The question is are you training it for good or are you training it for bad. Training starts before training starts. How you live with your dog dictates how your dog lives with you. They learn from everything we do, good and bad. They miss nothing. They know us better than we know ourselves. They learn from everything we don't do. Obedience commands don't create a well behaved dog. Raising a dog and teaching along the way does. No parent says they are going outside to train their kids. We just raise them and teach them 24 hours a day and try to provide guidance so eventually our children can make the right decisions on their own. Dogs are no different. Live right with them. They are not children. They are animals and must be respected as such. And they are a precious gift that are not here long enough so enjoy every minute and never take them for granted.

    Sometimes you are the pillow." The bulldog who’s headfirst in her bowl—“Every meal is THE BEST MEAL EVER.” Cynthia L. Copeland has a gift for discovering those sorts of simple, timeless lessons. She did it when her children were younger with Really Important Stuff My Kids Have Taught Me. Now she distills all-new wisdom from her lifelong love of dogs. Really Important Stuff My Dog Has Taught Me is tender, funny, warm, and utterly inspiring. Pairing an irresistible photograph with just the right sentiment, every page delivers a life lesson that appeals as much to our hearts as our minds. It reminds us again and again of what’s important, like love: “Be there when others need you.” Compassion: “Even the smallest act of kindness matters.” Perseverance: “Keep going until you find your way home.” A healthy sense of self: “Make it squeak until someone pays attention.” Living in the present moment: “Scratch where it itches, when it itches.” And that happiness is a choice: “Leap higher than you have to.”