I have a confession to make. I am terrible at goal setting. That makes goals super hard to achieve, strangely enough. I think the only goal I could focus on growing up was graduating from college. I achieved that, so at least I know I can achieve my goals. But since then, I have brushed aside setting my own goals and sometimes feel like a victim of circumstance.

Life tends to happen to me, rather than me taking control of my life and leading it towards a particular destination. This is ridiculous and not something I am exactly proud of… However, I am proud of the life I have now. My marriage, my family, my animals, my home, and even my current job are true blessings. I have a sneaking suspicion that even thought I couldn’t clearly articulate my goals, I was working towards some of them.

Lately I find myself at a crossroad, staring down two or three (or an infinite number) of destinies, wondering which direction I should go. A job I’ve been at for 14 years is ending.

I need to consider a career change, a change of lifestyle, maybe even a change of venue. I think if I had a clear set of goals for my life, it would be easier to know which way to go. (A bottomless bank account would also help.)

Since I’ve found my passion for dogs and positive reinforcement dog training, my goals have been a bit easier to put my finger on. Maybe passion is the first step in forming goals. Those goals are still not fully formed, though, and as this crossroads looms in my face, I’ve been thinking more and more about how important it is to be crystal clear about your goals. What they are, what the steps are to achieve them, and maybe even what the backup plan is if plan A doesn’t quite get you there.

I struggle with this same goal setting issue with training my own dogs. When I’m working with a dog in the shelter, it’s easier. My goals are to encourage behaviors and emotions that make them as adoptable as possible. If a dog is a leash biter, replacing that with attention on leash is the goal. If a dog is anxious and crazy, my goal is to teach them to be able to settle down. But with my own dogs? Not so easy… They are already in a loving home. They are not perfect, but things are good.

Sure, there are lots of things I’d like them to know how to do that they don’t right now. But with four dogs that are generally good and can co-exist, deciding on a goal is hard for me. That needs to change, though, and here are my thoughts on how I am going to get there, starting with setting clear goals. Follow along with me, and I’ll update you all with new posts as I travel this journey, not only in my life but in my dog training as well.

You have probably heard this a million times – I know I have – but goals need to be measurable and achievable. I think the key to this is you have to have an actual picture in your head of what you goal will look like, not just feel like, when you achieve it. Let’s talk about this for our own lives and for our dogs.

fuzzy beautiful pictures are not goals

What are my goals?

In my own life, I have this vague goal of wanting to make a living working with animals and being happy. Well, gee, that’s not very specific. What’s the picture in my head when I think of this goal? Is it me alone with a dog? Is it me in a shelter working with staff, volunteers, and dogs? Is it me on a computer writing about my experiences with my own dogs? Is it me working with dogs and their handlers/owners? Is it me teaching group classes?

That specific picture is important, because I can’t figure out how to get to that goal until I know the answer. I’m still pondering it, but I’m leaning towards a shelter environment, pouring out my thoughts on a computer, and maybe there’s something to me working with dogs and their owners. Right now, the only goal that has come in clear and strong is this blog. I love writing it. I love that you all read it. I’d love if it made me some money, but for right now the goal is just to make it readable, useful, and maybe even a little interesting.

As I spend time thinking about it, I know those other goals of mine that I need to set will come into clear focus. Now that I am pushing myself for that, not just to go where things take me, it’s necessary and inevitable.

What are my goals for my dogs?

When it comes to my dogs, I have this fuzzy, warm picture of all four dogs running and playing in an endless field, walking calmly with me through any environment, and snuggling up all quiet and calm in the house. That’s not really the clearest picture for setting training goals – it’s a sweet dream, though.

I feel like there’s accountability in writing it down, so here are some goals that I actually can envision and want to work on with my dogs. In future posts (coming soon!), I’ll talk about setting the steps to get there.

• Faedra (our 6 month old cattle dog puppy): learn to settle on a mat in different environments and different distractions, practice skills we are learning in agility 4x a week
• Max (our 5 year old hound mix): learn to be in the car calmly when it is not running (he is currently TERRIFIED of being in the car – long story for a different post)
• Phoenix (our 5 year old little pit bull): settle on mat calmly in proximity of dogs that are several yards away (I can’t tell distance to save my life, but I have a picture of what this looks like in my head)
• Maizy  (our almost 14 year old girl): give her lots of love and make sure she is as comfortable as possible

In one of my next posts, I’ll talk about how I can take the picture of the goal that is in my head and turn it into steps to get to the goal. Luckily, I know how to do this in dog training, because I’ve received training to do so. Now I just need to apply it to my own dogs – and my life in general.

Your Turn: What are your goals? Do they look like fuzzy dreams or can you get a clear picture of them in your mind? If not, what are you doing to focus that picture?