A month ago I did something about which I had been dead set against for years. For more than ten years I had emphatically declared that our family would not get a dog for three kids were more than enough to manage. And, heck, what about the expense of a dog and the hassle for when we would go out of town? Would I need to purchase pet insurance too?
Well, six weeks ago I navigated to the Denver Dumb Friends League website (www.ddfl.org) to see what kind of dogs could be rescued. Nothing spoke (barked) to me. We went to the south location. My 16 year old son pointed at the Boxer mix dog and said “I want a big dog.” Less than two hours later we drove away with a Boxer named Bernie. Within 24 hours we renamed him “Rocky” in honor of Rocky Balboa. At least we got some Italian influence in there.
The predominant force behind my hesitation all these years was that I needed to have a dog that would be properly educated, act consistently and not ruin our home. It had been almost 40 years since acquiring my last dog and ashamedly we did not train him. I loved him dearly, but I would not go through that again.
Throughout the many issues and years of this newsletter, I have shared with my readers the importance of education, training and leveraging the knowledge of your peers and industry experts. I continue to do this in my business life and do not regret the monetary investment nor investment of my time. Now I am looking to the experts and experienced peers in the arena of dog ownership, training and obedience. I have often heard that pet training is as much (or more) for the owners than for the pets themselves. I know this to be true. The consistency necessary when speaking to our dog Rocky is not so different from the necessity of following a defined process and follow through. It is not enough to create or learn the process for training a dog and have him adapt to the rules of your home just as it is insufficient to create a service delivery or marketing process and not maintain consistency regularly. The template for implementation with all the steps that are built into the template or process provides you the springboard for success. It comes down to you and your ability to implement the high level of service delivery, innovative marketing or getting a dog to stop chasing after rabbits and squirrels. It’s a dangerous proposition to not be prepared for the implementation as well as contingency planning if something goes awry.
Over a year ago I heard the AfterBurner team present and one of the key elements to their success formula was to debrief—What went well, what could have gone better and what might need to be changed completely in the process for a particular project. When I didn’t keep control of Rocky and his attraction to little furry animals, I got hurt. I hadn’t attended the trainings yet and took my eye off my surroundings. Stay focused and present!
Dog and owner training is a project and it’s just as daunting as planning my quarterly marketing calendar and making it happen. Even if you don’t have a dog or other 4 legged friend, think about how education and consistency of actions will bring you success and happiness for a job very well done.
Congrats on both getting a dog and more importantly, rescuing a small soul from the Dumb Friend’s League! I am sure he will reward you, Phil and the family for bringing him into your family.