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I would say it might be too much for a puppy to learn that quickly without being overworked but she looks old enough to handle it and if she was actually being overworked you’d know.

When I got my dog she was about a year and a half and she learned super quick how to walk on a lead and sit and down and wait. All I was doing is spending a few minutes here and there working on something then leaving it. She just was so happy to have a person interested in her and not just tying her up outside that she did her darnedest to please.

I’d love to be able to train service dogs some day or even work with a rescue fostering until they find a good home but my girl doesn’t like many other dogs (she reacts way better than when I got her but I don’t want her feeling like her space is being invaded by another dog) so it will be a few years before she passes and I can do that unless we come across a dog she gets along with (tho she’s a cat dog and would love if I got her a cat of her own but I’m not a cat person so her cat friends stay at the barn or my ex’s house and she visits him once in a while)

Service Dog Handler and Trainer here! I actually do this sort of stuff as my job, along with working with various law enforcement departments, Search and Rescue groups, etc. to handle behaviourial issues. So far I have self trained 2 dogs for personal use(first one retired about two years ago and my second recently did his first hospital visit!) and countless others for adoptive homes.

In agreement with Tali, please don't listen to them. You would need a DNA test to prove border collie ancestry but she has the looks. They are extremely hard working dogs, right up there with the Malinois, and you will often drop long before they do. Certain breeds are suited for service/therapy work more so than others but it will also come down to temperament. Dogs are individuals and, while we can apply a baseline for intelligence levels, some dogs are smarter than others. Even within the same breeds. :) My current service dog is a long haired German Shepherd, a breed known for their versatility, but also prone to nervousness and guarding. I received every comment from "You'll never be able to handle him full grown!" to "Only a prong/shock collar will work on that dog" but hard work, consistency, and his crazy intelligence levels proved every one of them wrong.

As a trainer/handler that uses positive reinforcement training ONLY, the results are phenomenal. It is still in it's infancy as far as popularity in the dog training world and even the service dog world. Especially when it comes to shelter dogs. You don't always get to start from scratch, or know the history of the dog, as you would with a puppy purchased from a specific breeder. A tailored approach and adjustments as necessary is extremely beneficial.

There are a lot of issues with dog/pet owners that I won't bother getting into, but prevalent is the lack of understanding of working dogs. They were born and bred and hand picked generation after generation to do a job and love the job they do. Even service handlers/trainers can fall prey to this mentality and it sounds like you encountered a few of these. It is our responsibility to learn our pet's/companion's language and communicate effectively and it sounds like you got it down perfectly.

Let the trolls be trolls and if it ever bothers you, just hug Harley. :)

@Alianne I have a bunch of responses and this is a great conversation but I'm currently sleep deprived (dang Black Friday week) so I'll keep it to this for now- You are so very right on the working dog thing, and pet dog owners not understanding them at all! I grew up with farm dogs (shelties, a border/rottie mix, a border/lab mix) and currently have a mastiff/something and a border/kelpie, and it still surprises me sometimes when people look at the two of them and think the mastiff is the difficult one! Old man just sleeps on the couch all day, lol. Juniper is the result of an accidental breeding between the working dogs of neighboring farms, and she loves to work. I tell people my dog is high energy, and they go "Yeah, sure, I know dogs it's fine holy bejeezes your dog can fly!"

I'm in no way a professional handler but I have shown 3 of my dogs to obedience titles. I am a VERY lazy trainer, and my dogs could have gone a lot further if I had put in the effort, but I wanted to have fun more than titles, and I did!

Dog people can be very opinionated! I understand positive reinforcement training, and have chosen to use other forms of training. That doesn't mean I'm going to jump all over Alianne and tell her she's wrong! OF COURSE she is not wrong! What works for her is right! Why in the world should I care what method she uses as long as her dogs appear willing and happy as they work? Heck, some people will criticize you for having a dog with four legs when you could have adopted a dog with FIVE! :P

Horse showing people can be the same way. Heck, everyone will have a niche that they think they can be the resident expert about! We are REALLY spoiled with the wonderful people here on Hunt&Jump!

ETA: I had a Belgian Tervuren for 14 years. Keeping that brain engaged and happy was a LOT of work!

@ConfluenceStable Totally not on topic with the rest of the post, but how was it owning a Tervuren? Was yours a working bred dog, or more of a pet quality? How did their drive compare to the typical Malinois? I'm not ready anytime soon, but eventually I want to get another dog. And have been considering a working line German Shepherd, a Tervuren or a Groenendael. Something with more drive than my Doberman that I have now basically. I am hoping to start training her with ta local working dog club just for the experience, and to better prepare myself for a more intense dog. Lol

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