Gemma Fisher, Dog Training & Behaviour Specialist

19/11/2025

Can it really be 15 years since I met and fell in love with the first Borderspirit litter? 😮

Beyond grateful to Ella for the opportunity of the incredible experience raising those babies turned out to be 💕

7 beautiful puppies, that turned out to be amazing agility dogs like their parents Ella & Tigger 💪

🤎 Spice: Borderspirit Temptation
🖤 Beep: Borderspirit Amazing Grace at Perranfell (AWB - Agility Warrant Bronze)
🖤 Piixie: Agility Champion Borderspirit Bright Star
🤎 Ruby: Borderspirit Hope Springs
🖤 Obi: Borderspirit Joyful
🤎 Ryley: Borderspirit Holy Grail (AWB - Agility Warrant Bronze)
🖤 Buzz - Borderspirit Good Shepherd

I had so many hopes and dreams for these puppies, even before they were born.

All have had incredible lives with many adventures to share with their families 🗺️

My main wish for them all was simple. That they should be loved and adored throughout their lives. Very grateful because that has definitely been the case 🥹

Love and light to each of you and your people. May those remaining continue to enjoy a long, healthy and happy life such as your much missed mother did 🌟

Happy birthday my darlings - for those left on earth and for those up in heaven. Grammy loves you still and thinks of you often.

Hope you've all had a wonderful birthday, whatever you got up to today 🎂

18/11/2025

🌟 “It wasn’t confidence - it was confusion.” 🌟

A story every Collie owner needs to hear.

One of my favourite parts of this job is witnessing the moment an owner finally sees their Collie differently.

That shift from:
❓ “Why is he like this?”
to
💡 “Oh… now I get it.”

That’s exactly what happened with Cat & her gorgeous working-line Collie, Mac.

Cat lives all the way down in Cornwall - and she’s travelled up here more than once for workshops and 1:1 sessions with me. That’s how committed she is to understanding her boy.

Mac is bright. Driven. Intense.

The kind of collie who spots everything that moves.

At first, Cat thought all that energy meant confidence.

But in time she realised the truth:

It wasn’t confidence.
It was uncertainty.

Every bark at movement…
Every hard stare…
Every lunge toward chaos…

Wasn’t stubbornness.
It was Mac trying to cope with a world that felt too much.

So together, we slowed everything down - for Mac and for Cat.

We zoomed in on the tiny signals.

The tipping points.
The moments where focus becomes frantic.
The places where frustration can become understanding instead.

And after our most recent session, Cat said something that made my whole week:

✨ “So much learning and so much to take away - you’re helping us grow the understanding and communication channel. It’s very reassuring to hear we’re going in the right direction.” ✨

This is what the journey is really about.
Not perfection.
Not “fixing” a dog.

But two souls learning to understand each other a little more every day.

👉 If you take one thing from Cat & Mac’s story, let it be this:

When you stop asking “How do I fix this?”
and start asking “What is my Collie trying to tell me?”
that’s when everything starts to change.

Later this month, I’ll be running my live webinar Understanding Your Border Collie - the very same session that helps owners see their dogs through completely new eyes.

Details coming soon 💛

17/11/2025

💭🐾 “The truth that nobody wants to hear is that when you run into trouble, it’s because you haven’t done a good enough job on your basics.” - Jocko Willink 🐾💭

It’s a quote I come back to often… and it applies just as much to dog training as it does to leadership or life.

When recall fails, when reactivity flares up, or when your Collie seems to “forget” everything they’ve learned - it’s not because they’re being difficult.

It’s because the foundations need strengthening.

✅ Going back to calm focus before recall.
✅ Practising loose lead walking in quiet areas before busy ones.
✅ Building “settle” at home before expecting calm in the café.

It’s not glamorous work. But the basics are the magic.

Every behaviour you want - from recall to relaxation - is only as strong as the groundwork beneath it.

So if things feel messy right now, don’t see it as failure.

