Boone has gradumacated!

Yesterday was puppy kindergarten graduation--I hadn't realized that the class was six instead of eight weeks, so it came as a bit of a surprise. But yesterday was a fun class, since we got to play with some basic agility equipment--jumps, hoops, weave poles, balance boards. He did pretty well on everything except the platform, which is basically a "jump up and sit down" thing. Boone doesn't jump up on stuff, which we hadn't been worried about since he's a Papillon and a little fragile, but it's time for him to learn how to, say, get up on the couch by himself.

So for the next week, he's a Great Dane--too heavy to pick up, ever. We stacked up some pillows to make the jump up less challenging, and as he really gets that, the pillows will get taken away until he's jumping up from the floor. (Papillons are bouncy, jumping onto a couch or into a car isn't a problem for them.)

Boone wasn't sure what to make of most of the stuff, but once he figured out that I really did want him to do these things, he seemed to have a really good time. I also found out that I do need to get a seatbelt harness for him, and I've picked one out that should do but need to measure him again to make sure the one I think will fit will.

I'm hoping to return to obedience class in July or so, which gives us a bit to work on the basics and Boone a chance to grow into a bit more of an attention span. There's a progression from basic obedience to the tricks class to advanced obedience to, finally, small dog agility class after Boone's a year old and is physically ready for the workouts of agility.

But for the moment, he has a few things to work on. Like "stay".