Unlike sporting breeds, herding breeds are sensitive and do not require you to be as strict with your training. Collies respond beautifully to praise and positive reinforcement. Your average collie is going to be eager to please and ready to learn. Collies can even pick up what you want just by watching and paying attention to your routine. They respond well to tone of voice and keep a sharp eye out for your body language.
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Hand Signals
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For centuries collies have worked as herd dogs. They are bred to have a keen eye and to know what is happening, even in a busy environment.
Hand signals are beneficial to work with your collie, especially if you hope to have her be a working dog or to compete in show or agility. When you train your collie, use a hand signal with every verbal signal you give her. Also, encourage her to pay attention to you by rewarding her every time she looks to you for direction. This will ensure that she keeps her eye on you.
Hand signals work great when your collie is a distance away. Just wait for her to look to you for direction or whistle to get her attention and show her a hand signal.
Tone of Voice
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Use a calm tone of voice when training your collie. He will not respond well to being screamed at and threatened. He needs an owner who is calm and consistent, firm but not abusive. Your collie will love and respect you, but you need to respect him as well and keep your voice calm.
In the same respect, you can control your collie with just slight inflections of your voice. Even if you do not consistently use the same command, your collie will pick up on what you want by the inflection of your voice. Collies will quickly learn a large vocabulary and will even seem to understand everything you say.
Keep Her Respect
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A collie is intelligent and trainable. However, smart dogs can be trouble. If you do not keep her following you, she will try to lead you. As with any dog, it is important that you always keep your position as leader of the pack.
This does not mean you need to be cruel to your collie--in fact that will cause the sensitive collie to shut down. To keep your status with your collie, you need to make sure she keeps working. Have her "wait" while you walk through a doorway first. Have her "sit" before releasing her to her food bowl. Have her "down" to be petted. Do not let your collie have too much freedom or she will take your bed and have you sleeping on the floor.
Keep Him Busy
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You need to keep your collie mentally and physically stimulated. If he does not have enough stimulation, he may look for his own by herding the neighborhood children. Some collies nip when they herd--so it is best to not let him herd your kids.
Play with him and take him for long walks. Teach him obedience, tricks and games. You could even enroll in an agility class with him, or train him to be a therapy dog and take him to visit the elderly. Collies love working closely with people and thrive in such an environment.
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