Border Collies are clever, sensitive, and driven — which makes them both amazing companions and a real challenge. Raising one isn’t just about knowing what to do, but also what not to do.
Here are five common mistakes Collie owners make — and some of my own experiences over the past 20 years that shaped how I train today.
1. Over-Socialising Your Puppy
Many new owners hear “socialise, socialise, socialise” but with Border Collies, too much socialisation can do more harm than good. Flooding a young dog with endless new people, dogs, and situations often overwhelms them. Instead of building confidence, it can create reactivity and nervousness. Collies do far better with calm, controlled exposures: short, positive experiences from a distance, with plenty of breaks.
When Moss was a puppy, I lived in the city and thought the best way to help him get along with other dogs — especially entire males was to give him as much interaction as possible. In Italy, we had dog parks with fenced enclosures, and I’d let him run with any dogs that were there. What I didn’t see back then was that he was actually uncomfortable. With my untrained eye, I missed the signs of stress and all that interaction ended up making him more nervous. Over time, those experiences created the very reactivity I was trying to prevent.
2. Relying on Ball Games Too Soon
Border Collies love to chase, but starting with endless ball throwing is a recipe for obsession and even injury. When the ball becomes the centre of a puppy’s world, they stop valuing their handler. It also places huge strain on developing joints, leading to potential health problems. It’s far better to teach sharing, retrieving, and play with you first before introducing structured ball games.
I made this mistake with Abigail, my first Collie. She was a natural retriever and stalker, and I thought I was just giving her what she loved. What happened instead was that she became obsessed so much so that I had to spend years retraining her to ignore other people’s balls. On top of that, Abigail developed dysplasia. Looking back, I truly believe the endless throws, hard stops, and slips on young joints contributed to it. That experience completely changed how I view ball play with puppies.
3. Taking Them on Busy Road Walks Too Soon
It feels natural to take a puppy out on daily walks, but with Border Collies, rushing into traffic-heavy areas can be dangerous. If a Collie reacts with fear, excitement, or frustration, and you don’t have the tools to redirect them, you risk creating a car chaser a behaviour that’s extremely hard to undo. The best approach is to first build focus, reward value, and confidence in calm environments, and only then gradually introduce traffic.
Luckily, I avoided this mistake myself. When I first took Tay near traffic, he showed signs of fear. I immediately stopped and didn’t take him back until he was older and more confident. Guide also showed a bit of hesitation with cars as a puppy, so I held off with him too. Both grew up to be fine with traffic because I gave them time. But many of my students didn’t spot those signs early enough. By pushing their puppies onto busy roads too soon, they unintentionally created traffic chasers and had to come to me later for help fixing it.
4. Forcing Them to Meet Every Stranger (or Dog)
Collies are not Labradors. Many are naturally reserved with strangers, and no amount of forced exposure will change genetics. Asking every passerby to pet your puppy, or allowing constant unwanted dog interactions, can make a nervous Collie feel even more pressured. True socialisation is about quality, not quantity giving your dog valuable, safe interactions instead of constant one.
This is something I’ve always been conscious of, but I did face it with Tali. As a youngster, she went through a period of being worried about people and dogs. She had a couple of bad experiences with other dogs that set her back. With people, though, I never pushed her and because of that, she recovered beautifully. Today she happily greets people, even at the vet. With dogs, it’s been slower progress, but she’s improving with less exposure and more structured training. Tali’s journey reinforced to me that forcing interactions, whether with people or dogs, can create long-term problems].
5. Using Daycare as a Solution
Many owners think daycare is the perfect solution to keep a Collie tired and happy while they’re at work. Unfortunately, most Collies don’t do well in large, chaotic groups. They often dislike the rough play styles of other breeds and can become stressed, defensive, or even reactive. A good dog walker is often a far better option solo walks for dogs with issues, or small, calm groups for sociable ones.
I’ve never sent my own dogs to daycare, I’ve always been lucky to have them with me. But I used to be a dog walker and also worked in a big daycare, and I saw the damage first-hand. So many dogs looked stressed: panting, running away, trying to avoid interactions. To the untrained eye, it looked like “play,” but I could see clearly they weren’t comfortable. Many of the reactive dogs I later worked with were regulars at daycare. Those experiences taught me that daycare isn’t just a poor fit for Collies it can actively make things worse.
Final Thoughts
Over the years, I’ve made my fair share of mistakes, and I’ve seen the consequences of others through the students I’ve worked with. The good news is you don’t have to repeat them. By avoiding these pitfalls, you’ll give your Border Collie the best chance to thrive in partnership with you not in chaos or constant stimulation.
✨ If you’re struggling with reactivity, traffic chasing, or worries around people and dogs, I can help. You can book a discovery call to chat through your Collie’s behaviour, or go straight into a full assessment with me for a tailored plan.
