Bella and I had our 11th class (3rd advanced class) and it was difficult. We took a week off but had still been practicing nearly every day (although not as much because of the heat and insects).

Bella has a tendency to be a Jekyll and Hyde type of dog. On the streets with no distractions (other than insects) she is really good at heeling and pays attention (mostly). At class with 7-11 other dogs, that’s a whole ‘nother story.

I was impressed this class, though, because Bella seemed not as bothered by the other dogs as previous classes. However, she was a bit daydreamy and did not do too well with recalls or the sit-stay. But, she was super good at the stand-for-exam, which oddly enough, we hadn’t worked on AT ALL.

My homework is to work on recalls BIG TIME. These are to be done on leash and I need more enthusiasm with calling her name and praising when she reacts well. Her lack of good recalls is mostly my fault because I believe I confused her with having her wait to enter the house (which is tricky because the way the door closes on us).

Thus, I am going to work on these outside and inside, about 10 times each, every day. I need to get more intense with her training which is hard when she puts on the cute eyes and tail-wagging routine.

But Bella is a great dog and loves people so much that she doesn’t ever have to be perfect. Just so she can be well-balanced and kept safe.

We had our second advanced training class and tenth session overall. This week was pretty intense like the previous session. Last week we had 10 dogs in class and this week there were TWELVE! This is good for Bella to see new dogs but a bit too much all at once (more than 1/2 were new dogs she hadn’t seen before).

The worst part of the high number of dogs was that a few came in really late while we were already working. What a distraction!!

But we worked through it and Bella was pretty good. We tried the pinch collar on her to help her pay attention to me and my movements. What a difference! I was tentative at first because I personally don’t like the pinch, but whatever works is fine with me at this point.

I am switching gears a bit. Each morning and evening (if time and weather permits) I am going to walk Bella on “fun walks” where we don’t train (or train loosely but without choker). Then, I am going to have 2-3 10-minute sessions daily to focus only on training and not SEEKING. This intense focus should help her and that way the walks become her reward. (She loves walks!!)

Regardless, Bella has improved so much and is just a bit stubborn at times. She needs to work through the distractions and I need to do a better job allowing her to think on her own and then pay attention to me. Thankfully, even with a lot of barking and pulling in class, I kept my composure and the frustrated feeling left quickly.

Bella graduated from Beginner Obedience Class and she did so well I decided to purchase another block of eight classes for a discounted $85.00. I can attend Mondays or Tuesdays and can skip weeks if I want since it is an ongoing class. Here’s a recap of our first Advanced Training Class.

The first advanced class was a bit overwhelming. I was used to 5 or 6 dogs but we had TEN! One dog, Oakley, was from the beginner class but the rest were all long-timers with already really trained dogs. Bella was frightened and bark-growled numerous times, especially at the start.

As the class progressed and I became less tense, Bella calmed down quite a bit too. We worked on heeling in groups, did off-leash recalls, and had to sit-stay and down-stay as a group. But Bella was excellent at all of her tasks. We need to work hard at heeling better.

The most nerve-wracking thing we had to do was heel-weave around all the other dogs and owners. Pretty tight quarters for a pup who is frightened by other dogs. But Bella did a great job.

My sister Jennie attended and Oakley, on a recall, ran over to her like he knew her. So, the trainers suggested she stand closer in so in case he ran off she could call him. They mistakenly thought Jennie was with Oakley’s owner and not with Bella and me. It was pretty funny!!

I’ll try to attend weekly or bi-weekly depending on how much practice we can get in. I play on walking her every morning and most lunches and nights just to really get good at heeling. I have complete faith in Bella that she will master everything I throw at her, and eventually be comfortable around other dogs.

Bella’s final Beginner Obedience class included a series of “tests” to see if she would pass. Here’s what we had to do:

• Heeling – show that she can heel properly including sitting when we “halt” – Bella was a bit shaky with this one but adequate
• Stand for Exam – she must stand still while being “inspected” by the trainer – Bella moved a bit at first but was then good
• Off Leash Heel – she must heel without her leash on – Bella did surprisingly well at this, best in the class
• Across Room Recall – she must sit and stay until I call her from across the room (off leash) – Bella was *perfect*, the only dog to come immediately AND sit in front of me (called “front”)
• Sit for 1 Minute – she must sit and stay for 1 full minute with me 6 feet away – Bella was the only one to complete without any correction
• Lay for 3 Minutes – she must lay down and stay for 3 minutes with me 6 feet away – Bella aced this one easily as well

Bella was overall awesome and made me proud. I was a bit worried since I was away on vacation for 5 days leading up to her final class so we didn’t practice at all. But both Stacia (who attended) and I feel Bella did the best of all the dogs but more importantly, did what she was supposed to do and what we worked 8 weeks to get to.

I am going to continue with some extended training for 8 more classes because I feel this will only help Bella become an even better dog and eventually get over her fear of other dogs.

I bought Bella Nova Scotia a wicked cool dragon toy with 16 squeakers in it. She loves it.