Before you buy a dog you must need to know about its pros and cons. The question that comes to mind before buying a collie is whether it would be safe to let a border collie off-leash. Because by considering their aggression and frustration in mind they could damage, harm, or bite anyone. So are Border collies good off-leash dogs or should they be leashed all the time?
Border collies are good off-leashed dogs. You can off-leash your Border collie after some training. If you leave him without a leash before even his training, he will start chasing any car. This could also end his life by coming under its wheels. A little training is required to keep him under control. After training, you can off-leash your Border collie and take it into public parks.
Border collies are good off-leash dogs:
Border collies can be controlled while being leashed off. It is safe to off-leash your Border collie. You just need to teach him how to behave around people. Border collies are very intelligent and fast learners. They can learn up to 1000 commands. Their aggression and any other kind of behavior can be controlled by the owner just by giving some commands.
How to train your border collie to get ready to be leashed off?
Border collies are very easy to train because they are the most intelligent dog breeds. Their low prey drive, high vitality, and eagerness to please make them extraordinary for outside exercises.
It is best if you start your collie’s training at a younger age. This is because at that age your dog is learning things and growing up. The best age I will recommend to start the training of your border collie is after 12 weeks. Start training by using a leash at the beginning.
Try to make a habit of giving rewards to your border collie in a good manner. If you feel any difficulty in training your dog, you can leave him at the training center for a couple of weeks. Training your border collie requires a lot of patience. It is recommended to start his training in the fences first then provide him open-air with more time and proper control using a short leash.
Always carry your border collies’ favorite food in your pocket. Whenever he gets distracted, ask him to stop, call him and give him a portion of food to get his attention. It’s a part of the training while he is being leashed off.
The best way to train your Border collie is by playing games with him. Include all his training in games so it will keep him always energetic and will also train him more confidently as compared to giving him direct commands.
How much older Border collies should be to leash off?
You should focus on this point you should start your Border collies training as soon as he starts growing and start taking him out along with yourself using a short leash.
There are possibilities that he may run off and lose control so you should leash him with 25 inches to 50 inches leash to train him at the park and in open areas with many other distractions around.
The best can be delivered by the owner only if he/she knows how to train his/her Border collie. Otherwise, there are other ways too, like leaving your dog to a trainer for a couple of weeks to learn all the manners, tricks, and commands.
What if you off-leash a younger border collie?
Before off-leashing your Border collie this query will always be in your mind what if he runs off and never return or harm someone and creates problems for you?
Younger Border collies are at the age of learning new things and get distracted by other things very easily. Their love for the owner is present but they get distracted by other things and ignore their owner. This could result in a car accident if you carry him on the street and leash off. You must always stay close to your younger Border collie and must use a short leash.
What if you off-leash an older experienced border collie?
The same is the problem with an older Border collie, the same results can come up if you off-leash him free. The only thing matter here is the training of your Border collie.
If you train him well during his growth while he is observing things from the environment, results would differ and your Border collie will be totally under your control while leashed off.
How can you keep your border collie on track if you leash him off for free?
It all starts with his training. If you provide him with good training he will always stick with you, it does no matter how many distractions come up in the way.
First of all, you must choose a sentence or a whistle to recall him back to you. So from his childhood, if he gets distracted by something so must start his training of recalling him back to you. So that if you leash him off, you recall him back and he comes back instead of running away.
At first when you take him out with yourself, always use a short leash while moving on the streets and I would recommend (many owners tried and got success) 25 inches to 50 inches leash while training him in parks with few distractions.
For any query or problem, you can get help by commenting down below in the comment section.
Getting the attention of BC while he is being distracted:
You must be always in your Border collie’s center of attention. Well, breeds like Border collies are always loyal to their owner, and their all love is for their owner.
Sometimes your Border collie gets distracted by an object, car, or by any other dog.
If you want to get his attention just hide somewhere behind the tree and don’t show up for 5 minutes. Within 5 minutes your border collie will look for you and when you won’t visible he will get scared, and sad, and will search for you. Next time he will keep you in the center of attention, no matter how many distractions come up.
If you are looking for a training area and confused about where you should start training your Border collie then I will recommend the below options which are successfully used by many handlers:
- The Tennis court would be perfect to leash off your dog and train him.
- Farm with fences around 8 to 12 feet is necessary because Border collies are very clever and they can go out through any possible way.
- In parks with a long leash, it would also be a very nice idea.
Showing your importance to your BC while off-leashed:
Your border collie must always stick with you while you are walking down the street or in any park. At a younger age Border collie, he will get distracted by many things so you should show much patience while training your border collie.
You should start giving a reward like some food so he gets attached more and starts obeying all of your commands. They love their owner very much. Whenever your Border collie gets distracted by something and ignores you it is a hard task for you but just go out of his sight. After some time he will look for you and will get upset. Through this start showing your importance and keep your border collie always under your control.
Keeping your BC close to yourself while walking on the street being off-leashed:
It is also a part of the training of your border collie. It is important for an owner to always keep their dog under control. While walking down the streets you must use a short leash to keep your dog under control and near yourself. There are a lot of things on the roads and streets to get the attention of your border collie so you should keep him under control.
In the beginning, start with a short leash then after some training and control you will be able to off-leash your border collie. All you need to do is to train your dog for all of these things and breeds like Border collies are very fast learners.
Things to keep in mind in the training of leashing off your Border collie:
Training before leashing off your Border collie could be difficult. As I mentioned above, always carry your Border collie’s favorite food in your pocket. Whenever he gets distracted by something you stop him, recall him, and get his attention by offering food.
It is recommended to take your Border collie to an area with less distraction and use a short leash. After a while and with daily training, start taking him to an area with more distractions. You can also use the long leash because with time your Border collie will start sticking with you. Your collie won’t get distracted by other things and will always follow your steps and will always stick with you.
Generally, Border Collies are more owners focused as compared to all other dog breeds. (i.e. huskies, scent hounds, sighthounds)
Final words:
In all Border collies are good off-leash dogs but all they need is just a little training before leashing off. It is very necessary to train your Border collie. You should start training your dog at the start by using a short leash. And after time start increasing distance from your Border collie by using a long leash. A time will come when your Border collie will walk beside you without a leash.
How to control the craziness and aggression of Collie
If you are looking for an online course about training your collie dog, just ask down in the comment section. I will help you as much as possible.
Check out these amazing Dog leashs below and buy one for your collie dog as well.
