how do i train my border collie?

Question

i have a 9 month old border collie and i am trying to get her to hunt rabbits. i have dragged a pelt around the garden and she seems to emjoy chasing it, although whenever i show her a live rabbit she takes no interest. i have tryed showing her a dead rabbit and she sniffs it then looses interest.(one more thing, she likes to collect rotten rabbits and rabbit bones and chew on them in her basket). any help would be appreciated! thanks

Answer 1

Like most people have said, border collies are natural herders NOT hunters. Saying that all of my parents BC's will chase and kill rabbits on command and it didn't take any training. All we did was make a ''sst sst'' sound where the rabbit was and the youngest one would dig or scare it out and the other will chase after it and give a quick kill! Jess use to do it without any command - she just chased and killed (shes dead now) Nell is now too old but Holly enjoys it. She makes a better hunter then herder so that's what we use her for on the farm and we team her up with the JRT. My border collie shows no interest in rabbits though. Maybe take you BC to an open field of rabbits running around. If she shows no interest then your dog isn't going to make a good hunter. It's down to instinct and i was quite shocked that Holly has a better hunting instinct then herding! If you specifically wanted a hunting breed then you didn't do much research on BC's. Your best hunting breeds are lurchers or any terrier (we have a jack russell terrier and she goes for anything including the pet rabbit lol). Maybe enroll your BC in your nearest herding training, see if your local farmer has any sheep he wouldn't mind you using or give you any tips. Maybe try agility (always good for BC's, frisbee, dog dancing?, fly ball. The list in endless - hunting is now out of the question!

Answer 2

Border collies are not natural hunting breeds. If you want to hunt rabbits you would need a lurcher.



My Border Collie DID used to hunt rabbits but only alone and since we got our pup she hasn't bothered for months which makes me think it wasn't so much instinct as boredom that drove her to hunt.



If you want to gve your collie a job give her a job she can do!

Fly ball, agility, obedience etc.

Answer 3

Border Collie's instinct is to herd, not hunt. I have 2 border collies and they love to chase the critters on my property, but they have never tried to kill anything. I've even taken them to herding lessons and although my male dog bit at the sheep's leg, it wasn't malevolent, it was just incentive to get the sheep to move.



Why do you want her to hunt rabbits anyway?



I don't know that you can train your dog to hunt. I think it's a natural instinct and that's not one bred in border collies. Plus, I don't think it's a good idea to have your dog chewing on rabbit bones, they could get lodged in her throat or intestines, not to mention the bacteria or worms she could get from the rotten rabbits.

Answer 4

you've got the wrong breed for one,

but any canine can be trained to do anything.

two, it shouldn't be eating the quarry cut that sh*t right out.

three, find a canine that hunts rabbits and take your ***** to see how it's done, if she doesn't pick it up off a few runs thatta way then she aint gonna get it. make your lazy a55 a snare and do it the old way.

Answer 5

This is sick. Training a loving dog to do your dirty work?? Leave the rabbits alone what did they ever do to you? How would you like to be hunted down??

Answer 6

Hmmm... I'm not sure how you can do that if it's not coming out of her natural instinct. But aren't border collies genetically programmed to herd and not to hunt? I may be mistaken but you're working against the breed's natural instinct so that may be difficult.

Answer 7

BCs are a herding dog, not a hunting dog. I think you should be encouraging her to do what she was bred to do. Personal opinion!

Answer 8

get her a to rabbit and get her to chase it