Puppy Training
Why Choose a Breed Specialist for Your Border Collie Puppy?
You are about to embark on the most rewarding and, at times, challenging journey of a lifetime.
When you bring a Border Collie puppy into your life, it can be tempting to assume a general puppy class will meet your needs. After all, your puppy hasn’t developed any “problems” yet, has it?
But here’s the thing – Border Collies are not just any breed. They are intelligent, driven, and sensitive dogs with unique traits that require specialised knowledge to understand and nurture.
That’s where working with a breed specialist like me can make all the difference.
My Experience with Border Collies
I know exactly what breed traits can emerge and how to address them at the right time to prevent common issues from becoming lifelong struggles.
For the past 4 years, I have worked exclusively with Border Collies, helping countless owners.
Many of them have told me, “I wish I’d found you when my dog was a puppy!”
Working together I can show you how to;
Understand your puppy’s needs based on the breed temperament
Prevent negative breed typical behaviours
To formulate an appropriate programme to keep your puppy entertained
Socialise your Border Collie puppy the correct way
Help you prevent lead reactivity to other dogs and moving objects
To give your puppy direction and purpose to prevent destructive behaviour
We’ll cover these essential and practical skills:
Crate training
Toilet training
Puppy mouthing & biting
Focus & attention training
Recall training
Loose lead walking
So glad we chose Martina to help train our pup.
He’s 14 weeks old now, and we’ve had 3 one-to-one sessions. Martina has a wealth of knowledge and we couldn’t have done without her.
The first One to One Zoom session she had him asleep in his crate within 10 minutes which we’ve been struggling with since we got him.
His first One to One session was amazing too to see how she reacted with him and knew instinctively how to work with his flaws.
The Collie Club videos are very informative too. We can’t thank her enough!
🎄 IMPORTANT 🎄
I am taking a festive break from the 20th Dec to the 7th Jan 2026.
You are welcome to book an assessment, a call or send an enquiry and I will get back to you between Jan 7th - 9th 2026.
Support before puppy arrives
Pre Puppy Consultation
Support for puppies age 2 – 6 months
🐶 Puppy Training Plan (2 – 6 months of age)
Designed for new puppy owners who want guidance from day one and help building confidence, calmness, and focus in their young dog.
Includes:
✔ 7 sessions total
• First session: 90-minute assessment
• 6 follow-up sessions (45 minutes each)
✔ Written plan and puppy homework
✔ Trello board for notes and follow-up
✔ WhatsApp support throughout
✔ Age-appropriate training for socialisation, basic obedience, and engagement
✔ 1 month free trial to the Collie Club
Price: £480
(instalment payment plans available at a slightly higher total due to processing fees)
Support for puppies age over 6 months
Puppy Training Assessment
A 90-minute deep-dive session to assess your dog’s history, behaviour, and routines. We’ll explore your training goals, set expectations, and create an overview plan.
Who is this assessment for?
✔ General Life Skills and Everyday Obedience
✔ Reactivity
✔ Resource Guarding
✔ Multi Dog Household Problems
✔ Car Chasing
✔ Wildlife Chasing
✔ Relationship Building
✔ Learning new and fun ways to keep your dog entertained (we offer sport training too, this can be discussed over the assessment)
Includes:
✔ Trello board with bullet-point and a training plan
✔ WhatsApp support for 1 week after the session if you have any questions your forgot to ask
Price: £145
You can choose to continue into a training plan afterwards.
📚 Training Packages (available after assessment)
Flexible options to carry on the plan we created during the assessment. I will help you implementing and progressing exercises training adjusting our goal post with yours and your dog progression.
All packages include:
✔ 1:1 training sessions
✔ Trello board with homework
✔ 1 month trial of the Collie Club
Options:
Assessment + 2 Sessions
Assessment: £120 (instead of £145)
2 x 1-hour sessions: £75 each
Sessions must be used within 2 months
Total: £270
💳 Payment plans available
Assessment + 4 Sessions
Assessment: £120 (instead of £145)
4 x 1-hour sessions: £73 each
Sessions must be used within 3 months
Total: £412
💳 Payment plans available
Assessment + 6 Sessions
Assessment: £120 (instead of £145)
6 x 1-hour sessions: £70 each
Sessions must be used within 4 months
Total: £540
💳 Payment plans available
🔁 Add More Sessions Later
If you’ve already completed your assessment, you can continue training with additional sessions:
A Trello Board will be created and shared to track homework and progression.
