Printable Border Collie Training Checklist (Potty, Leash, Barking, Recall)

Back to home Home Breed Training Tips Border Collie Training Printable Checklist Border Collie Training Checklist All six training checklists — potty, leash, barking, recall, chewing and alone time — in one print job, with the extra steps and common mistakes that matter for a Border Collie . Train the reasoning first. Give a Border Collie a problem to solve inside every exercise, and compliance follows. Drill repetition without a puzzle and you'll build frustration behaviours instead. Print the full pack / Save as PDF Potty training Leash training Barking Recall Chewing Alone time Border Collie potty training checklist House training is a memory task, not an obedience task. Dogs map surfaces, routes and smells fast — so the goal is to make the right location the easiest one to remember and the wrong one impossible to practise. Set up before day one Choose one outdoor toilet spot and one exit door — use them every single time Buy an enzymatic cleaner (regular cleaner leaves a scent cue that re-invites accidents) Set up a crate or pen sized so the dog can stand, turn and lie down — no extra room Put a treat pouch by the door, stocked with pea-sized high-value treats Print a potty log and stick it by the door: time out, result, accidents Agree one marker word with everyone in the house (for example "Go potty") Every day Out first thing in the morning, before anything else happens Out within 10 minutes of every meal, nap and play burst Puppies: out on a 45-minute clock while awake; adults: every 2-4 hours Say the marker word the moment elimination starts, not after Pay within 3 seconds of finishing, outdoors — never wait until you're back inside Stay outside 2-3 minutes after they finish so going out doesn't end the fun Supervise or confine 100% of indoor time — no unsupervised roaming yet Last trip out immediately before bed; pick up water 1-2 hours earlier Log every trip and every accident Week-by-week progression Week 1: fixed schedule, constant supervision, zero indoor freedom Week 2: stretch the clock by 15 minutes once you've had 3 clean days Week 3: add one new outdoor surface (grass, gravel, pavement) so the habit generalises Week 4: allow one supervised free room; add a second room only after 7 clean days Any accident: shrink the freedom back one step for 3 days Troubleshooting checks Accidents always in one room? Close it off and re-clean with enzymatic cleaner Accidents right after coming inside? You're paying too late — pay outdoors, instantly Overnight accidents in a house-trained dog? Book a vet check for a UTI first Dog won't go while you watc

h? Stand still and silent, look away, extend the wait to 5 minutes Peeing on greeting or when told off? That's appeasement — stop all punishment for accidents Border Collie specifics Use the exact same exit route for the first two weeks — this breed memorises the route, not just the spot Mark elimination quietly; a loud marker is startling for a communication-sensitive dog Add a short problem-solving game after each successful trip so going out predicts thinking work Most common mistake: Letting the dog have unsupervised indoor freedom too early — one unnoticed accident on a rug can establish a location habit that takes weeks to overwrite. Border Collie leash training checklist Pulling is a reinforcement problem: forward motion pays the dog every time the leash tightens. The fix is to make position — not speed — the thing that pays, and to give the dog something to think about on the way. Set up before day one Fit a front-clip harness or flat collar — no retractable leash during training Use a fixed 1.8m (6ft) leash; hold it with a soft, low hand Pick a reward marker (clicker or a short word) and charge it indoors first Load the pouch with soft treats the dog can swallow while moving Choose one quiet, low-traffic practice route Every walk Start with 60 seconds of attention games before you leave the doorstep Mark and pay every time the dog's shoulder lines up with your leg Stop moving the instant the leash tightens — resume only when it slackens Change direction at least 5 times per walk so the route stays unpredictable Add 2-3 "find it" treat scatters to let the nose work Give a release cue for sniffing breaks so sniffing becomes a reward, not a theft End while the dog is still succeeding, not once they're over threshold Four-week progression Week 1: 5-minute reps indoors and in the garden only Week 2: quiet street, same route, 10 minutes, high pay rate Week 3: add one mild distraction (parked cars, distant dogs) at a workable distance Week 4: vary the route; thin the treats to every third good stretch Only add distance once the dog can hold position for 20 unbroken paces Troubleshooting checks Dog pulls only at the start? Do 3 minutes of warm-up drills before setting off Lunging at dogs or bikes? Increase distance until the dog can still eat, then work there Dog freezes or refuses to walk? Check gear fit and pain first, then reduce novelty Zigzagging with the nose down? Schedule a dedicated sniff walk separately Good with you, terrible with someone else? Every handler must run the same rules Border Collie specifics Change direction every 30-60 seconds

