Maybe walks have become stressful. You spot another dog and immediately start planning where you’re going to go. Your collie sees a bike, runner or car and explodes before you’ve even had a chance to do anything.
Or perhaps they’re perfectly lovely at home, but once you leave the front door, it feels like you’re dealing with a completely different dog.
You’ve probably tried the training.
You’ve bought the treats. You’ve practised your heelwork. You’ve worked on engagement. Maybe you’ve even tried tiring them out with longer walks.
And yet, you’re still struggling.
You’re not failing. There may just be more going on than the behaviour you’re seeing.
After working with Border Collies for years, I’ve learnt that I can’t look at reactivity in isolation.
A dog who is barking at another dog may also be exhausted from several difficult days. They may have had very little opportunity to switch off. They may be getting too much stimulation, not enough recovery, or simply have no idea what to do when the world becomes overwhelming.
And because Border Collies are so clever, it’s easy to assume they should be able to cope.
But knowing a behaviour isn’t the same as being able to use it when you’re overwhelmed.
That’s why I created the 5 Days to a Calmer Collie Challenge.
Five days to start looking at your collie differently
This isn’t five days of trying to stop your dog barking.
Instead, we’ll look at what’s happening underneath the behaviour and start putting some of the foundations in place that reactive Border Collies often need.
A difficult walk doesn’t simply disappear when you get home. Stress can build across the day and across several days. We’ll look at the small things you can change to give your collie more breathing room.
Rather than expecting your collie to suddenly handle busy paths, other dogs, traffic and unfamiliar environments, we’ll look at how to break things down and give them experiences they can actually succeed with.
And perhaps most importantly, how to understand what’s behind the behaviour.
Because once you understand why your collie is struggling, your approach starts to change.
You stop thinking, “How do I make them stop?”
And start thinking, “What can I change to help them cope?”
You just need your Border Collie and a willingness to look at their behaviour from a slightly different perspective.
It’s completely FREE.
📅 Starts 22nd September
🐾 Five days of practical guidance
🧠 Understand your collie’s behaviour
🌿 Reduce overwhelm and build recovery
💚 Start creating the foundations for a calmer, more capable collie
Come and spend five days learning how to support the dog underneath the behaviour.
I’ll see you inside.