Border Collie Training & Behaviour Support
Is your Collie struggling with any of these behaviours or training challenges?
Does your dog chase cars, bikes, joggers, or anything that moves?
Are they barking, spinning, or pulling on the lead every time you step outside?
Do you dread your walks, or feel embarrassed by their behaviour in front of other people?
Or maybe it's the everyday stuff, recall that falls apart the second there's a distraction, jumping up, chewing, or a dog who just won't settle.
Whatever it looks like for you and your Border Collie,
you’re not stuck with it.
Face to Face Training
I train face to face from my farm in Over Wyresdale, Lancashire, within easy reach of Lancaster, Preston, Blackpool, Blackburn, Clitheroe, Morecambe, Burnley, Garstang, Kendal and Manchester.
Face to face sessions take place at our farm in the Forest of Bowland, where we have a 10 x 7 m indoor barn for rainy days and a 30 x 30 m secure outdoor field.
This gives us the space to work on recall, off lead training and distance work, with my own dogs and real life distractions on hand when we need them.
It’s a calm, safe setting, so you can relax, concentrate and get the most out of every lesson.
Online Training
Plenty of people mix the two, an online assessment to start, then hands-on sessions out on the farm, or the other way round, whatever suits you and your dog best.
Ready to find out how we can work together? See training packages ↓
Or, get in touch via WhatsApp to book your space.
Every training plan is built around you and your dog, it’s not a checklist of generic issues
Every plan starts from the same place: your dog, your situation, and what’s actually going on during your walks and at home.
Border Collies are one of the most intelligent breeds, quick to learn, but bred for generations to herd and chase. When that instinct doesn’t get an outlet, it tends to show up as chasing, barking, reactivity, or a dog who just can’t settle. Understanding how a Collie’s mind works is what makes the difference, and it’s my speciality.
I’ve shared my life with Border Collies for over 20 years, and I’ve helped hundreds of owners understand how to meet their Collie’s needs, communicate with them clearly, and truly enjoy life together, even when things feel difficult or nothing like what they expected.
I’ve been there myself, so I understand exactly how you might be feeling. I only use kind, force free methods, backed by science, with no punishment, pain or intimidation. Your dog’s physical and emotional wellbeing always comes first. Together, we’ll achieve things you never thought you and your dog could do.
Whether that’s chasing, reactivity, recall, or just wanting a dog who listens, I build the plan around your dog rather than fitting your dog into a fixed programme.
Happy Clients
“Martina has changed our lives!
Dog walks have gone from stressful and frantic to enjoyable and calm and something we look forward to rather than dread.
Our border collie Buddy was highly reactive to bikes, runners, cars, noises and really anything and everything! He hated walking on a lead and used to lunge, bark and spin in circles. We had used two other dog trainers but things only seemed to get worse.
It was a huge relief when we found Martina, she really understood the quirky ways of our border collie Buddy and instantly put our minds at ease, she was confident that with consistent training things would get better…and they did.
We were hesitant to start with as Martina was so far away and our training would have to be done via videocall but we took a risk and we signed up to the “12 week Herder Bootcamp” and we haven’t looked back!
Martina was so in tune with Buddy on the calls that she knew what was and wasn’t working, she would pick up on things that I would never have noticed and tweak games to suit Buddy who was easily frustrated. Martina was available for messages or calls in between sessions which was always a great help. At times I couldn’t see any progression but Martina always could and with perseverance, I now have a dog who can walk along the road with cars passing by and he stays calm.
Even better Buddy pays no attention to cyclists or runners, his attention is all on me!
So thanks Martina, before your training I felt completely hopeless but now on walks we have a happy and content Buddy and even happier owners.”
– Jennie Browning
Work with me
If you’re ready to make real progress with your collie, having the right guidance and ongoing support can make all the difference.
My coaching programmes are designed to give you and your collie the time, structure and personalised support you need to work towards your goals together. Rather than focusing on individual sessions, we’ll work together over a set period of time, building your confidence, developing your skills and creating lasting results.
Every coaching programme includes:
- One-to-one training with me, tailored to you, your collie and your goals
- WhatsApp support between sessions, so you’re never left wondering what to do next
- Access to Collie Club, giving you extra training resources, guidance and support throughout our time together
- An ongoing record of your training plan, with the step-by-step things to focus on each week
Collie Essentials: 2 months
£384
Who is it for? If you need help building on or improving your collie’s obedience skills, this is the one for you.
