I haven't had a puppy in nearly seven years, and I forgot how unproductive they make you! LOL! Thank goodness for forced naptime!

But puppies come with a lot more than endless energy and sharp teeth; they come with a whole bunch of expectations.

Since we just chatted about expectations last ...

We are taught that this world is explainable and has a reason for everything. The moon's phases, weather, and even math (inside joke) have logical reasons for being. Then, a grade school teacher tells us that if we work hard, our efforts will be rewarded, and our parents back this up. Our lives take...

Have you ever felt worse after a successful weekend of showing? Ever felt terrible though your dashboard is decorated with ribbons?

It's a weird feeling, but it happens more than you might think. We have a fantastic weekend only to wake up Monday with the after-trial blues. How could that possib...

I am still trying to figure out what I did (or didn't do) last week. What I do know is that I was wholly unproductive after losing my oldest Berner on Monday.

The world tells us we must push through our grief - or disappointments - and move on with our lives and obligations. If you still believe...

I'm entering a grief period. Knowing this in advance is weird, but I know it's coming. My 12.5yo Berner is fading, and our days together are finite, so I know what awaits.

BUT

This story is NOT meant to have you grabbing all the tissues. No! This is about "savoring," a wonderful concept intr...

Every once in a while, I get kinda fixated on a concept. Right now, that's our energy as handlers and how it impacts every aspect of our dog sports.

Spoiler alert: This week's podcast and the Q-Membership for August are all about energy.

Energy is a huge part of how we show up for our dogs a...

Lately, the comparison gremlins have been popping up in interesting - and annoying - ways. Sometimes they tell me I'm not succeeding at work; other times, I should be doing more with my dogs. Just yesterday, Facebook suggested a friend because of mutual connections, and I thought, "What would that p...

Every one of us could entertain a campfire crowd of people with tales of how our plans went awry. Memes are devoted to it: You make a plan, and God laughs. Plan is a four-letter word. Anything about the pandemic. My point is that it's a universal experience to have plans fall apart, so the focus ...

If only we had any control over other people! But we don't, and sometimes people can be downright awful to us and others. It's that yucky part of our sport that we could all do without. And while I wish it were fading away, bad behavior will probably always stick around. Sigh.

This is on my mind...

So by now, you probably know I'm obsessed with goal setting. It's more than coming up with goals, rather it's creating a plan to make sure they come to fruition. We all have goals, but we don't all have plans.

{If you're unfamiliar, I have a whole methodology that spurred an online course, plus a p...

I'm going back and re-watching all three seasons of Ted Lasso. (We can discuss my denial that the show ended some other time - haha!) Any-who ... One of the (many) great concepts from the show is Ted's insistence that we should all "be a goldfish."

Ted (an American coaching football, aka soccer,...

Of course they do! And with good reason, right?

I mean, we cry because our hearts are broken, or we're disappointed, or we're so happy that only tears will do.

Just this past weekend, while walking my dog at an agility trial, I cried out of frustration. I wasn't mad at my dog or even at myself, I ...