Today the puppies graduated from the Advanced Level of puppy school. They had a good time showing off on relay work in the store, met people, got to finally visit with some kids and even got to eat puppy cake. The day started off dark and stormy. We took the puppies out early for a potty break and were glad we did because shortly after we came back in, the sky opened up. The lightening was so close, that not even a second passed between the lightning strikes and the thunder several times. The puppies don't really care about storms. They just stayed asleep. We had put them in their crates when they came back in because their feet were muddy, but Dad let them come back into our room after the storms started getting bad. They were super happy. Miss M came running in, jumped up on the bed and then realized the others weren't all there yet. So she jumped back down, ran and got her ball and then jumped back up on the bed with her ball. She happily chewed on it until Mr. M took it from her.
We weren't sure if we were even going to be able to go to puppy school with all of the storms in the area, and we kept a close watch on the radar all morning. We decided to take a test run before loading the puppies into the car to make sure the conditions weren't too bad- the car needed gas anyway. It was raining lightly, but the roads weren't flooded, so we decided to try. We got the harnesses on and the puppies into the car. On the way, we stopped by Buddy Bites to pick up a graduation cake. The puppies knew right away that it was for them. Notice the puppy nose checking out the cake in the picture below.

Of course, you can't have a graduation without pictures...

This time, Mr. C was very cooperative. He didn't want a repeat of last time. He wanted to make sure his graduation pictures were professional.

Our puppies really love puppy school. We love it because it gives us a productive outing every week in a climate controlled area- important when it is raining or over 100 outside. Grandpa made an excellent point though when we were at their house, that the puppies still hadn't learned how to use a vacuum and clean up after themselves in puppy school. We decided that we might need to send the puppies to grad school in hopes of learning how to use the vacuum cleaner instead of just chasing it around the living room.

It's hard to believe, but the puppies are almost finished with their advanced level of puppy school. Where did the time go?!! We really enjoy puppy school, and I am kind of sad that it is almost over. The puppies are very popular at Petsmart. They get attention from all of the employees when we go, and they love their trainer. I think we are all going to have puppy school withdrawal when they are finished. We may have to visit from time to time just for fun. The puppies don't really seem to know that they are about to graduate. It's just been business as usual at our house. Summer is rough, but luckily, there are cats to torment and slobber on, boxes to tear up, teddy bears to de-stuff. 

Today at puppy school, there were boxes in the store that had been flattened. Mr. M found the boxes immediately and was convinced that he needed to tear them up for Petsmart. At home, he is in charge of initial box destruction. Once he decides the box is sufficiently mangled, he lets the others have a turn chewing up the box. He got to practice the "This way" and "Leave it" commands as we hurried past the tempting boxes in the store.
Miss M discovered the toy aisle today. We have been walking down that aisle almost every week since like March, but usually she is looking around. Today, she happened to glance down and notice the bright yellow Kong squeaky balls like she plays with at home. She got super excited and figured those must be for her. She was a little disappointed that we had to leave those in the store.
It started raining outside just before time to leave, which was wonderful because it cooled things down to the low 90's instead. You know it's hot when the low 90's is an improvement. The picture below was a couple of days ago.

Most of the playtime in the yard has been a little tamer than normal. The puppies burst into zoomies from time to time, but mostly they just chill for a while until we take them back inside. They have developed a new zoomie skill. They run around the yard at top speed and then zoom into the house as soon as we open the door.

Today our puppies had their graduation from the intermediate level of puppy school. We were very proud of them. They showed off in the aisle doing obstacle course work off leash (or really on leash but dragging the leash behind them) and got lots and lots of treats. After they demonstrated their skills and got their diplomas, they had graduation pictures taken. Mr. C played hard to get with the instructor. Every time she would get him looking at the camera, he would look and then turn away just as she took the picture. 

While the puppies were hanging out after class getting their pictures taken, Ms. A gave them some plastic bottles to chew on so they wouldn't get bored. There were also plenty of treats on hand.

Miss M was quick to volunteer for pictures , pointing out that Mr. C was just being a drama queen.

Mr. M got tired of waiting for his close-up and decided that he needed some attention.

Miss S got fed up with all of the others' picture avoiding antics and decided to show them how picture posing was done.

It was a full day. The puppies tried to tell the cats about their graduation, but the cats really didn't seem to care very much.

One of the benefits of having fuzzy children is that you don't have to wait 18 years for them to graduate from school. Today, our puppies graduated from the Beginner Level of puppy school. They had to demonstrate what they had learned and passed with flying colors. They even got certificates. We were so proud of them. Each of them got a different sticker on their certificate. Miss M got "Star Student," Mr. M got "Teacher's Pet," Miss S got "Inseparable from her pack," Mr. C got "2 cool for school," and Miss B got "You are one smart cookie." 

After showing off their skills and getting their certificates, the puppies each got treats and got to meet a new instructor in training who may train with them during the intermediate level.

Today was a pretty warm day, so by the time puppy school was over, the puppies were pretty tired. On the way home, we got them a cup of ice from the driveway so they could cool down quicker. Ice is much easier than water while in the car. Water would just be way too messy, but with ice, they get water but you can give it to them like treats. They love the crunch of ice. There was a recipe on Pinterest for banana "Popsicle,"  The person sliced up bananas and then froze them in an ice tray in water. So it's a piece of ice with a banana chunk inside. Genius! I have to try it.

This week is the last week for puppy school, and the puppies are getting nervous about the upcoming final exam and graduation.

The puppies really like puppy school. Even Miss B who was scared of walking around the store at first, thinks she owns the place now. They know where the classroom is. They know where the water is, and they know where to go for potty breaks.
They are getting better and better at following directions. We've had them "leave it" at the beach walking past dead birds and fish so many times, that they didn't even bother going near the dead baby bird that we found in our yard today. We discovered that there is a nest in our grapefruit tree- complete with a mama bird. The baby was super young and must have fallen out during the high winds last night. We were proud of the puppies for not messing with it. This evening, the puppies were all playing with something that I didn't recognize. All five of them were pulling on it, but we couldn't figure out what it was. I told them all to drop it, and they all let go at the same time! It turned about to be one of Dad's mittens that had fallen on the floor when he was cleaning his closet. I was happy that we were able to save the mitten, but I was even happier that all of the puppies dropped the mitten when I told them to, even though they were really having a good time pulling on it. 
So I guess tomorrow, we will have to make sure that all of their basic skills are strong so that they don't have any trouble passing their exams.