Now you have your Border Collie puppy at home, it is time to toilet train the little bundle of fur. Remember, that little bundle of fur is a lot smarter than you may think if you are not used to the breed. If you do not stay one step in front of your pup, you may be a well trained human for your Border Collie puppy, rather than the other way round.
You are the pack leader and your Border Collie puppy needs to know this right from the start. A Border Collie puppy is highly intelligent and will come well equipped to understand the pack structure and what is expected of them. If you do not take on the role of pack leader it will push the boundaries. It is your responsibility to make the rules in your household, much like you do for children, and be consistent in teaching your Border Collie puppy the rules so you can all live in harmony.
One of the biggest challenges you face when your Border Collie comes home is training your Border Collie puppy to toilet outside.....
This is where the fun starts and you will find a sense of humour you never knew you had.
Now, here is a little dog psychology.
Your Border Collie puppy will give you signals so you need to read what they are.
Border Collie puppy will not naturally want to relieve itself in the house but you Border Collie puppy has little bladder.
If you miss the signals it has no choice. Its mother will have taught it to keep its environment clean.
Border Collie puppies are quick, one minute they are happily playing and the next they are weeing in the house.
Nose to the ground turning in circles whining disappearing all of a sudden
When you see your Border Collie do any of these things take it outside to the spot you want it to use to relieve itself.
Once outside, encourage your Border Collie puppy to ‘go potty’. It will circle a few times, have a good sniff and should eventually relieve itself.
Make sure you are encouraging and not demanding. Associate a verbal command with the action, getting a Border Collie to poop on command can be a very convenient at times.
When you Border Collie puppy does ‘go potty’, praise it lavishly and reward with a treat the first few times.
Once you Border Collie puppy gets the idea, which it will within a couple of days, just use the praise and maybe a game of tug as a reward.
It is really convenient to have a Border Collie that goes to the toilet on command.
There are a couple of ways to do this but the best method is using a crate.
This is great for crate training too.
Just before you go to bed take your Border Collie puppy outside for the last time in the day.
Have the crate setup in the place you Border Collie puppy is going to sleep like the verandah, bedroom or the laundry.
Set the crate up where you want your Border Collie puppy to sleep as an adult.
Put your Border Collie puppy inside for the night with a toy and something that has your smell on it.
Make sure it is safe.
Do not give it water and do not respond to its crying unless it is in the middle of the night and it wants to go potty.
If so, take your Border Collie puppy outside to go potty.
A Border Collie puppy is unlikely to soil its bed unless it cannot help it and most puppies will sleep through the night within a week to 10 days if you are consistent.
Make sure the first thing you do in the morning is to take your Border Collie puppy out to go potty.
Using the crate to help house train your Border Collie is brilliant as you have a crate trained Border Collie puppy that is safe in its crate throughout the night.
No accidents and you do not have to worry what Border Collie puppy is doing while you are asleep.
Another method you can use is newspaper on the floor in the laundry or use a litter tray for the first few days.
If you are consistent in your Border Collie’s house training, you should be able to get rid of the paper inside is a few days.