This is our Rosie – she’s a 12 week old Bernese Mountain Dog puppy.

We’ve had her now for just over 4 weeks and I’ve been learning some lessons that I’ve found useful in other areas of life as well.

Lesson #1 – Commitment to something outside of ourselves

This energetic little lady needs at least two walks a day – a tired puppy is a happy puppy right?

Well guess what, those twice daily walks have been just as good for me and my girls as they have for the pup. Not only are we getting more exercise… we are spending some quality time together as a family during our walks (where my 10 & 12 years old girls actually have to talk to me… gasp! 😉

And I’m also meeting people who have been my neighbors for over 10 years now who I’ve never met before… because I work from home and as a default I rarely leave my house.

Getting a dog has forced me to ‘get out’ more, which has led to many good things.

Food for thought: What commitment could you make to force yourself to ‘get out’ more in your business? 

Lesson #2 – We ALWAYS have a choice in how we respond

As cute as they are, puppies are annoying.

They pee on your carpet. They wake you up in the middle of the night whining. They have sharp little puppy teeth that like to chew on your hands and nip at your heels (ouch!)

And let me tell you – I’ve had (more) than a few moments of frustration. And yes, I’ve found myself yelling a couple of times BUT of course that doesn’t help anything.

Puppy training has been an exercise in patience. In deciding WHO I want to be in those moments of frustration.

Do I want to be a grump or do I want to take a deep breath and say ‘it’s OK and let’s work on it together’.

Food for thought: WHO are you showing up as in the moments when your business is annoying you?

Lesson #3 – Playing the long game

There is a window of time between 8 to 16 weeks where puppies learn A LOT. This is a foundational time for socialization, house training, crate training & various other aspects of good puppy habits.

The things we do during this 8 week period are going to mean MORE or LESS work down the road. The things we don’t do could lead to some big problems (for example, a dog who is afraid of people because they never met new people during this time.)

It’s a lot of work. A lot of time and energy during those 8 weeks.

Put that on top of an already busy life it is very tempting to say ‘forget it’ and not bother.

But I’m keeping the long game in mind. Knowing that what I do today will make a difference in the future (even when I don’t want to do it!)

And also reminding myself that this too shall pass. 😉

Food for thought: What are you putting off today that could pay dividends in the future?

For my fellow dog owners – what have you learned from your pups?

Send me a message and let me know. 🙂