Hi Linda, What you didn't do was "introduce" the bells to the dogs. What were you thinking?? Of course they were alarmed at this irritating noise everytime they moved. When you train animals you don't suddenly dump a new experience on them but introduce gradually. One reason for putting bells on dog's collars is to frighten and ward off wild life so if the dog isn't trained to accept the noise beforehand he is going to have the same reaction. You now have some repair work to do and that would be to ring the bell everytime you give a cookie or before you feed them dinner, then a tinkle on the bell while talking and carrying on around the house with your normal chores. In time attach the bells to yourself so the dogs get used to the noise. Soon the ringing will be tolerated and then you start to walk them with the bells on their collars, do some sits and recalls, and then let them run in a controlled zone with their bells on. Only then can you be sure they are comfortable with them before letting them run loose in the park. Swiss bells were designed for cows, you might like to find the type of bell gundog owners use which are lighter sounding and less clanging.
Far better to reinforce your recall commands and keep your dogs on leash when walking in wildlife country. Many a dog is lost forever once it takes after a deer. Rose T.
