Resolutions, Intentions, & Cuddles

Looking back over the last year, it’s amazing to see how far we’ve come! Bro Let’s Go got up and off the ground offering affordable dog training and pet portrait photography, Brodie has come so far in his training, and we have done so much together as a family! Sometimes it’s nice to look back and see where you were and the progress you made. One year ago, Bro Let’s Go was just a blog where I took photos of Brodie when we went out exploring. One year ago, Brodie was extremely reactive and was have some aggressive moments in certain situations. One year ago, we were working so much that we were struggling to find family time.

Reflecting last year about what we had hoped for 2022 led us to the resolutions we made last year (or should I say “Ruff-olutions“). Now the word resolutions to me can be a bit tainted. Most resolutions are lost within the month of January. Which is why I like to pair resolutions with intentions. The intentions to make positive changes for positive reasons.

I’m proud to say, we stuck to the majority of ours and adjusted them to fit our lives as the year went on. Brodie’s resolution to play more frisbee was clearly met! We even learned to drop it and immediately go chase another one! Frisbee was a big contributing factor to helping Brodie’s training this year. His goal of getting outside more was also met…but not in the way he (or we) thought it would have a year ago. We almost never go to dog parks anymore unless it’s an off time and the park is basically empty. Due to Brodie’s reactivity and some new experiences, we have chosen to avoid them during popular times. Instead, we spent more time at the lake, on walks, and in the yard having fun as a family!

I think his goals for this year would be to spend just as much, if not more, time on walks and at the lake swimming. I also think he would love to spend more time chasing the animals along the fence line, especially the fox friend he made. They run the fence line together all the time and it’s so cute to watch. The last resolution I think Brodie would have is to take more time on Bully Sticks to that they disappear more slowly and last longer…but they are just too good to do that, so who knows if that’s even realistic.

Now my resolutions from last year were tough ones. Our goal was to handle meeting strangers, especially those in hats and to deal with some of Brodie’s reactivity towards things when on leash. We’ve discussed these in a few posts throughout 2022, but to recap, Brodie is doing GREAT when it comes to meeting new people! We taught him the word “friends” for meeting new people and he gets so excited now! Hats are only an issue about 5% of the time time, which is a BIG improvement! His leash skills have also had a big improvement! While the reactivity still happens, the recovery time is significantly shorter and to us, that’s a BIG win!

For this year, we want to still continue to work out some of the reactivity, but we also want to focus on not letting it rule our lives. I want to be more intentional when out with Brodie, setting him up for success in situations and having clearer management strategies in place for if/when the reactions do occur. I also want to personally not react when Brodie reacts, recognizing that he has big emotions and that that is okay! My only other resolution is to recognize throughout the year the accomplishments of both Brodie’s and mine and truly believe how far we’ve come because even though I know it, it’s hard to truly acknowledge it.

As for Bro Let’s Go and my own goals, I hope that we continue to grow, while also spending more intentional time as a family. I hope to complete or come close to completing my professional training certification in 2023, dedicating all that knowledge to Brodie and my clients. My last “resolution” is to blog more. They’re a great way to process things over time and look back at how far you’ve come!