Inspiring Management Tips
Learning anything complex takes time—don’t shortchange the process
One of the agility obstacles that Grace and I have not spent a lot of time with is the weave poles. When first learning this particular skill, the poles are “open” to create a channel that the dog walks through. Eventually, the goal is to have poles “closed” or set in a straight line so…
Treats trump toys
Grace eats anything. And I mean anything. I get grossed out thinking about some of the things I’ve seen her devour and enjoy. Her early days on the streets of Puerto Rico produced a scavenger mentality and I’m not sure if she has any taste buds, just an insatiable desire to eat whatever is within…
Nailed!
At a cookout this past weekend, a friend was telling me about an experience at her workplace. Her manager had brought her in to discuss some issues with the details of her work and she said it was hard to listen to it. It wasn’t because she didn’t want to know the information; she just…
This is MY space!
One of the things I like the most about observing Grace is how literal her communication is. The same is true with our cats. Their body language tells it all. If we could observe human interactions with that level of objectivity and detachment, I think we’d often behave differently. There are two instances that illustrate…
Making the most out of what you have
There are lots of times when we expose Grace to new experiences. Of course some she enjoys more than others. We took her kayaking several times last year, and she tolerated it, but it was clear that she prefers land over water. This past weekend, we went out again. This trip was different. I got…
Sometimes you really need to state the obvious—sometimes the obvious just isn’t that obvious Part 2
At last weekend’s “Show and Go” agility event, there were lots of obvious things going on as I described in Part 1. There were also things that weren’t so obvious to me. The whole point of this particular event is to expose the team (handler and dog) to a new environment. We were in a…
Sometimes you really need to state the obvious—sometimes the obvious just isn’t that obvious Part 1
This weekend, I took Grace to an agility event called “Show and Go.” It’s a mock competition – designed as a way to introduce handlers and dogs to a competitive experience without being judged. We were in a new, outdoor area, with different equipment, surrounded by more people, lots of dogs. My goal was to…
It’s not my fault!
During a conversation with friends at dinner last night, we were talking about taking responsibility for our own actions. I mentioned someone I know well that is often blaming another person for any and every little bad thing that happens – even though they are the one that created the situation in the first place….
Are you ready for your next hurdle?
Grace is fast. Very fast. One of my challenges in working with her during agility is to keep up with her! My pictures never quite portrayed that sense of motion and so I asked a professional photographer, Annie Card, to join us in a recent class. I love the way Annie captured our movements; the…
