Latest Posts
Minding Manners-Border Collie Training
Moses and Kai Border Collies have a strong herding instinct which makes them very sensitive to movement. When training on sheep, this desire to gather and move sheep is carefully nurtured by the shepherd. For a young pup, a swishing broom, a hoe cultivating the garden, a hand pulling weeds, a skirt blowing in the breeze, or a cat walking … Read More
Farm Dinners at VT Grand View Farm
Some people say our farm is “in the middle of nowhere,” we like to say we are on the “edge of nowhere”. Our farm sits up on the mountain between two small Vermont villages that lie in the valley. The school bus travels our road from August to June, the UPS truck drives up our road, and the locals use … Read More
Border Collie Training III-Hikes
Hiking Big Deer Mountain This past weekend, we took Kai for a hike in Groton State Park. An important part of Kai’s training involves exposing him to different settings, sights, and sounds. On our 6 mile walk he greeted many other hikers, encountered thousands of new smells, even met a few other dogs. Through all of this, he develops trust … Read More
Farmer’s Market, Dinner Parties and Puppies-Border Collie Training II
A friend invites Kai to sit on her lap. So what do farmer’s markets and dinner parties have to do with border collie puppies? By exposing Kai to a variety of settings and a variety of people, he learns much about his world and his place in it. This early training will carry over into his adult life providing him … Read More
Sit, Stay, Lie Down-Border Collie Training
“Kai, sit.” “Kai, lie down.” Kai sleeps at my feet as I write. He takes a morning nap each day after our long walk in the woods. Kai will be 12 weeks old in just a few days. At this point in a border collie’s life, lots of play time is important, but basic obedience training takes a priority. We … Read More