Dear Old Trainer: My 2-year old border collie, Tater, is very well behaved, but when he gets excited there is no telling what he will do. The other day he treed a squirrel, and when my neighbor came out to see why he was barking, Tater nipped him right in the seat of the pants. Why did he do that, and what can I do to train him better?
-- Perplexed, Taos, N.M.
A: I know how you feel, Perplexed. My old dog Streak, the only recalcitrant border collie on the planet, is a genius at finding a loophole in the rules and outsmarting me.
Every time it happens I say the same thing that Prince Metternich, the Austrian uberdiplomat, said to an aide upon hearing that Talleyrand, his archrival in devious diplomacy, had died: "Now I wonder why he did that."
All border collies use the occasional nip to project their personality on sheep, so it is in Tater's DNA. I suspect he was just trying to communicate his desire that your neighbor scamper up and roust that squirrel, and in the excitement, that was the first solution that popped into his mind.
The remedy is to extend your control over Tater through the use of three training exercises. In all three you give the command in a normal voice, use a hand signal in two of them, give Tater 10 to 15 seconds to think through the process and pet and praise him when he complies with your order.
The first is the "hold" command.
1. While walking Tater -- on a flexible leash of course; leave the short leashes to the Hefty Ladies of the dog show world -- give the command, then tug on the leash to make sure he comes to a halt.
2. Once he does, praise and pet him.
3. Repeat the exercise five or six times, one right after the other, then walk for awhile and do the entire exercise again.
Include the training in your walk every day. Dogs learn this trick quickly. Once Tater learns, take him into the yard without the leash and continue the practice. The minute Tater ignores the command, go back to the basics.
The second exercise will be incorporated into the daily feeding. As you set the food down order Tater to "stay," and use a hand signal the same as a traffic cop when he holds traffic. If you have to, restrain him with your hand while you repeat the command. After a few seconds, motion him toward the food and say "OK." Don't allow him to eat until you give the okay. Once he learns to obey you, vary your actions from day to day. Allow him to eat immediately some days, order him to stay on others.
The final step is to use the same "stay" command before allowing him in or out of the car or the house. Once he learns the command, make it permanent every time he enters or exits.
These commands will psychologically extend your verbal control over Tater. Every time he obeys your commands the bond between you becomes stronger. You will find that you will have more control over him the next time he becomes excited.
As always, the most important part of training is the petting and praise.
Send questions for The Old Trainer to: theoldtrainer711@yahoo.com.
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