2 additional sessions – £78 each
4 additional sessions – £75 each
Pay as you go – £80 per session
Why timing matters
Here’s what my students have to say about the difference working with a breed specialist made for them:
“Wish I’d contacted Martina when my dog was much younger.”
I waited until my ‘pup’ was 19 months old before reaching out to try to understand some of her behaviours.
When I did, it was because I felt I was letting her down, and quite honestly life wasn’t much fun for either of us.
Learning more about these breeds has genuinely made me wish I’d contacted Martina when my dog was much younger.
Even though I know it’s not too late for me to understand and adapt, I feel sure that going earlier would have resulted in more fun and less of the feeling of just coping.
“Luckily I found Martina”
I have had 8 dogs before, 2 of them collies, and I thought I knew loads.
By the time Gypsy had reached 9 months she was a nightmare.
I dreaded the next 13 years. I just didn’t have the knowledge needed for this dog, this collie. Looking back I can see the things I did when she was a puppy that didn’t help and lots of things I could have done which would have helped.
Luckily I found Martina and could reverse some things and manage others. At 9 years Gypsy is a pleasure to have in my life.
Don’t get me wrong I still have to manage, but managing her is usually fun thanks to Martina.
“Fun stuff that builds their confidence and sets them up for what’s ahead”
I’ve had two Border Collies in the past who both grew into my best friends, but I was never able to give them total freedom on walks as I didn’t have enough control.
Along came my next puppy – 13 years later – and I thought I’ll get it right this time.
I’ve really worked hard but didn’t find Martina until I was a year in.
Watching her videos of her training her pup I realise there is so much more I could – and should – have been doing beyond the basic sits, downs, and walking that most classes do. Fun stuff that builds their confidence and sets them up for what’s ahead.
Now playing catch-up with my boy – we’ll get there, but wish I had known so much more from day one!
“Flora and I can communicate with each other and navigate our world”
I joined Martina’s Collie Club after listening to her podcast; I am a first-time Border Collie owner, and my one-year-old puppy Flora was exhibiting intense behaviours towards the local free-roaming deer population, as well as squirrels and cats.
I wanted to learn the Control Unleashed Look at That Game, but I wanted to learn it from someone who understood Border Collies.
I had already taken a CU class, but Martina’s explanation of all the CU games in relation to Border Collies made it all click. Martina is incredibly practical and applied in terms of her approach – you will learn skills that you can begin to use in your daily life with your puppy immediately.
Thankfully I found Martina and the Collie Club soon enough, so that at 2.5 years, Flora and I can communicate with each other and navigate our world, and be happy in our shared life. We continue to learn so much both from Martina and the other members of the Collie Club.
I couldn’t have handled life with Flora without this support!
Don’t wait to invest in your Border Collie’s future
You don’t have to wait until your Border Collie is exhibiting challenging behaviours to seek out expert guidance.
Starting early with a breed specialist ensures you’re giving your puppy the best possible foundation, tailored specifically to their unique needs.
Don’t settle for basic puppy classes that only skim the surface; choose a specialist who understands the complexities of this incredible breed.
Ready to set your Border Collie puppy up for success? Let’s get started today, all you need to do is simply fill in the form on the contact page.
New Pre Puppy Service
Are you getting a Border Collie puppy but you feel overwhelmed and you don’t know where to start?
You don’t have to panic or feel alone, we can help!
All of your questions answered including:
Am I doing the right thing about getting a Border Collie?
I'm thinking of getting a second puppy, how should I introduce them?
Using a crate, yes or no?
What to feed, where and how many times?
When to start training?
Which are the best toys?
Do I buy a harness or a lead?
Do I use puppy pads for toilet training?
How many times do I take puppy out?
Should I let puppy off the lead straight away?
What are the first training exercises to teach a puppy?
How do I avoid the puppy to chew us and the house?
And so many more that we can go on all day… we CAN HELP!
We offer a PRE PUPPY consultation Zoom call with us and access to an online course ‘The First 10 Days with your puppy’ which is full of useful links and videos!
It all starts with a consultation call
Happy Clients
“I would highly recommend That’ll Do Academy.
Our dog has improved massively with his recall over the last 8 weeks.
All instructions were given in small easy to follow steps and all advice given made perfect sense.”
– Jamie Brookshaw
Ready to get some help with your Border Collie?
Everyone's dog and situation is different - I'm always happy to chat and advise on which of my services would most help you.
All of my services start with a consultation call, learn more and book a call below.