LET ME INTRODUCE MYSELF AND EXPLAIN HOW THE BBCC CAME ABOUT
Hello and welcome from me The Border collie trainer, aka Alison.
Thank you for asking about the BEST BORDER COLLIE CLUB
The idea has come about because I have been working as a ‘non breed specific’ dog trainer for a number of years and have taught numerous border collies that have struggled to cope in a wide variety of situations.
They really are a breed apart and are not well understood by many trainers and therefore some owners are offered advice that, whilst it may suit a different breed, certainly isn’t the most effective for a Border Collie.
I had my first border collies when I was 19, 2 boys from a farm in Derbyshire, bred in a stable and pretty full on but very kind and ‘easy’ in many respects.
In those days the only dog trainer that anybody had heard of was
Barbara Woodhouse….(google her if you are under 40). She was not what we would refer to now as a ‘positive or force free’ trainer !
So what I learned was poor and not useful, mainly anecdotes from other dog owners, we tried teaching lead work with poor methods etc….but they were happy boys, well loved and who lived to a good age
I had more collies, again from farms, 2 boys, same litter….same story except I wanted to learn how to train and what to train.
I had the notion to teach them agility…but the sport was very much in its infancy and again, no positive, planned, confidence building training was on offer to me locally, so again….we had fun, we walked miles across the UK and Europe but no real progressive training.
By now I am living in Norfolk and have seen my dogs age and decline, I suddenly get asked to rehome a rescue border collie (this is a whole story for another chapter) on the back of a newspaper article my neighbour read to me.
So I collected Bob, then adopted Floss then I got Red (all rehomed for reasons not their own). Next in the pack is a posh boy, a planned well bred, health tested puppy, Nibs then the rehome of 'failed sheepdog' Tog …and the arrival of homebred puppy, Mrs Honeyman, aka Bee .
So, lots of variety in back story, lots of variety in age, temperament, confidence, skill and attitude….but all border collies and all with border collie habits, hang ups and brains.
Now I am constantly learning more, have skilled myself with the knowledge, understanding and activities to help my border collies, and yours, to live a fulfilled, happy, confident life A life where their oh so special traits can be utilised and loved.
We know if we suppress any innate instincts an animal posses that the true behaviours will show through if the situations demand. This is certainly true of our clever border collies.
This is so often why we see the lunging, barking, laying perfectly still, herding and nipping….its what they do when they don’t know differently.
I have trained border collies to top flight national agility competition standards, to find missing people, to find tiny items in scentwork tasks, to use their herding instincts around games as well as sheep, to work calmly in massively distracting situations and to be relaxed, happy fulfilled border collies. I know what it takes to help our border collies.
I am a qualified instructor and judge for the World Scent Dog Association, (School of Canine Science) a fully qualified Mantrailing instructor (Global Mantrailing), have taught border collies and handlers agility to top competition level, I have a Diploma and Honours degree in Education and the Learning Psychology, I am currently studying for yet another degree level course in dog behaviour and am learning with other amazing border collie trainers including sheepdog training, breed specific games for collies (Kay Laurence) and a movement specialist (Mari Valgma).
At the Best Border Collie Club we are going to have fun together, learning from our border collies and with our border collies.
We may have sailed through life with previous border collies then suddenly WHAM!!! We get the genetics of thousands of years all poured into one fluffy bundle and life becomes a chaotic chase of nips and barks, lunges and spins.
And so the BEST BORDER COLLIE CLUB is born
