Lola Graduated!

I can't believe it, but our little puppy girl graduated with honors last night!  At just 15 weeks old, Lola received her diploma from Puppy Obedience School at Petsmart.  Bo and I were beaming!  Our "child" has learned so much in the last month and a half, and we couldn't be prouder. 

Lola "sitting" for the trainer.

Look how B.I.G. she is getting!  Over 30 pounds now!

After six weeks of obedience training, Lola can now perform the following commands:

• sit;
• watch me;
• down;
• take it;
• drop it (most of the time);
• leave it (this one is her nemesis....she's not a huge fan of "leave it" - especially on walks);
• come; and
• stay (for about 45 seconds, with food, that is).

Hi, Mommy!

"Sit" is the most-ingrained command that Lola has learned.  She will respond to the command for anyone, even strangers; and anytime you have food, she will sit automatically in hopes that her good behavior will earn her an edible reward.

We call her Ms. Piggy because she is insatiably hungry...all.the.time, and during meal times, is somehow able to scarf down an entire bowl of food in under 90 seconds.

We don't think she chews...only inhales...and swallows.

LOOK - I'm sitting! 

Please tell me that you have a treat for me...

Here's Lola with her good-lookin' daddy :)

Truthfully, Bo is a really great puppy-daddy.  He and Lola go on long walks, play fetch at least twice a day, play "catch me if you can" in the backyard (Lola recently surpassed Bo's speed), and enjoy quiet moments of snuggling and doggy kisses.  Not to mention, he gets up every morning around 5:30AM to take her out to pee.  For a man who is NOT a morning person, that is love!

It melts my heart to watch these two together!

Hi Mom!

I was in a rush taking pictures last night, so I apologize for all of the "green-eyed girl" pictures.  Don't let my horrible photography skills fool you.  Lola's eyes are brown...not green like her mom's!

All that obedience makes a puppy girl tired!

Seriously, who could resist that face?!  

I know I'm biased, but I think she gets prettier and prettier with age.  We always joke that if she was a person, as opposed to a dog, she would probably have a huge ego problem because, in addition to us, strangers stop and tell her how pretty she is all the time.

She's totally oblivious though, and is as rambunctious and humble as ever. :)

One of Lola's classmates, Stryder, was extremely timid and shy.  Here she is trying to say "hello" on a level that won't intimidate him. :)

Towards the end of the evening, Lola's trainer brought out the graduation caps!  As you can see, from the get-go, Lola wasn't particularly excited about her new accessory!

But she was a good sport and gave it a shot!  I can just here her now:

"Seriously, mom...dad?!  Do I really have to wear this?!"

Stryder, on the other hand, was quite the trooper!  He looked like a regular valedictorian with his graduation cap held high and proud.

"Enough is Enough.  I feel humiliated. Get this thing off of my head."

"Yeah, go ahead, Dad, look smug.  You won't do this to me again...I assure you..."

It's a good thing dog's have short memories.  By this morning, Lola had forgotten all about the graduation cap trauma.  She was back to her exuberant and playful self.  We are two very lucky puppy parents!

Next up - a post with TWO dinner recipes!  

I'll give you a hint: between the two recipes you will find spinach, raisins, and corn...and one recipe may come in the form of "cakes".

Guesses or ideas...anyone?!

Question of the Day:

Did you take your dog to puppy school/obedience training?  If so, do you think it made a difference in your dog's behavior?

Blessings,
Ally and Bo