About a year ago, I came across this video of Tracy Franken from Beyond Obedience. It resonated with me so much that I often use it when talking with my clients. She was talking about monitoring the balance of the relationship you have with your dog. How, if you just pay attention each day to whether you are doing something for your dog because they wanted you to or because you wanted to, it can completely transform the dog/owner relationship. For example, when your dog gets to go in the car, is it because you planned to take them or because they gave you the sad eyes at the door? So, think about each time you do something for your dog, someone gets a point. This doesn’t mean that your dog can’t have any points, but at the end of the day you should have more!