— a memorised straight route gives the reasoning nothing to do Reward with a short chase or tug rather than food when arousal is high Manage sightlines to livestock, joggers and cyclists before they appear, not once fixation starts Most common mistake: Long, straight, identical routes. A memorised walk gives the reasoning nothing to do, so the dog invents its own job — usually towing you. Border Collie barking checklist Barking is communication with a payoff attached. Alert, demand, frustration and fear barks are maintained by different rewards, so each needs a different answer — shouting over any of them reads as joining in. Diagnose first (3 days) Log every barking episode: time, trigger, how it ended Tag each one: alert, demand, frustration/boredom, fear, or greeting Note the distance and intensity at which the dog can still take a treat Rule out pain or hearing/vision change with a vet check for sudden new barking Manage the environment Block sightlines to the main visual trigger (window film, furniture, closed door) Add background sound during known trigger windows (deliveries, school run) Move the dog's rest spot away from the front door or front window Remove the payoff for demand barking — no food, attention or door opening on a bark Daily training reps 3 x 2-minute counter-conditioning reps: trigger at a workable distance, pay immediately Teach and pay a "go to mat" settle during quiet moments, before it's needed Reward 3 spontaneous quiet moments a day — quiet has to pay better than barking Add 10 minutes of scent work or a puzzle feeder before the usual trigger window Practise a calm greeting routine at the door with a helper twice a week Weekly review Compare this week's log to last week's: fewer episodes, shorter, or quieter counts as progress Reduce trigger distance only if the dog stayed under threshold all week Still escalating after 4 weeks, or barking with growling/snapping? Book a qualified behaviourist Border Collie specifics Separate motion barking from workload barking in your log — they need different answers Add 10 minutes of scent or puzzle work before the trigger window, not after barking begins Use silent hand cues for the settle; your voice adds arousal for this breed Most common mistake: Shouting over the barking. In a highly communication-sensitive breed, your raised voice reads as joining in. Border Collie recall checklist Recall competes directly with whatever the dog is already enjoying. It only wins if the payment is bigger, faster and more reliable than the alternative — and if being called almost never ends the fun. Se

t up before day one Pick a brand-new recall word you have never used casually or in frustration Choose a jackpot reward: roast chicken, cheese, or a toy chase for chase-driven dogs Buy a 10m long line and a well-fitted harness (never a long line on a collar) Ban the old, poisoned recall word from the whole household Every day 5 recall reps a day, one at a time, in easy settings Pay every single recall for the first four weeks — no exceptions Release the dog back to what they were doing 9 times out of 10 Never call for anything the dog dislikes (nail trims, baths, leaving the park) Never repeat the cue — if it fails, go and get the dog and make the next rep easier Four-stage progression Stage 1: indoors, no distractions, 2-3m apart Stage 2: garden or quiet enclosed space, 5-10m, mild distractions Stage 3: long line in a park, called away from sniffing and mild movement Stage 4: long line dragging, near dogs, joggers and bikes — off-leash only after 20 clean stage-3 reps Any two failures in a row: drop back one stage for a week Troubleshooting checks Dog comes 3m from you then swerves? Pay at your feet, take the collar gently, pay again Only works at home? You skipped a stage — go back to the long line Runs to other dogs instead? Recall away from dogs at double distance and pay with a chase game Ignores you outdoors but eats treats there? The reward is too low value — upgrade it Border Collie specifics Pay recall with movement (a released chase) rather than food where possible Proof around moving triggers specifically: bikes, joggers, sheep, scooters Keep the long line on in open country until the cue beats motion three sessions running Most common mistake: Only calling the dog when it's time to leave. That teaches recall predicts the end of everything good. Border Collie chewing checklist Dogs chew to soothe, to explore and to work. Removing the outlet without replacing it just moves the damage — so the plan is management, a better legal option, and enough mental work that the sofa stops looking interesting. Dog-proof the space Walk each room at dog height and remove shoes, cables, remotes and children's toys Use a pen, crate or closed doors for any room you can't supervise Cover chewed furniture edges or block access for 4 weeks so the habit stops being rehearsed Bin any destroyed toy pieces — no swallowing hazards Build the legal chew menu Stock 4-6 different chew textures (rubber, rope, edible, frozen, snuffle) Rotate them: only 2 out at a time, swapped daily, so novelty stays high Freeze a stuffed toy each night for the next day Puppies teething: offe

