Last Updated on February, 2025
Planning to get Baxter And Bella (B&B) membership to train your puppy?
Hold your brakes right there and read this honest review from a customer who got a partial refund.
This online training technically works but it’s the conditions that can be hard to meet.
I don’t want you to experience what I did, so read through and make your decision.
But, why trust me?
Table of Contents
- Why Trust Me?
- What is Baxter and Bella? How Does it Work?
- Trainers Behind Baxter and Bella
- What Baxter and Bella Offers? Online, On-Site & Live Training
- How Much is Baxter and Bella?
- Customer Reviews of Baxter and Bella
- Pros and Cons of Baxter and Bella
- How to Sign Up for Baxter and Bella?
- Possible Alternative to Baxter and Bella: K9TI
- Last Thoughts: Baxter and Bella Review
- FAQs
Why Trust Me?
I got their membership and actually tried to go with their self-paced training, and… you want to hear my experience.
I also researched several other reviews and customer testimonials on several platforms. I also contacted the B&B several times too.
That’s how what you find here is pretty much the reality.
The Good
Baxter and Bella works: it encompasses a well-planned puppy training schedule that gradually gets advanced. There are live sessions, one-on-one sessions, podcasts, downloadables, and such extra stuff that brings more ROI. It doesn’t have a monthly subscription and is led by a team of experienced and qualified trainers.
The Not So Good
B&B claims that it’s self-paced, but I feel like you must keep up with the timeline. I also felt the one-time price was high enough that I would have preferred a subscription. Since there are several trainers, it can be difficult to always get the one you prefer. The main issue is the use of dominance-based techniques to train the dog in some instances throughout training, which some are not a fan of.
The Bottom Line
Baxter and Bella is NOT a scam; it works. But you have to prepare yourself to adhere to the conditions and the pricing. Alternatively, you can try out a completely free substitute that pretty much does the same thing as B&B without its downsides. More info at the end of this review.
What is Baxter and Bella? How Does it Work?
Baxter And Bella (B&B) is a puppy-to-dog training school. Two main reasons make it special: the step-by-step training curriculum and the hybrid teaching method.
They also believe that “Whatever gets rewarded gets repeated.” That’s why they heavily use positive reinforcement with a combination of food, toys, touch, and praise.
It works pretty well; I saw how my dog responds to them.
Baxter And Bella’s training curriculum is self-paced, which means that you don’t have to constantly worry about your plans crashing. You can go at your own pace. Not only that, but you can also develop a lifelong, strong bond with your canine companions as you train them.
They also offer on-site & live training with one-on-one virtual sessions with their team.
Unlike several competitors, Baxter and Bella doesn’t follow with monthly subscriptions. Instead, you get a lifetime membership. Looking at the price, it’s a sweet deal.
This lifetime access allows you to adjust anything and constantly contact them from anything, even when the puppy is grown up.
I’ll explain each of these parts as we move forward.
Next, let’s look at the trainers behind Baxter and Bella.
Trainers Behind Baxter and Bella
Baxter & Bella is led by the owner and creator, Amy Jenson. She’s a Fear Free Certified Professional and an AKC CGC Evaluator, Trick Dog Evaluator, and professional member of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT) and the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC).
Rest assured, the program is closely monitored and quality-controlled by a professional canine trainer with years of experience.
Living up to the non-intimidating and force-free training approaches, Baxter & Bella has a female-led team of canine trainers.
Currently, there are eight trainers, namely:
While I won’t bore you with long descriptions, all Baxter & Bella trainers bring multiple professional certifications and memberships with years of experience.
For example, Emily has the CPDT-KA certification while being Fear Free Certified, whereas Michelle brings 30+ years of experience.
In other words, you and your beloved puppies are in safe hands.
Baxter & Bella’s business manager is Scott Jensen, Amy Jensen’s husband. The brand’s origin is simple: Amy told Scott that she wanted to fix the puppy problem.
