Now let's get back to dog training. Dog training is a journey and it's not the same path for every single person. All dogs are unique, learn at varying speeds, with different challenges that need to be overcome. Let’s take a look at the greener grass analogy in terms of dogs. Some people, like Joe, might buy an already trained dog or send it to a board and train to have it trained for them. There's nothing wrong with this option but you can't compare a dog that has already been trained to your dog that you're just starting to work with. Some people spend all of their spare time training because this is what they consider fun and they have the time to put into it just like Nancy and her flowers. Are you comparing yourself to Old MacDonald's dog when he is a police K-9 Handler? Or maybe you’re like Kathy, you have a full time job, a family, a home with a yard and a dog. You can’t compare yourself to that person spending ALL their time training, you just don’t have that time to give and that’s OK! Your dog will learn, at its pace with you, if you give it the chance and just a little time.
Instead of being envious of the final picture congratulate them on their success. Use their beautiful lawn as your goal if that's where you wish to get to. Don't be afraid to ask people how they got there, sometimes it's quite the tale to hear the work that goes into the image we are seeing on social media. How many people post the lows or troubles they face? I've been told before, social media isn't about posting your problems and why would anyone want to see a post about the frustrations I'm having. But why not, why does it have to be a highlight reel of only the good times. Real life isn't a highlight reel, there's ups and downs, successes and failures, wins and losses and a ton of work in between.
I have also heard it said that “the grass is greener on the other side because it’s fertilized with manure”. Simply meaning sometimes that Instagram or Facebook account that you are idolizing isn’t real at all but strategically posted images to create a perception that they are doing better than others. Maybe Jim’s lawn is AstroTurf, or maybe those pictures you adore of a dog took 40 tries to get!
As a society, let's build each other up. Be proud of people's successes and understand that a lot of work went into each person’s successes and that we are all on different parts of our journey. Let’s say, “wow that lawn is so nice - I bet they worked really hard to make it so picturesque” and if we decide that’s what we want, then we get off our butts to work on our making our lawn look just a nice. Take pride in each step of the journey because your path isn’t anyone else's. “Keeping up with the Joneses” and their perfect lawn is to much work anyway!