What can we work on?
- Recall training
- Lead walking training
- Impulse control
- Settling
- Teaching new skills, like tricks training
- Focus and engagement with you out and about
What you get:
- Two months of full access to me, with WhatsApp support throughout so you can ask questions and send videos for feedback between sessions
- An initial 90 minute session, plus up to four 1 hour one-to-one sessions to use within the two months
- An ongoing record of your training plan, with the step-by-step things to focus on each week
- Two months of Collie Club included while we work together (worth £120), so you can watch tutorials of the exercises we cover in our sessions, plus any extra learning I give you to do at home
You will have a full two months from the day of your assessment to use your sessions. We’ll agree dates and times to meet together.
Payment Plans are available.
Get in touch via WhatsApp to book
Collie Transformation: 3 months
£576
Who is it for? If your collie is struggling with more challenging behaviours, like reactivity, traffic, movement sensitivity or fixations, as well as basic obedience, you’ll need three months to build all of these skills.
What can we work on?
- Helping your collie stay calm and make good choices around other dogs and people
- Handling traffic, bikes, runners and other movement without staring, fixating or reacting
- Working through the fixations that are common in Border Collies
- Building solid basic obedience, so you feel in control out and about
What you get:
- Three months of support from me, with WhatsApp support throughout so you can ask questions and send videos for feedback between sessions
- An initial 90 minute session, plus up to six 1 hour one-to-one sessions to use within the three months
- An ongoing record of your training plan, with the step-by-step things to focus on each week
- Three months of Collie Club included while we work together (worth £180), so you can watch tutorials of the exercises we cover in our sessions, plus any extra learning I give you to do at home
You will have a full three months from the day of your assessment to use your sessions. We’ll agree dates and times to meet together.
Payment Plans are available.
Get in touch via WhatsApp to book
Border Collie puppy training
Bringing home a Border Collie puppy is exciting, but these intelligent, sensitive and highly driven dogs can present challenges that aren’t always covered by general puppy training.
I’ve lived with Border Collies for over 20 years and now work exclusively with the breed. I know the traits that can begin to emerge as a puppy develops, and how the right training at the right time can help prevent common problems becoming much harder to manage later on.
Working together, I’ll help you understand what your puppy needs, how to build a strong relationship from the beginning and how to give all that Border Collie brain and instinct somewhere useful to go.
Building the right foundations
We’ll work on the everyday puppy skills you need, including recall, loose lead walking, focus and attention, crate and toilet training, and puppy mouthing and biting.
But we’ll also look at the things that are particularly important for Border Collies: appropriate socialisation, engagement, managing their response to movement, giving them suitable mental stimulation and recognising early signs of behaviours such as fixation, chasing or lead reactivity.
The aim isn’t simply to teach your puppy basic obedience. It’s to help you understand the dog in front of you and build the foundations for life together.
And if your puppy hasn’t arrived yet, I can help with that too. My Pre-Puppy Consultation gives you the chance to ask questions and prepare before they come home, so you can start with a clear plan rather than trying to work everything out once they’re already through the door.
Puppy Programme: 3 months
£576
Who is it for? Any Border Collie puppy, whatever their age. This programme supports you through raising a balanced Border Collie, and helps you if you’re already facing challenges with your puppy.
What can we work on?
- Making sure your puppy listens to your recall, rather than running off in the distance chasing things
- Making sure your puppy can walk on a lead without getting distracted by anything that moves
- Teaching your puppy to settle, so you have a great pub or cafe dog in the future
- Spotting and changing staring at movement, like traffic, bikes, runners or dogs running, before it goes too far
- All the support you need with a new puppy, from toilet training to managing space in the house and crate training
- Most importantly, play, and how to build a solid relationship with your puppy from the get-go
What you get:
- Three months of support from me, with WhatsApp support throughout so you can ask questions and send videos for feedback between sessions
- An initial 90 minute session, plus up to six 1 hour one-to-one sessions to use within the three months
- An ongoing record of your training plan, with the step-by-step things to focus on each week
- Three months of Collie Club included while we work together (worth £180), so you can watch tutorials of the exercises we cover in our sessions, plus any extra learning I give you to do at home
You will have a full three months from the day of your assessment to use your sessions. We’ll agree dates and times to meet together.
Payment Plans are available.
Get in touch via WhatsApp to book
“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.
