Relationships: Relationship Building & Management

Business Relationships: Don't Burn Bridges

Guest Blog from Tracey Jones, President of Tremendous Life Books.

In business relationships, don’t burn bridges.  

Let’s think about that analogy. A bridge is a pathway that leads us over an obstacle, right?  Sometimes, once we’ve gotten our use from the path—a relationship—especially if we weren’t particularly fond of it, we burn it. We think we’ll never need it again, use it again, want it again…and we destroy it. And not just with a hammer or saw, we do irrepreable damage. We turn it to ashes. 

But is this wise? What if we forgot our wallet on the other side? What if someone we love needs the bridge later?   

My dog, Mr. Blue, taught me about this principle.  He grew up supping at the knee of many great speakers and trainers, like Ken Blanchard and Zig Ziglar. They were his grandpaw’s pals. 

Blue says,“If you leave a playground because you have found another opportunity or the lead dogs have asked you to go, keep it professional. Don’t bark anything that you haven’t previously brought to the other’s attention. That’s just puppyish and not reflective of the big dog that you are. Definitely keep it above the collar. You never know when you might get called back to play or have a potential chum contact a previous one, to see if you’re worthy of his consideration.  Barking trash about anyone is a poor way to make an exit.”  

Relationships are everything in business. Don’t burn the path that you or someone you care about may desperately need again someday. Building your network is not done overnight, but destroying it can be. Read more from Blue here. 

 

What Is Leadership? Mr. Blue the Dog Tells Us All About It

Guest blogger, Tracey Jones, President of Tremendous Life Books, talks about leadership and her dog Mr. Blue's new book on the subject.

My father passed away in 2008. Thus ended on earth one of the most important relationships of my life. Dad was my confidant, my cheerleader, and my example.  He was also the world-renound speaker named Charlie "Tremendous" Jones. He loved books.  He collected them, wrote them, and gave them away.

As I was growing up, my father emphasized that we all have an obligation to lead at something. He said leaders are born, not made, and that reading transformative material is one of the quickest ways to be made into a leader.   He also taught me that while leadership can be tremendously rewarding, it can be unbelievably lonely.  

Well, later in life, I became a leader. And, like Dad said, was lonely many times. But as the saying goes, if you need a friend, get a dog.  I can think of nothing more true.  Those of you who have come home with your proverbial tail bewteen your legs and have seen the sheer joy of your dog when you enter the room know the impact that these creatures can have on restoring our spirits after a tough day at the office.  My relationship with Mr. Blue was a life-line.

Over the years, Mr. Blue has learned a lot about leadership and now I'm proud to announce the release of his new book, True Blue Leadership: Top 10 Tricks from the Chief Motivational Hound.

 

Can Dog Training Cause Dog Aggression?

Dog owners beware! There is evidence to show that some dog training methods can actually make your dog aggressive.

A study (Survey of the use and outcome of confrontational and non-confrontational training methods in client-owned dogs) showing undesired behaviors was conducted by the Department of Clinical Studies, School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects and risks of historically used methods to deal with behavior issues.

Read Eleanor's entire article Can Dog Training Cause Dog Aggression?

Eleanor Scheidemann, our official Pets Expert

Why do we like dogs?

Eleanor Scheidemann, Our official Pets Expert says:

I was asked to give a presentation to a graduate physiology class on the effect of dogs in the home at different human developmental stages. While researching for this subject I found many delightful facts from recent behavioral studies. I couldn’t wait to share the information and see if you come to the same conclusion as I did.

Do people like dogs? This question is easy to answer by looking at statistics that show dog owners behaviors.

Read Eleanor's entire article Why do we like dogs?

Take My Dog, Please! - Dog Rescue

Eleanor Scheidemann, Our official Pets Expert says:

The most common phrase you hear while working in the dog rescue trade is "Take my dog, please."

I just recently organized a new dog rescue and rehabilitation organization; most of my experience in this arena comes from years of working with other rescuers. The work is both rewarding and heartbreaking. But after all this time I am still amazed at the misconception the public has about how the system works.

Read Eleanor's entire article Take My Dog, Please! - Dog Rescue

The Shelter Project: Yes, We Can Save Them All!

Eleanor Scheidemann, Our official Pets Expert says:

I am still new enough to the rescue world to be thin-skinned.

My strong personal feelings have not yet been separated from my professional sensibility (political correctness). I was raised in a household where no one kept their promises. I have always attributed my strong sense of duty to the pain I felt when time and again I experienced this type of betrayal.

Read Eleanor's entire article The Shelter Project: Yes, We Can Save Them All!

Dog Training Part 2 - Pack Rules

Eleanor Scheidemann, Our official Pets Expert says:

This article is part two of a two-part series on Dog Pack Leadership skills. If you want to be the pack leader, then you need to remember the following four facts:

1. Dog training is not magic. 

Read Eleanor's entire article Dog Training Part 2 - Pack Rules

Stop the Pet Food Marketing Madness

Eleanor Scheidemann, Our official Pets Expert says:

I was shopping in a major retail pet supply store and started noticing new dog foods and new dog food packaging.

At first I laughed thinking how predictable it was for the manufacturers to jump right in and take advantage of last year's pet food contamination by releasing old products with new labels as a solution to the problem.

Read Eleanor's entire article Stop the Pet Food Marketing Madness

Dog Training Part 1 - Pack Leader

Eleanor Scheidemann, Our official Pets Expert says:

Training behaviors like sit, down or stay will help you to control your dog's actions but they will not put you in charge. Until you establish yourself as the pack leader then you will have to keep your dog on leash and under constant supervision. This means you will need to continually and consistently maintain the environment and your dog's response to, or interaction with, everything in the environment.

Read Eleanor's entire article Dog Training Part 1 - Pack Leader

Diary of a Dog Trainer - A Dog Named Ally

Eleanor Scheidemann, Our official Pets Expert says:

Ally was a beautiful adolescent yellow Labrador Retriever, one of the prettiest I had ever seen. She had been in several foster homes and was aggressive around food and toys. Her play with other dogs was rough and sometimes resulted in aggression.

Read Eleanor's entire article Diary of a Dog Trainer - A Dog Named Ally