My mom and I had the opportunity to attend an in-person Rally class. We learned so many new things. And had lots of fun! 

This was only our second in-person class that we’d done together. The other is a heeling class that we took about a year ago. Although we have done many online classes. 

So this means most all of our training is done at home. My mom and I love training and learning new things. We do fun training games every day. Sometimes several times a day! Just because it is so much fun for both of us.

Getting some loving while my mom watches her classmate!

I’ve told you before we take classes through the Fenzi Dog Sports Academy. It is an online school that offers a variety of classes in various performance sports. 

The online classes are great. My mom and I love all that we have learned in the classes we’ve taken. And eagerly look forward to each new session. 

But doing an in-person class is good for us to do occasionally. There are other dogs for distractions. And noises that are different than what I  hear at home. The space to train is larger. We even had courses set up with real signs. Unlike when we practiced at home.

Heeling close to my mom!

The class we took was an advanced/excellent level class. So we got to try some signs we haven’t worked much on before. And work off-leash, which my mom and I both loved doing. We even got to do some jumps!

The instructor for our class judges at Rally trials. So we got some insightful feedback on the proper ways to perform many of the signs. And some of the ways handler or dog errors are scored. 

There is a fun fact about our instructor that my mom shared with me. He was the judge who she and Buffy showed under at their very first Rally trial. It was the beginning of their successful Rally career!

For some signs, I have to go around behind my mom’s chair. And then back into the heel position.

Since my mom doesn’t drive, she had friends who took us to the class. Our friend Debi took us to the first three classes. And our friend Pam took us to the fourth class. They did lots of talking while in the van. Which gave me a chance to nap! 

My mom is so grateful for the willingness of her friends to take us places. They make it possible for us to do things that we otherwise would never be able to do. This Rally class is a perfect example!

What is next, Mom?