Now that you know about Baxter & Bella, let’s look at what they offer.
What Baxter and Bella Offers? Online, On-Site & Live Training
Baxter and Bella offer you EVERYTHING you need to raise a puppy like an experienced dog parent.
The online training curriculum is divided into Five training areas:
Let’s look at each briefly.
The first week together has eight training areas or milestones. It starts with 1.1 A Succesful Schedule and goes to 1.8 Puppy Biting, Barking, Jumping, and more.
Fundamental training areas such as the introduction to the crate, collar, and leash, marker training with “yes!” and “no,” and even potty training start here.
Basic Training is a 6-week training program, and here’s how they are categorized:
Intermediate training begins right after basic training. Here’s the breakdown:
| Intermediate training breakdown | |
| Week | Focussed areas |
| Week 1 | Art of free shaping Introducing “place”, “settle”, “leave it” and “go to bed” commands Body language Intermediate leash walking Intermediate ‘leave it’ command Resource guarding and growling Field trip – a party for practice |
| Week 2 | “Heel command” Off-leash walk Field trip – Experience the farmer’s market |
| Week 3 | The power of your voice as owner Fixing separation anxiety Field trip – neighborhood discovery |
| Week 4 | Accepting strangers and say ‘HI’ Grooming your dog Field trip – doorbell donut day |
| Week 5 | Reactivity Walking in crowds Field trip – The grooming salon |
| Week 6 | Field trip only – busy street and intersection AKC Canine Good Citizen Prep course |
Advanced training comes afterward:
If you’re done with all these, you’ll get the puppy school’s completion certificate.
Just For Fun segment is dedicated to bonding better with your puppy while training their brain. This section has 11 activities such as shake, high five, turn, fetch, catch, sit pretty, jump on, off, snuggle and hug, kiss and no lick, and speak and quiet.
Eventually, it comes to the Just For Fun talent show.
That’s about the course content.
What Else is There in Baxter and Bella?
But Baxter and Bella offer you even more.
All of these week-based training are hundreds of pre-recorded videos. They’re of high production quality.
In addition, you also get several program printables; these contain guides, charts, and homework. Additionally, B&B also gives you several checklists that help you track progress easily.
You can also read their blog, which shares the latest information and is fun to read. There’s also a puppy training podcast to which you get exclusive access.
Being a puppy parent, I know it’s the live one-on-one sessions with trainers are the most important feature for any other puppy parent too. You can have three times weekly, and you also can join the live sessions.
Before the First Week Together starts, there’s a preliminary stage named Preparing For My Puppy, which can help immensely if you’re shopping for things for your puppy. The instructions are so comprehensive that you will even get a survival guide.
Depending on the requirement, you can switch between online or on-site classes.
No matter what you choose, everything is accessible for a lifetime.
Next, let’s look at pricing.
How Much is Baxter and Bella?
The lifetime membership’s price is country-based, $238.00 in the US.
Here’s how it changes If you’re outside the US:
It’s admirable how Baxter and Bella donate a portion of their membership sales to Good Dog! Service Canines is a non-profit that helps provide service dogs to families and children.
These fees can change at Baxter and Bella’s discretion, although they are current.
Baxter and Bella Refund Policy
You will get a full refund if you request it in under 3 days (72 hours).
If you exceed 72 hours but stay within 30 days, you will not receive the refund but a part of it. Here’s the relevant section from their refund policy.
Let’s move to the customer reviews next.
Customer Reviews of Baxter and Bella
I never feature what companies feature on their websites. I either go to Trustpilot, Google, or X (formerly Twitter) reviews.
This time, it’s Google — let’s see what they had to say.
We highly recommend BAXTER and Bella. We started the program in advance of our puppy’s arrival and felt well prepared. The resources are incredible and the access to live and recorded content is ideal. With our last dog we used puppy school at a pet store which seemed fine at the time but now that we have used BAXTER and Bella we see that there is no comparison.
