Guide dogs make a splash at Mote

Mote Marine Aquarium hosted the Southeastern Guide Dogs pups and their trainers for an early-morning tour Saturday as part of the dogs’ training. The dogs are in their first round of training, which occurs when they are 9 weeks to 12-to-14 weeks old. After that, they go to “puppy college,” where they train with a professional trainer for four to eight months.

Aside from weekly play dates, the dogs must have one day of exposure training and one day of obedience training per month. The exposure training puts them in a public place without people where they must perform all of their duties.

But it was hard for some pups to stay professional when Percy the Penguin stopped by for a visit.