Breed trainability
Are Border Collies easy to train?
Border Collies have a reputation as the dog that trains itself, and the grain of truth is that many pick up patterns quickly, including ones nobody meant to teach: the lunge at a cyclist, the stare at the cat, the bark at the vacuum. How fast that happens, and how well a cue carries from the kitchen to the river path, varies from dog to dog. Our verdict, the settle and program fit follow.
Last reviewed September 24, 2026
Working brain
Quick to pick up patterns, wanted or not.
What often makes a Border Collie feel easy shows up early. Many watch hands, feet and faces closely, offer behaviours before being asked, and treat a marker and a reward as a game worth winning, so sit, down, place, heel and a fetch that returns to hand are reasonable first goals. How quickly each one becomes reliable varies with the dog and with where it is practised: a heel that holds in the kitchen may fall apart the first time a runner passes.
The same quickness works in every direction. A dog that has chased one cyclist may have learned that cyclists are for chasing; one let out of the crate whenever it whines may have learned the whine. Add the sensitivity to noise and motion many herding dogs carry, plus an intensity that does not always switch off on its own, and we see a dog that needs someone to teach it what to do when there is nothing to do. We rate that skill first.
- Often offers behaviours unasked
- Learns unwanted patterns quickly
- Sensitivity to noise and motion
- Settle often needs teaching
Settle first
Calm around motion, then a program chosen by assessment.
Calgary can be a demanding city for a Border Collie without a settle. The river pathways carry bikes, runners, scooters, strollers and other dogs, and a herding dog may treat each one as something to gather, stalk or stare down, with the frustration coming out as lunging or barking. Because city pathways are on-leash unless signed otherwise, that work happens on a lead. Our approach is a place command with real duration, then calm around motion at a distance the dog can manage.
Day Training, $650 plus GST per week, runs Monday to Friday with a weekly one-hour go-home lesson, for a dog who needs daily work but sleeps at home. On-Leash Foundations, a 2-week board and train at $1,865 plus GST, covers loose-leash walking and place around everyday distractions. Lunging alone does not pick the program: where a full assessment points to reactivity rather than missing foundations, Behaviour Rehab is built for that. We recommend one at the consultation, the smaller one whenever it is enough.
Asked and answered
The questions people ask us.
Are Border Collies hard to train?
Hard to train well rather than hard to train, in our experience. Many learn cues readily; the harder part is stopping the dog from teaching itself things nobody wanted, like herding bikes or barking at every noise. We put a settle and calm around motion ahead of new tricks.
Are Border Collies good first dogs?
For many first-time owners we would say no, though it depends on the household. The breed tends to need daily structure, a real settle and a handler who notices what the dog is learning on its own. Without that, the intelligence the breed is known for can turn into fixation.
Can Border Collies be left alone?
A Border Collie with an established crate routine and a proper outlet may manage reasonable stretches, though every dog has its own limit. One without those tends to invent a job, and the job is often barking, chewing or pacing at the window. We would build crate comfort and a settle before any long absences.
Are Border Collies stubborn?
We rarely see it as stubbornness. A Border Collie ignoring a cue is often in a herding posture, head low and eyes locked on a bike or a bird, and in that state the cue is not getting through. We work on the settle at a distance from the motion before we ask for the cue closer in.
Keep reading
Teach the settle first.
Bring us the dog that herds bikes and cannot switch off. Book a consultation and we will assess before we recommend a program.
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