First day of school!

Today was my first day of school! Mom had to get up early to bring me. I'm kind of surprised that we made it, because she doesn't do so well early in the morning. Anyway, we got in the car and drove for a little while. Mom left lots of extra time because that road is often backed up with accidents and construction. We got to a big strip mall in Avon. We were so early that Mom decided to walk me around the building first. There was one store there, Staples, that was just full of paper products. I tried to go in, but Mom wouldn't let me. We argued about it for a little while, but Mom still outweighs me so in the end she won. Then we went inside our real destination: Petco.

I didn't think any store could be as exciting as Staples, but I was wrong! I loved Petco! They had bags and bags of food, and absolutely scads of treats. Not only that, but I was the only dog in the store. Wow! There were so many people, and they were all so nice and friendly! I got lots of pats, and lots of scritches, from all my new friends. Jen, the manager, was especially friendly. She taught me how to lie down on the first try! She also mentioned to my mom that there are parks in Hingham, Weymouth and Abington where I can go to have fun with other dogs. That sounds so exciting! Mom thinks she wants to get me a little better trained before she lets me off-leash though.

Anyway, I was the only dog, so my class was pretty short. Mom has been assured that this will not be the norm. We worked on giving me treats in a way that wouldn't involve contact with my teeth, and on making my tail wag (this one was easy,) and on walking me on a loose leash. Walking on the loose leash was difficult, and I will probably need a lot of practice with that. Then we did sit and stay. I was already good at sit. Stay was harder. Mom didn't think that it was going so well, but my trainer Stephanie says that I was actually doing pretty well and that staying for longer distances will come with practice. They gave Mom a book so that we can do homework together. All of this training involved lots of treats, so I am a very happy puppy right now!