The staff are ready to help you and your pup have an amazing relationship. They clearly love what they do and are always positive, professional, and encouraging.
Cute little Millie and her Moms are so thankful to have them as our partners on this journey!!
This user highly recommends Baxter and Bella in advance of their puppy and praises B&B’s customer service and content quality. What more can you ask for?
However, I also found this problematic Reddit thread where one user had said this:
If you are looking for an online program there are better ones… Baxter & Bella Relies on Dominance and Pack Leader Theories in a Trendy Package; owner has been deleting/removing but not saying why these articles are disappearing once we bring attention to them. We do not condone or recommend in this trainer or their techniques in this community.
Dominance and pack leader training is very problematic, and the claim that the owner deletes stuff is equally alarming. Perhaps this can be why there are only 5-star reviews everywhere, which is unusual.
We have been using Bella&Baxter for the last 2 months with our new puppy. One of the best things is access to trainers live via video or phone calls. I just wanted to give a shout out to Courtney G, one of the trainers; I really connected with her and the way she teaches and gives advice/guidance and we have been scheduling with her specifically. She is an amazing trainer and has helped us with our new fur baby.
This user also praises the personal connection with Courtney (one of the trainers), showing how friendly and supportive they are.
With that covered, let’s look at the pros and cons of Baxter And Bella.
Pros and Cons of Baxter and Bella
Now that we’ve read all about Baxter And Bella, let’s look at its pros and cons quickly.
Pros
Cons
How to Sign Up for Baxter and Bella?
It’s pretty simple.
Select your currency and the number of memberships you desire. After payment, you may create your username and login to access the members-only section of the website.
B&B members can also book appointments for online one-on-one training via the website.
The plot twist is that I got a refund before the 30-day window – let’s discuss why that happened.
Possible Alternative to Baxter and Bella: K9TI
Am I any different when I say I felt a little hesitant when I saw the real refund policy was applicable only for 3 days?
Let’s keep that aside.
There’s no doubt Baxter and Bella is LEGIT. It works, and several people say so too.
Here’s the issue: although they market the product as self-paced, I felt like I was being forced to stick to a timeline, which makes it not-so-self-paced.
Conversely, I would have been okay with an industry-standard $29.99 monthly (or close), but paying the whole amount at once isn’t a luxury for everyone.
This is the background I discovered K9 Training Institute (K9TI).
K9ti is pretty much the same as Baxter and Bella, but it’s 100% FREE.
And I mean 100% FREE without ANY strings attached.
While Baxter and Bella’s training stops at the puppy level, you can even train an adult dog with K9ti. What impressed me most was the scope.
There are three reasons why the K9ti is so successful: the founders, the origins of the training content, and how they do it.
The program is led by Dr. Alexa Diaz, who holds a Ph.D. in animal behavior and has 20+ years of experience in training not just any type of dog but service dogs.
The second trainer and the lead presented is Eric Presnall, who hosted the hit Animal Planet TV show “Who Let The Dogs Out.”
Everything is done fully online. As I said, they cover everything that B&B does. Crate training, potty training, obedience issues, multiple commands — you name it.
Some of these are:
The second reason is that their training content is developed based on research at Harvard and Stanford.
The third reason is that they use the same force-free techniques used to train service dogs.
I could have saved $238 if I had known about K9ti at the beginning. In the end, I managed to train my puppy for free.
Other dog training program reviews:
Last Thoughts: Baxter and Bella Review
Training puppies online is a practical way that saves you a little fortune. Baxter and Bella is a great option for that. They offer you well-structured and high-quality training content that will deliver a well-training puppy.
However, some issues make K9TI better than B&B based on features, and especially the price (which is $0 against $238 by B&B).
If you badly want to go with Baxter And Bella, paying $200+ at once, I would recommend trying out a completely free and better option first.
I hope this review was helpful!
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