LESSON FROM A CHILD

So teach him to close the door", my daughter Emma responded after listening to my complain, again, about the dog coming in from the back door, bringing with him a blast of January cold air.

Teach a dog to close a door behind him? You got to be kidding. That has got to be a really, really hard thing to do.

But then she took it a step further. "Come on Kolby", she said, grabbing some treats and positioning him in front of the open door. "Touch."

And "touch" he did, which moved the door to a closed position. She rewarded him with a treat, smiled, looked at me, and said "see!"

And I saw and became convinced. Over the last few days I have been consistent with Kolby. Each time he comes in I bring him back to the open door and ask him to close. There have been failures, but lately more and more successes. And I knew we turned the corner this morning when he asked to be let out just so I would open the door, so that he could close it and be treated.

There remains work to be done. I have to remove the hand signal and work so that he will close the door from a distance.

But, I now realize, with consistency of focus the task will be completed, and, with the way things are progressing, completed quickly.

A WISH IS JUST A WISH UNTIL YOU DECIDE TO TAKE ACTION.

ONCE YOU DECIDE TO ACCOMPLISH A GOAL, AND DECIDE THAT IT "IS" EASY, THAN IT BECOMES EASY TO DO WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE. JUST START DOING IT.

WORKING TOWARDS THE ACCOMPLISHMENT OF A GOAL CAN BE LOADS OF FUN, AND FULL OF LOTS AND LOTS OF TREATS.