Jessica, you gave AWESOME advice thanks for that! I really agree with everything you had to say, and you definitely put a lot of time into helping Lori out.

Lori Jordan, I must admit I'm confused by what you've said... personally, I go to positive reinforcement training ONLY. My BC had a bit of a destructive streak when he was younger, and even though it's tempting, scolding them for that is almost always useless and just alienates your pup. He would tear up whatever when he was left alone, and we discovered that was because he was understimulated and had slight seperation anxiety. Now, we always exercise him thoroughly before leaving, give him stimulating toys (like stuffed Kongs and Buster Cubes) to work on, and we worked through the SA. If I scold my BC for anything he completely shuts down, so for me I use nothing but rewards, basically. I used to have a trainer, when he was young, who recommended prong collars and fine choke chains to use on him during Flyball training... and all he would end up doing is jerking so hard on the choker that he yelped loudly in pain. NOW, he will be wearing a harness and off-leash, and he'll be focused on me while dogs race right behind him, and that isn't due to negative reinforcement or yelling, it's due to teaching him "watch" - with or without a treat or toy lure. I really don't want my dogs to listen to me and focus on me based on fear of what might happen if he disobeys, our bond has gotten SO much closer since he instead is focused on the praise and fun he gets when he does what I want from him.

Border Collies, especially, tend to really thrive off of pleasing their owner, so once you do show them what IS right and you take care of THEIR needs, they are very happy well-adjusted dogs. Gonzo has full run of the house when we're gone, and a few times my Mom has forgotten to take out the garbage and left it sitting in the kitchen. It's always untouched when we get back because he knows what is GOOD to do when he's alone. I guess everyone finds what works for them, but I honestly never use treats during Flyball, only praise and tug rewards when he does good. And he is so much more focused and obedient than the owners who scream/scold at their dogs and use chokers/haltis/etc to control them.