The tradition of New Year’s Resolutions goes back thousands of years.  Many say New Year’s Resolutions started with the ancient Babylonians.  While many people make Resolutions,  according to Inc.com, only 9% of people keep and achieve their resolutions.

Am I part of that elusive 9%?  Nope…  like most of you, I tend to set big goals with the best of intentions and give up on them way too quickly. 

I’m going to try a different approach this year.  I will make my New Year’s resolutions about something I am passionate about – my dogs.

Resolution #1: More Massages

This is something I have intended to do for quite some time.  When Sienna was recovering from surgery, she got massages several times a day, but lately the dogs been lucky if it’s once a month.  Given Willow and Sienna’s medical issues, regular massages would really benefit them.  To that end, I will aim to do dog massages at least once a week in 2023.

Resolution #2: More Training

As I write this, on December 31st, 2022, we have had Sienna for just over 2 years and Willow for 3 and a half years.  Both have attended several group training classes and both have done 1 on 1 training classes.  I haven’t put as much effort in as I should, and that is all on me.  This year I completed and passed the Absolute Dogs Pro Dog Training course, an intensive 10-week training program.  While I have been learning a lot, and have certainly been better at recognizing that every interaction is training, I have not been good about keeping up with the more formal training.  To that end, my training goal is to do at least 1 quick training session with each dog 5 days a week.  Ideally, I will be doing 2 to 3 3-minute training games every day.

Resolution #3: Keep Learning

As previously mentioned, I completed the Absolute Dogs Pro Dog Training course in 2022.  I’m already enrolled in their 10-week Geek program (but I haven’t started it yet).  My 3rd goal is to finish the Geek program so that I can have a better understanding of my girls’ behaviours and drivers.  I would also like to learn more about\ dog nutrition and will look for opportunities to learn more in those areas.

There we have it!  3 dog-specific, achievable New Year’s Resolutions!  I will provide monthly progress updates on my blog in order to keep myself accountable and update my progress.

Have you made a New Year’s Resolution for your dog?  Please share in the comments below!