I heard a quote that said “ to be a tourist is to see, to be a traveler is to experience.” I feel like this applies in EVERY corner of our lives, not just to traveling. This picture is from my trip to Death Valley this past weekend . It was truly a magical place sprinkled with pastel colored mountains from mineral deposits. I felt like I was walking through mountains of painted Easter eggs! This picture doesn’t do it justice whatsoever . The further you walked through this canyon the more colors were revealed and the more you felt like a true visitor on this earth given a chance to see something only Mother Nature can pull out of her magic hat. You can go through life and see a lot of things but if you let yourself experience what you see and how you see, your life will be much richer and you will remember moments more vividly and attach feelings and meaning to them. Be present . How does this apply to dog training? If you are rushing through training your dog only to see the final results of your efforts you’re missing the point. Joy isn’t found in finishing an activity it’s found in doing it. Take your time with your dog. Enjoy experiencing your dog’s responses to the things you do and how he is learning. The nuances of training can feel mundane and repetitive but they aren’t like that for your dog. Your dog is engaged with you and is working hard to connect with you and learn what you’re teaching. Don’t rush just to see the final result. Take your time to experience all of it and your relationship will be richer because of it. This picture probably has no meaning to you and it probably doesn’t evoke any feelings for you… but it does for me :)