154: Two-Month Report from the Puppy (and People!) Training Trenches

In this week’s solo episode, we have the two-month report from the puppy training trenches! Michael and I brought Ryder home December 8, our little angel-in-a-fur-coat — aka the pup-pup. Take one look at his 8-week old cuteness in the photo gallery below and you'll understand why!

For inquiring minds, he's a German Shepherd—albeit a tiny one in the early photos, he has doubled in size in just two months. As our neighbors tell us daily (we make so many friends now!), "Look at those paws! He's gonna be BIIIIIG!"

Given this big life change, I didn't start 2020 on a particularly graceful note . . . I awoke at 4am on January 1 to throw on all my winter gear (including The Comfy), take him downstairs . . . and clean-up doggie diarrhea (sorry, I know that's graphic). Long story short: these last two months have been incredibly joyful AND I felt I was losing my mind at many moments!

In this episode of the Pivot Podcast I’m sharing the journey has been like so far, and all the best books and resources I've been relying on. These two articles also provided a lot of consolation on the chaos! Having Kids by Paul Graham, and Puppies are Harder Than Babies (h/t Adam). 

Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at PivotMethod.com/154 »

Resources Mentioned:

• Roxanne on the web: Roxanne Deblauwe

• GlassyBaby

• Recallers with Susan Garrett

• Zak George’s Dog Training Revolution 

• Other books mentioned:

  • Loving What Is by Bryon Katie and Stephen Mitchell

  • Training the Best Dog Ever by Larry Kay and Dawn Sylvia

  • Love is All You Need by Jennifer Arnold

  • The Art of Raising a Puppy by The Monks of New Skete

  • Before & After Getting Your Puppy by Dunbar

  • How To Be A Good Creature by Montgomery

  • Animals in Translation by Temple Grandin

  • Chaser by John Pilley

  • With Dogs At The Edge Of Life by Dayan

  • Don’t Shoot The Dog by Karen Pryor

  • In a Dog’s Heart by Jennifer Arnold

  • Shaping Success by Susan Garrett

  • Mama’s Last Hug by Frans De Waal

  • Through A Dog’s Eyes by Jennifer Arnold

  • How to Be Your Dog’s Best Friend by The Monks of New Skete

  • Divine Canine by The Monks of New Skete

  • German Shepherds For Dummies

• Related Pivot Podcasts:

  • 11: How to Optimize for Revenue and Joy

  • 127: Live from the Vulnerability Hangover! Launching @LifeOfALebaneseArtist with Michael Karsouny

  • 138: How Can You Earn Twice as Much in Half the Time with Joy and Ease? Momentum Doors Open!

• Other Podcasts:

  • The Dog Show with Julie Forbes

  • Dog Talk by Happy Dog Training

  • Dog Talk with Dr. Jen

  • The Dog’s Way Podcast

  • Tim Ferris Show - Master Dog (And Human) Trainer

• Articles:

  • Having Kids by Paul Graham

  • Manager Time vs Maker Time

  • Puppies are Harder to Raise than Babies - Fatherly by Patrick Coleman

Check out other episodes of the Pivot Podcast here. Be sure to subscribe wherever you listen, and if you enjoy the show I would be very grateful for a rating and/or review! Sign-up for my weekly(ish) #PivotList newsletter to receive curated round-ups of what I’m reading, watching, listening to, and new tools I’m geeking out on.