Looking for a comprehensive Border Collie leash training guide? Continue reading.
It is not fun to walk a Border Collie that is constantly pulling the leash during walks. Owning a Collie that pulls you around can easily discourage you. Moreover, you will have to walks as fast as you can. However, if you abruptly stop your dog’s walk, he may end up disturbing you even more during future walks.
Why Leash Pulling is a Problem
To correct this problem, you need to understand why your Collie is pulling on his leash. Otherwise, you won’t manage to stop the habit. You may think the Border Collie is pulling the leash because of dominant behavior. However, most of the time it’s not. Your Border Collie may simply be excited about going for a walk. This is mostly common with dogs that don’t spend enough time outside.
Since your Border Collie has been home doing nothing and now has a chance to explore the outside world, he’ll be very excited and will definitely pull on the leash. Your Collie will be all over the place, trying to follow new scents, meet new people, explore the neighborhood and get some exercise.
Most dogs know that going for walks normally last for a limited period of time. They will therefore want to do everything within the time they spend outside. The walk will not be that fun or exciting for you since you will have to keep on shouting “drop it”, “no” and “stop”. You will even end up having a bruised hand because of the leash pulling.
Most people with such dogs make the mistake of reducing the time they walk their dogs. This is not good for your dog because he will become more excited on the next walk, and there will be more leash pulling.
Border Collie Leash Training
Now that you have a better understanding on why your dog might be pulling on the leash during walks, you can learn how to handle this problem. The following tips Border Collie leash training tips will help you.
- If your Collie becomes excited each time you bring out the leash, don’t put it on him until he is calm. If your Border Collie is jumping, begging and whining, tell him “no” and try to make him sit. Only put the leash on your dog when he is calm and siting down.
- If your dog becomes exited after you have put the leash on him, you’ll have to try to calm him down again. Don’t make the mistake of opening the door while he is still excited. Your dog may end up becoming more excited and anxious as he waits, but don’t worry about it. This is a way of teaching him to be patient if he wants to go out for a walk.
- When you are outside with your Collie and he begins pulling on the leash, stop as soon as this happens. Make your dog sit and wait. Let him know that you are the boss and you decide when and where to go. Don’t allow your dog to pull you to wherever he wants to go.
For the above tips to work, you will have to be consistent each time you go for a walk. Also, encourage other members of the family to use this tactics. You should walk your Border Collie more often so that he will avoid pulling the leash.