r a chilled (not frozen solid) chew for sore gums Every day Feed at least one meal from a puzzle feeder, snuffle mat or scatter 10 minutes of scent work or a training game — mental work beats extra walking Trade, don't chase: swap a stolen item for a treat, then reward the return Pay the dog for chewing the right thing while they're doing it, not afterwards Give a chew before the risky window (your work calls, evenings, departures) Troubleshooting checks Chewing only when alone? Work the alone-time checklist as well — that's a distress signal Chewing walls, stones or fabric they swallow? Vet check for pica and dietary issues Guarding the stolen item with a stiff body or growl? Stop taking things off them; call a behaviourist Adult dog with sudden new chewing? Look for a change in routine, sleep or household noise Border Collie specifics Assume destruction means unworked reasoning, not under-exercise — add puzzles before adding walks Rotate chews daily; novelty matters more for this breed than chew hardness Most common mistake: Adding more physical exercise. A tired body with an unworked mind still redecorates the hallway. Border Collie alone time checklist Rest and separation both have to be trained. Dogs that never learn an off switch stay in a low-grade state of arousal, and arousal is what turns an empty house into chewing, barking and pacing. Set up before day one Create one comfortable settle spot away from the front door and windows Set up a camera or phone so you can watch what actually happens when you leave Decide the departure routine and keep it identical and boring — no emotional goodbyes Prepare a licking or chewing outlet to give at the moment you leave Every day 3 x settle reps: reward relaxed lying on the mat between activities Practise 5-10 "fake" departures — pick up keys, open the door, come back, no fuss Give the dog at least one nap window in a quiet room, undisturbed Front-load a problem-solving session before any real departure Return calmly: greet only once the dog has four feet on the floor Graded absence plan Week 1: absences of 5-30 seconds, always returning before any whining starts Week 2: 1-5 minutes, in random order (short, long, short) so length stays unpredictable Week 3: 5-20 minutes; review camera footage before extending Week 4: 20-60 minutes; only extend after 3 calm sessions at the current length Never extend after a session with whining, pacing, drooling or barking — repeat that length instead Troubleshooting checks Distress in the first 3 minutes every time? That's separation-related distress — stop full-day absenc

es and get professional help Dog won't eat the departure chew? The absence is already too long or too sudden Barking starts only after 30 minutes? Add a mid-day break or dog walker Escaping the crate or injuring themselves? Stop crating immediately and use a safe room while you get help Border Collie specifics Train settling as deliberately as you'd train a recall — this breed does not develop an off switch alone Front-load a problem-solving session before you leave; a tired body with a busy mind still redecorates Most common mistake: Adding more physical exercise. A tired body with an unworked mind still redecorates the hallway. Back to the full Border Collie training guide Based on the work of Dr. Brian Hare & Vanessa Woods Every Dognition guide, assessment, and blog post is grounded in the research and methodologies of Dr. Brian Hare and Vanessa Woods at the Duke Canine Cognition Center. Their work established that "smart" isn't one number — dogs think across five distinct cognitive dimensions, and the best training matches the method to the mind. Book · 2013 The Genius of Dogs How dogs are smarter than you think — the founding text on canine cognitive science. Read more Book · 2024 Puppy Kindergarten The Duke Puppy Kindergarten study — how the first 16 weeks shape a dog for life (as covered by The New York Times). Read the NYT feature