1. Aim for well-behaved dogs, not obedient. I love a well-behaved dog just as much as the next person, however well-behaved doesn't always mean obedient per se. You see, while I do know some amazingly obedient dogs, not all of them are well-behaved; they can perform sits, downs, long stays, and come when off leash, but they still bark at other dogs, jump up on people they meet, etc. I love a good community dog, that is one who can walk through a crowd without jumping on people, one who doesn't lunge at other dogs to greet them, and one who quiets when asked. I'm always mindful to tell people their goal should be a well-behaved dog first, with rote obedience taking a back seat to that.
2. Don't overtrain. While it's good to work on your dog's training every single day, you don't need to put in hours of work. In fact, too much work can end up backfiring on you when it comes to dog training. It's better to do frequent short sessions with your dog than to work with them for hours at a time. This is particularly true of puppies. Remember too that incorporating training into your everyday activities with your dog is better than a devoted training session. Working on drop it and leave it, for example, during your daily walks is a much more productive way to work on these behaviors than to just try to do it at home where there are fewer distractions.
3. Speaking of leave it and drop it. I know a lot of people like to teach their puppies and dogs sit, down, and stay first, but I like to teach leave it and drop it. Why? Because dogs don't have thumbs, so they explore their worlds with their mouths. Some dogs readily drop items, even before they are asked, while others hold onto (or worse yet, swallow) anything they can get into their mouth, even if it's not technically edible. If your dog has been taught leave it and drop it early on in your relationship, and they know you will trade whatever they have for something that IS delectable and IS edible, then they are much more likely to play let's make a deal with you when they get something they shouldn't have.
4. Don't compare your dog to other people's dogs, previous dogs you've owned, or even the other dog you live with now. Each dog is an individual. Even if you always get the same breed of dog, each dog you add to your family is unique. Treat each of your dogs as an individual and find out what motivates them and use that to your advantage. While your previous Border Collie may have been ball motivated, your current one might be more treat motivated. And I've certainly met more than one Border Collie who didn't like to chase a ball and didn't like herding sheep, but did like mozzarella cheese, so that was the motivator used.
5. Have fun! No matter what you are doing with your dog, find the joy. Their lives are short and they live to just spend time with you. So, spend time with them. You can spend time with them actively (playing, training, going for walks, heading to the pet store, etc.) and you can spend time with them passively (encourage them to sit or lay near you while you work, read, watch TV, or prepare food). And whatever time you do spend with them, have a good time. If you're having fun, they're having fun. This is precisely why I encourage the use of tricks training for puppies and young dogs. It's just more fun and if it's fun, you are more likely to do it, and less likely to find reasons NOT to do it. Plus, most of the tricks I like to teach lead right into cooperative care exercises for making trips to the groomer, vet, etc. easier.
I'll be back in San Francisco again this Saturday for one more Pawsitively Summer event, and I'm really looking forward to it. In the meantime, if you have questions about your pet's behavior, you know where to find me.
Working on a group stay with this gang of Collies! Fun for them and lots of fun for me. Everyone did great and they all received a small treat for their efforts. That's a win/win!
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