My son and I adopted a 5 month old Border Collie about a month ago(6 months old now). It took a couple weeks for him to get comfortable and he was skittish at every turn. Now he follows us everywhere we go.
The problem we're having is trying to train him to do even the most basic of things. He just lays on the floor and intentionally looks away. Nothing rouses him - not treats or toys or attention. If we stand up and walk away he will follow us, but as soon as we try to initiate any training he lays down and won't budge. We thought getting a Border Collie would make for many active afternoons, but the only way to get him any exercise is to run ourselves and let him chase. I've watched dozens of videos, read several books and even hired a "trainer" for two sessions. I put "trainer" in quotes, because after two sessions she said I needed someone with more experience.
As for his health, the Vet said he was in perfect shape with no health issues at all. The Vet's response to his lack of motivation was that some dogs can take a long time to get comfortable enough to train. I'm really hoping that is the case, but I figured I would post here to see if anyone has had any similar experiences and could offer some advice.
The problem we're having is trying to train him to do even the most basic of things. He just lays on the floor and intentionally looks away. Nothing rouses him - not treats or toys or attention. If we stand up and walk away he will follow us, but as soon as we try to initiate any training he lays down and won't budge. We thought getting a Border Collie would make for many active afternoons, but the only way to get him any exercise is to run ourselves and let him chase. I've watched dozens of videos, read several books and even hired a "trainer" for two sessions. I put "trainer" in quotes, because after two sessions she said I needed someone with more experience.
As for his health, the Vet said he was in perfect shape with no health issues at all. The Vet's response to his lack of motivation was that some dogs can take a long time to get comfortable enough to train. I'm really hoping that is the case, but I figured I would post here to see if anyone has had any similar experiences and could offer some advice.