See it as an invitation to revisit the foundation that will make everything else fall into place.

💬 What “basic” do you and your Collie need to revisit this week?

15/11/2025

Time is a tricky thing to pin down.

Like when I'm asked questions such as..

- How long before my dog has a 100% recall?
- How quickly can I teach my dog not to pull on the lead?
- When will my dog stop [insert unwanted behaviour]?

Learning anything new takes time. Whether you're a dog or a person. And added to that, what you're learning needs to be passed down the lead to your dog!

So I like to look at it like this. Are we doing better than we were yesterday?

Because at the end of the day, it will take as long as it takes. And if our relationship with our dog is our primary focus, then time scales aren't really that relevant.

My girl Vodka taught me that. She knew better than I did and was patient with me whilst I figured out my human frustrations.

It often amuses me when I think about how I'm supposed to be the grown up in my relationship with my dogs.

Because whilst I'm capable on the training front, they don't half learn me on the life stuff!

So if you're stuck or struggling - don't panic. There's a lot that can be done to help. And it won't last forever.

But more importantly, know that these problems we work through that cause us frustration and annoyance.. they make us better versions of ourselves.

Because when we take the time to figure out how to become better than this whole dog training & communication malarky, we inadvertently become better at the tricky business of relationships at the same time.

So all in all, we have a lot to be grateful for when it comes to our precious dogs ❤

14/11/2025

🚦Helping Your Collie Stay Calm in a Chaotic World

🚘 If roadside walks feel overwhelming…
🧒 If children’s noises send your Collie into a spin…
🐶 If your puppy has suddenly discovered the joy of chewing mud (😅)…

This week’s Collie Conversations is absolutely for you.

In “Teaching Calm in a Chaotic World: 3 Real Collie Problems Solved”, I dive into three questions from real owners and break down simple, practical steps you can start using today.

We talk about:

🌱 How to reduce roadside stress without overwhelming your Collie
🎧 Whether desensitising with sound recordings really works
🐾 What to do when your puppy is obsessed with mud, leaves & the great outdoors

Watch or listen wherever suits you best 👇

Facebook group: https://bit.ly/3Mn3GtC

YouTube: https://youtu.be/7W6YgeIfkYM?si=Kd8f6na4cdylhwJd

Podcast directories: https://collieconversations.gemmafisher.com/

Your Collie is trying their best in a very busy world. This episode will help you support them with confidence 💛

14/11/2025

Love this ❤️

When I asked my eleven-year-old son to help shovel soil from the pickup into his mom’s new garden beds, his reaction was exactly what you’d expect:
“Uh… I’m busy,” he said—tracksuit on, sprawled on the couch, laptop on his lap, deep into Roblox.
“No, you’re not,” I replied.

Cue the usual: groans, excuses, eye-rolls.

A little later we stood side by side, shovels in hand. Hood up, shoulders slumped, he looked at me and asked:
“Why do we even have to do this?”

I thought for a moment—and had to admit it was a fair question.
Neither of us is particularly into flowers or veggies. But his mom, Mel, loves gardening.

After a pause I said:
“When you love someone, you serve them.”

I told him I want him to grow into a man who serves his family, his friends, his community.
I pointed to the dirt, the garden beds, the wheelbarrow, the shovel—everything we’d built over the past few days—and said:
“This… is what love looks like.”

He didn’t like my answer—I could tell by his face as he reluctantly picked the shovel back up.
We finished the job.

The next day, while I was at work, Mel sent me a photo.
She’d grabbed another load of soil—and before she could even start, Tristan had already begun unloading it on his own.
When she asked why, he just shrugged and said,
“Because I love you.”

I don’t think I’ve ever been prouder of my son than in that moment.

13/11/2025

Tired and a bit down what with November weather.

But who could say no to this face?!

13/11/2025

Ever find yourself thinking, “Why does my Collie DO that?” 😅

They’re clever, sensitive, and full of personality… but sometimes their behaviour feels like a complete mystery.

