I am a huge advocate that ALL dogs receive obedience training to enable them to be well behaved companions and members of our community. Puppy school training is not sufficient and as a minimum I believe that owners should attend obedience training with their dogs until they are up to a level equal to Community Companion Dog (CCD), see link under More Information for a description of CCD. There is no need to trial competitively, but life will be easier if you understand how to manage your dog effectively and have established rules and expected standards of behaviour with your dog.
I personally love obedience and my pups truly understand the sit command by their second day in my home. Puppies are sponges and I find working with them such a thrill. Training is turned into a fun session of games and love, all the while the puppy or dog is learning useful habits and behaviours.
Competitive Obedience and Rally Obedience (Rally O) is a test of the dog’s willingness to work and their ability to execute with precision. I find I never consider how my dog and I have performed in comparison to other competitors, but rather if we did better than our last trial and what we still have to work on.
While Collies are reasonably easy to train and quick to learn, they do require a delicate training manner. They hate repetition with a passion and need a handler that is fair, forgiving and precise with rewards.