We have just adopted a 1.5 year old border collie. She is our 5th Border Collie, we have had BC's for over 35 years. This female is a very well behaved pup but has recently become somewhat obsessed with her reflection. I have never had to deal with this with any of our other dogs and know that dogs have no self awareness. If she sees herself in anything she just stops and stares and is difficult to get her to break off. Has anyone here dealt with this and how did you break the dog from doing this?
Redirection and praise. Every time she focuses on the reflection, redirect her to a valued thing - a toy or an activity. When she redirects, praise her profusely. At first, you may just succeed at getting her to break eye contact with the reflection. Still praise her for that. Each time she is rewarded for breaking eye contact, it will get easier to hold her attention. Be consistent and a high value distraction. With my boy, I use a ball as it is his favorite toy and means interactive fun.