Maybe it’s:

🐾 Barking at specific sounds or people
🐾 Fixating on shadows, balls, or movement
🐾 Going deaf the moment the lead comes off
🐾 Reacting to other dogs, bikes, or traffic
🐾 Struggling to settle, even after a long walk

Here’s the truth:

It’s never just “bad behaviour.”

There’s always a reason - an instinct, emotion, or need that’s driving it.

I’m curious…

👉 What behaviour would make more sense if you understood the why behind it?

Pop your answer in the comments below ⬇️

I’ll be using some of your examples in my upcoming How To Understand Your Border Collie session later this month - so your question might just be featured!

You’ll probably find someone else is going through the same thing too ❤️

Gemma x

12/11/2025

Simple problem, easily rectified.

Easily because of a few things…

✅ Cheerful recall
✅ Self control to hold still
✅ Confidence in being handled
✅ Trust that I’m on her side

I know this isn’t always possible when I first start working with a new partnership.

But I promise with the right help, the sky’s the limit 💪🏼

11/11/2025

What a week inside Collie Culture Club looks like… 💛

This past week I’ve heard from members who:

✨ Joined their first Q&A and filled a whole notebook
✨ Finally cracked a training exercise and watched their dog light up
✨ Are rebuilding a bond with a collie who once felt like “an absolute nightmare”
✨ Took two dogs with very different struggles and saw both make progress
✨ Noticed their nervous dog relax after months of consistency
✨ Found courage to work through teenage chaos (we’ve all been there!)
✨ Are travelling on ferries, exploring new places, and feeling confident enough to enjoy adventures again

And my favourite line of the week:

“Thank you so much for the Collie ‘isn’t a nightmare’ club.” 🤪

If you’re working hard behind the scenes with your collie…
If you want structure, calm, clarity and a plan that actually feels doable…
If you want a community full of people who GET IT…

Then Collie Culture Club might be exactly where you need to be.

Because it isn’t about being perfect.

It’s small wins, tiny shifts, and big lightbulb moments - shared together. 💛

👉 The Club is currently closed, but you can join the waitlist here:

https://signup.gemmafisher.com/collie-culture-club-waitlist/

10/11/2025

✨ A little fireworks myth-busting because the comments in my local community group this week have been... well let's just say somewhat inaccurate 😅 ✨

I didn’t reply there but here on my page I can explain why comments like:

“It’s how they’re raised!”
“My puppy was fine!”
“Just get them used to loud noises!”

…are based on very limited experience, not facts.

Here’s the truth 👇

✅ 1. Noise sensitivity is HIGHLY genetic.

Many breeds - especially Collies - inherit noise struggles.
Saying “mine is fine so yours should be too” ignores basic biology.

✅ 2. Fireworks exposure is NOT training.

Proper sound training = slow, controlled, low-volume, positive.
Fireworks = unpredictable, high-intensity, uncontrollable.
Flooding a puppy with real fireworks can cause fear, not fix it.

✅ 3. Puppies often cope… until adolescence.

Fear periods are normal.
A dog who was “fine at 4 months” can suddenly become noise sensitive later - incredibly common and scientifically normal.

✅ 4. A quiet home doesn’t create a “fragile dog.”

Noise reactivity is about genetics, nervous system sensitivity, stress load and health - not how loud your living room is.

✅ 5. Fireworks can cause real welfare issues.

Research links them to panic, bolting, injuries, digestive upset, long-term anxiety and heightened cortisol for hours.

This is not “cotton wool.” It’s care.

If your dog struggles, you are NOT alone.

Here are my Top 7 Tips for a Collie-Safe Fireworks Night 👇
💥 https://www.gemmafisher.com/top-7-tips-for-a-collie-safe-fireworks-night/

08/11/2025

Fun social adventure class in the sun this morning ☀️

What have you and your collie been up to this fine day?