objects, and managed most of them.
The first paragraph in this article is quite interesting.
http://www.k9joy.com/dogarticles/commands.php
Don't forget, smart dogs can learn combinations of commands as well, which extends their vocabulary.
eg put blue teddy on the chair, put red ball under the chair.
When you talk about a limit to how much they can learn, the first trick is not to bore them or they lose interest. As long as they're interested they'll keep trying, and then its just about how much they can remember.
Your dog is perfectly capable of putting his toys away - and much more! Have fun figuring out all the things you can teach him. Its not daft at all, its making his life much more interesting and rewarding. Plus it makes him feel like a useful member of the pack, not a bystander.
2007-02-17 10:39:10 · answer #2 · answered by sarah c 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Different breeds have different levels of ability and dogs of one breed will vary in the amount they can take in and respond to.What you find your Border collie can do another's wont and vice versa .
I'm trying to get my retriever to close the door after him and whilst he's fetch and carry the idea of closing the door -a relatively simple task-seems completely beyond him.
No-it's not daft but fun to see how far you can go with him and in the same way as physical exercise is good for dogs so is mental stimulation.It's another way of alleviating what otherwise would be a boring time.
Good Luck
2007-02-17 07:09:24 · answer #3 · answered by bearbrain 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Border collies are particularly intelligent and need a lot of mental stimulation. If he seems to be learning what you're teaching him then I don't see a problem. Just don't try and teach him too many things at once or he may get confused. Obedience classes are a very good idea and I'm sure he'll enjoy them. You should end up with a very smart dog!
2007-02-18 00:29:37 · answer #4 · answered by ? 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Start with having only 1 or 2 toys out at a time. Once your BC understands the names, it is easier to train it where to put things away. Also, make sure you dog knows where you keep the toys. My BC has about 20 but gets only one at a time. If she wants a new one, the other one must be put away.
My BC know over 200 words and phrases. Just be careful about using words that sound similar. Remember, she has no clue what the hell you are saying! Dogs just remember sound and attach actions to them.
2007-02-18 13:38:40 · answer #5 · answered by Brian A 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Keep him busy and stimulated and you'll have a happy dog. Its when owners cant be bothered to spend time with their dogs the trouble starts with the dogs boredom.
If it gets too much for him, he'll refuse, but they love all the attention, collies are very bright and energetic too
Good Luck at the classes!
2007-02-17 07:48:19 · answer #6 · answered by ? 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
actually based on my experience i'd say you're doing a good thing for that type of dog. they are very smart and high energy its helpful for them to learn lots of things. the only thing i would say is limit the amount of time per day that you spend on training because in that instance there is only so much they can deal with. other than that i think you sound like a good dog owner.
2007-02-17 07:04:19 · answer #7 · answered by adman 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A LOT.
Don't worry about over-training him, really you can't.
Make everything seem like a game to him and he's gonna feel like a very loved dog!
You can't over teach him - just don't be one of those people who dresses it in a cowboy outfit and makes it sing for supper.
2007-02-17 07:03:14 · answer #8 · answered by Straight Talker 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
no dog's enjoy doing things and they can never learn to much, so don't worry about it, if the dog doesn't want to do it he won't.
2007-02-17 07:00:28 · answer #9 · answered by sandyjean 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
border collies as you know are very bright dogs - keep going until he can tidy up your stuff too. ( I experience the other extreme of dog ownership as we have a greyhound whose intelligence is being stretched if we expect her to know which end of the car to jump into, she quite often waits patiently for me to open the bonnet for her.)
2007-02-17 06:58:31 · answer #10 · answered by nacnuds 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