August/September 2023
LOOK, LISTEN & LEARN
You’ve been living with your new puppy or more mature dog since spring and summer is now here. Your new addition is getting bolder, into more things and your not sure where to turn. You’d love to be able to go for walks on those cooler evenings-you know, the ones with the lower humidity, but was you head out, that’s when it happens, another dog is walking around the block, your pup starts to lose his wits about him and what do you do? Maybe the dog coming toward you acts well behaved and doesn’t give your dog a second glance and I’m pretty sure you’re thinking to yourself “I wish I could get my dog to behave like that.” Well, don’t give up hope, with some hard work and patience on your part, it’s possible to be achieved. And what about some of the other issues you may have been having as well? That’s where Bella’s K9 Academy can help you!
Signing up for classes is the first step to a better-behaved dog, but once you take that step, you have to be aware that a better-behaved dog doesn’t happen overnight. You’ll be in a room with other people who are in the same boat as you. They want to have a better companion in their home and when out in public around other dogs and they are probably having some of the same issues as you. So, what exactly happens when attending classes.
The first class has a lot of discussion; what type of problems are you experiencing, what you will get out of the classes, and the satisfaction of knowing you have two very qualified instructors (Bella and her assistant Rose) to help you learn how to work with your dog in the most productive way. It’s not all discussion though, toward the end of the class, you and your dog will begin taking the first steps toward your lessons. You and your dog will work as a team with the leadership of Bella and Rose on a few basic commands. You will be shown how to perform the commands and this is where you see that not only are the lessons for your dog, but the lessons are for you as well. This is where we must: LOOK, LISTEN AND LEARN.
Those three things mentioned above are so important if you want to make these classes count. You will be given a homework sheet after each class and it’s really important to do the homework during the week between the classes and be prepared for the next class. During each class Bella will use one of your dogs to demonstrate the commands and as each class progresses, you’ll be given another command or two to work on. LOOK at what the instructors are showing you, LISTE to what they are saying (very important), and you will LEARN not only how to perform the command, but why you are performing it that way.
As the classes continue for the 8 weeks, you’ll begin to see an amazing transformation that you probably didn’t think could happen. Your dog is listening to you and you are forming a wonderful bond. You are making new friends from class with whom you can share some of your issues (they may have had the same problems going on) and if you’re like me, you’ll want to come back for more. You just can’t go wrong taking classes and they are highly recommended for any issues that may arise or just to have more quality time spent with your puppy or dog. Be sure to keep checking our schedule as it is always updated when new classes are available, and we hope to see you and your canine companion soon.
Submitted by: Debbie Smith