From Frustration to Forward Motion

I’ve been struggling with my Brucie lately.
Specifically… his heelwork.

Sometimes he is on-like-donkey-kong, and sometimes—well…it’s just not my lucky day.

And when it isn’t my lucky day?
I’m left out there, working my tail off trying to get that gorgeous, lifty gait and focused heel—because let’s be honest…heeling a dog like that is the best feeling.

The other day, I could tell the minute I got him out of his crate:
Yep. Not my day.

I had everything ready—high-value treats, a high-value toy tucked under my arm.
No dice.
Durnit.

I spent some time weighing my options.
Maybe it’s time to retire Bruce from obedience and just let him focus on therapy dog work—which he absolutely loves.

But after a couple of days of thinking it through, I realized…
That’s not what’s best for either of us.

As I was processing all of this, my mind drifted back about 10 years.

I had been asked to sing a worship song, and they just…plopped it into a key they thought would be fine for me.

It wasn’t.

Epic fail.

I was so mortified that I went out and found one of the best vocal coaches.

I had been singing for years at that point—but when she started working with me, she immediately began breaking down my technique. She found the weak spots that were holding me back.

And do you know what that meant?

It meant going back to the basics.
Singing scales.
Sounding…not great.

Actually, it meant sounding pretty bad for a while.

You know that moment when you’re singing along to the radio and suddenly switch to your “little voice” because the note gets too high?

Yeah…the break.

Yikes.

It took time. Longer than I wanted. But slowly—very slowly—things started to change.

One day, I realized I could sing through my range, and my voice sounded the same no matter where I was.

Different situation. Same lesson.

I knew how to sing—but I had to go back to the basics to get better.

And that’s exactly what Bruce and I needed.

I tell my training students all the time:
Don’t rush heeling.

Take a couple of steps.
If your dog is with you—mark and reward.

Keep it simple. Keep it clear.

So that’s what we did.

And guess what?

The lifty gait? Better.
The focused heel? Better.

Not perfect. But better.

We still need to heel in a big circle to the right sometimes to really build that drive—and you know what?

That’s okay.

Because just like my vocal break didn’t improve overnight…
Neither will this.

But we’re making progress.

And that’s enough to keep going.

Progress is built through consistent effort over time. The rewards are meaningful—but only if you learn to appreciate every step of the journey, the victories and the struggles alike.

Thoughts on a Thursday,
Sandy