We are a Failure at Puppy Class

[Andrea, Belle and Honey]

So Belle and I went to our first puppy class this morning, and Belle was HORRIBLE!  She refused to follow any of the commands she regularly does effortlessly at home and turned her nose up at the treats she usually scarfs up with enthusiasm (even the duck!).  She kept trying to steal treats from the beautiful, and well-behaved, Bernese Mountain puppy next to us. Belle peed on the floor not once but twice, even though she went outside right before the class.  She hasn't peed inside anywhere else in over a month. She kept up a constant whining noise, so I couldn't hear the instructor.  The worst was when we were supposed to hold our puppies and massage them until they calmed down.  Belle wiggled and squirmed so energetically that we fell off the chair and I squashed all the treats in my pocket.  When class was over, we slunk out and went to Bed, Bath and Beyond, where she rode in the shopping cart like a little angel, and graciously accepted pats from all sides.  Later at home, she was as sweet as ever. and suddenly remembered about sit, down, stay, come and better hurry pee (outside).  Do you think next week I should run her around for a while before class to release excess energy, or will that make her too tired to work on the lessons?  Too bad I can't put blinders on her so she doesn't see the other dogs.

[Diane, Hurley and Sidney]

I don't have an thoughts on what to do next week. Plus I do apologize for this but your articulation of what transpired had me in stitches. It belongs in a comedy on the big screen.

When I took Hurley to a pre-Therapy class testing the instructor said he should be on Meds because he is skittish about noise. Well, that being said he was the only dog in the class that obeyed down stay followed by my walking out of the room and out of his sight for a good 5 mins. Maybe he was to scared to move. lol

Hang in there!!! Bernese will be fine.

[Tracey & Spike]

Oh my. All I can say is welcome to the club! Feel free to purchase the tshirt at the door! You will hear from a lot of us on here that we know what you are going through! You are not alone!

Do not give up on class. Stick with it. By the end believe it or not. Your dog will be the best of the bunch!
The peeing in class was most likely stress. Not disobedience. It's common. And although your sweet pup was the only one doing it. It's not something to be ashamed of.

With Spike the treats he LOVES at home mean diddly squat in class. Literally.
Me: Spike sit! (While holding cheese)
Spike: dog!!! Over there and there and there and there!
Me: Spike down! (While holding several fruitables)
Spike: oh pretty people! People holding treats that I need NOW!!!
Get the drift?! :)

What worked for us in the treat department was finding something that Spike LOVES but never ever got at home. We used chicken hot dogs. No bun. Just the hot dog. Chopped up nice and small. He only ever got these in his treat bag. Even then I used then sparingly. Every second or third treat. Made him wait for it. And wait he did.
Another thing that helped was getting to class early. I walked Spike around the parking lot. Around the halls of class. And I got into class as soon as I could and did laps with him on the leash. After which I took Spike back out for a final pee.
It took a couple of classes for him to settle. But when he did. He aced it. Your pup will too. We are here for you!

[Judith and Addie]

To me it sounds like Belle is stressed if she won't take treats. She is over her threshold being around the other dogs and probably. Being on-leash around other dogs can make her fearful or over excited. When she is doing so well with her commands at home, is she on-leash? Keep working with her at home, especially any calming exercises, and give her treats for calm behavior, like just being quiet, at home. Talk to your instructor and see if you can keep her separate from other dogs - as far away as is possible - in the training room. And try not to stress yourself over her stressing. She will pick up on that.

Tracy and Spike have a good point about treats. You might try some very high value treats just for the class. A couple suggestions besides the chicken hot dogs are cooked chicken or cheese. 

Good luck. You and Belle will get there.

[Melissa & Harley]

The first thing our trainer had us do at puppy class was to walk the dogs around, and around, and around, and around...for a good 10 minutes before we did any learning. And at the first class, we may have done it even longer! I think being around all the people & other dogs just had her too stimulated. It kind of reminds me of when my kids were toddlers - too many new things at once! Lol. Even after class number 12 (oh yes, Harley needed puppy 1 & 2 classes!) we still did a few laps around the store before we started our lessons. It really did help and he was more ready to listen and learn once he had the initial mini-zoomies out.

I think it's totally normal and if she really is that good at home, she's going to be a rock star in class! Good luck!

[Laura and Angus]

Our trainer definitely stressed the importance if exercise before training. Taking a walk or playing with her before heading to class will absolutely help.

Also, first class can be overwhelming and exciting and trainers know this....don't worry! Belle will get used to being around all the other pups. Stick with it! She'll do great as long as you get some exercise, high value treats, and a calm demeanor - no matter what she throws at ya. The trainer should be able to help you correct her behavior as you go. Good luck with the next round!

[Andrea, Belle and Honey]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone.  I plan to arrive early for the next class and walk Belle around both outside and inside and make sure she pees more than once, as she clearly stores some up even when she goes. She already gets cooked chicken as part of potty training, so I'l try some tiny bits of beef or pork at the next class.  I also discovered something else yesterday when Belle and I visited my sister to meet her 11 week old Viszla puppy, Ziggy.  Belle and Ziggy had a blast playing together in the gated den and kitchen and in the fenced yard, but, as in the puppy class, Belle did not respond to any of her commands the way she does at home, even when Ziggy was off having a nap.  Apparently, the commands are tied to the environment where the learning took place?  Is this possible or common? 

[Gracie, Jade, & Barkley]

Yeah. You have to use commands in different environments so that they understand that they have to listen to them anywhere. Practice everywhere!
Maybe try some premium treats or just different ones at class. I had a pouch full of cut up hot dogs, cheese, chicken, and some home made treats as well as Zukes so that Gracie never knew what she was going to get.
I also tried to wear Gracie out before we went either with a walk or practicing what we learned the previous week. We practiced throughout the day 10 min at a time.
It always took Gracie a good 10 min to get to where she would listen when we went to class.
The trainer also had us bring a stuffed Kong to keep her occupied when she wasn't actively training. We just used peanut butter. And, I froze it to make it harder to eat up. :D
Keep at it, it will get better.
I was embarrassed to by some things Gracie did, but we still passed. :D

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Keep going. Keep practicing.  Swallow the embarrassment - it doesn't matter.   The worst that can happen is to repeat the class - and who cares!!! It isn't a competition, its learning and she will.  Feel free to entertain us with your classes - I giggled all way through your post! :-}  Of course my guys make sure to embarrass me in other ways all the time - and they are SEVEN - not the adorable and forgivable puppy age!