The Border Terrier is a hardy, unassuming working terrier from the hill country along the English-Scottish border, bred to keep up with horses and hounds on the hunt and then go to ground after fox. Plain, scruffy, and otter-headed, it was made for function, not show, and that practical heritage produced one of the most adaptable and good-natured of all the terriers. The Border is affectionate, even-tempered, and notably more biddable and people-oriented than the scrappier terrier breeds, which is exactly why it has become such a popular family companion.
That friendly, workmanlike nature is the key to training one. The Border Terrier is intelligent, food-motivated, and genuinely eager to please by terrier standards, so it takes well to reward-based training. But it is still very much a terrier underneath, with a strong prey drive, a love of digging, real working energy, and a famous talent for escaping. Lean on the breed's biddability, channel its drives, and keep it busy, and you get a delightful, easygoing, adaptable companion. Treat it as a low-effort lap dog, and you get a digging, escaping, restless one.
This guide covers what works with a Border Terrier, week by week, built around how a hardy, friendly working terrier actually learns.
What Makes Training a Border Terrier Different
Four breed traits shape your approach.
1. Friendly and biddable, for a terrier. The Border was bred to work cooperatively alongside hounds and people, so it is more even-tempered and trainable than most terriers and genuinely food-motivated. This is a real head start; lean into it with reward-based methods and give this willing dog the engagement it enjoys.
2. A strong prey drive. Beneath the easygoing manner is a fox-hunting terrier that will chase small, fast animals on instinct. Recall around movement is the hardest skill you will teach, and off-leash freedom near wildlife or roads is risky. Manage the drive rather than expecting to erase it.
3. A love of digging and a talent for escaping. Bred to go to ground, the Border digs because it is wired to, and it is famously resourceful at escaping yards and fences. A sanctioned digging outlet and secure, escape-proof containment are both important.
4. Hardy and energetic. This is a tough, athletic little dog that needs real daily exercise and mental work despite its modest looks. Under-exercised, even an easygoing Border becomes restless, barky, and busy in unwanted ways.
Week-by-Week Training Plan for Your Border Terrier
Below is the framework we use at TailorPup for a Border-specific 12-week plan. Run it at home; the order and emphasis are the point.
Weeks 1 and 2 : Foundation and Socialization
Build engagement with high-value food and socialize broadly. Run three to four five-minute sessions a day: name, mark eye contact, reward. The Border's food motivation and friendliness make this easy, so build a strong attention habit that later competes with a darting squirrel. Our puppy basics guide covers the foundations.
Weeks 3 and 4 : Core Commands
Border Terriers learn well for terriers. Lure sit and down, mark, reward, and add cues once reliable. Build duration on stay, keep sessions short and upbeat, and add tricks, which this willing breed enjoys.
Weeks 5 and 6 : Leash Work and Prey Drive
Use stop-and-stand for pulling and a harness. Practice redirecting your Border before it locks onto prey, rewarding a glance back at you, so you build an "ignore it and check in" habit rather than a chase, since the breed has a genuine fox-hunting drive.
Weeks 7 and 8 : Recall and Containment
Build recall on a long line, paying every success generously, and never call the dog for anything it dislikes; proof it around the prey drive. At the same time, audit your fencing and gates, because the Border is a resourceful escape artist, and a bored one will find a way out.
Weeks 9 and 10 : Channeling Drive and Digging
Give the terrier instincts legal outlets: a designated digging box, flirt-pole play, fetch, earthdog-style games, and scent work all suit the breed. A Border that gets to dig where it is allowed and chase a toy on cue leaves the garden and the cat alone. Add daily walks and thinking games.
Weeks 11 and 12 : Generalization
Prove the skills in the real world: calm loose-leash walking past distractions, recall in a fenced area with mild temptation, and settled behavior in busier places. A Border that performs at home but unravels outside is only partly trained, and these last two weeks finish the job.
Common Border Terrier Training Mistakes
Three mistakes show up repeatedly with this breed.
Mistake 1 : Underestimating the terrier underneath. The friendly, scruffy looks fool people into treating the Border as a low-effort lap dog. Under-exercised and under-engaged, it digs, escapes, and gets busy in unwanted ways. Treat it as the hardy working terrier it is.
Mistake 2 : Trusting off-leash recall around prey. The prey drive overrides recall in a flash near wildlife or traffic. Until recall is heavily proofed on a long line, keep the dog leashed in open areas, and stay cautious even then.
Mistake 3 : Weak containment and no digging outlet. The Border is a resourceful escaper and a natural digger, so weak fencing and a suppressed digging instinct lead to trouble. Secure your yard and give digging a sanctioned spot. The full list is in our Border Terrier training mistakes guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Border Terriers easy to train ? Reasonably, and more so than many terriers. They are friendly, food-motivated, and biddable, so reward-based training works well. The challenges are the prey drive, digging, and escape-artistry rather than trainability, so recall and containment take the most work.
How much exercise does a Border Terrier need ? Around an hour of activity daily plus mental work. The breed is a hardy, athletic working terrier with real energy despite its modest size, and under-exercised Borders become restless, barky, and busy.
Can I let my Border Terrier off-leash ? In a securely fenced area, yes, watching the fencing given the breed's escape talent. In open spaces near wildlife it is risky, because the prey drive challenges recall. Use a long line until recall is reliable.
Why does my Border Terrier keep escaping ? Because it is a resourceful, determined terrier by nature, and boredom makes it worse. Secure your fencing and gates thoroughly, and meet the dog's exercise and mental needs, and the escaping eases.
Are Border Terriers good family dogs ? Yes, excellent ones. They are friendly, even-tempered, hardy, and good with families and often other dogs, more so than many terriers. They need their exercise, digging, and prey-drive outlets met.
Is positive reinforcement effective for Border Terriers ? Yes, and the breed's food motivation makes it especially effective. Reward-based training works far better than harsh handling, which is unnecessary for this willing, friendly terrier.
Do Border Terriers dig a lot ? They can, since they were bred to go to ground after fox, so digging is instinct. Give a designated digging box or patch, reward digging there, and pair it with enough exercise, and the rest of the garden is far safer.
Why TailorPup Was Built for Border Terriers
A generic plan treats your Border like a low-effort companion and ignores the prey drive, the digging, the energy, and the escape-artistry that make it a true working terrier. That mismatch is why standard advice leaves owners with a digging, escaping dog.
TailorPup builds a 12-week plan around your specific dog: its terrier instincts, its age, and the behaviors you are seeing. For a Border that means leaning on its biddability and food motivation, careful recall around movement, a digging outlet, secure-containment focus, and reward-based methods throughout.
Daily 12-minute sessions plus weekly adjustments based on your dog's progress. Free for 7 days, no card required.
Start your Border Terrier's plan free at tailorpup.com →
Related: Border Terrier Training Mistakes · Recall Training · Leash Pulling · Puppy Training Basics