Peeing on a client… & other ways my dog helps my business

At our launch session of Barxercise… our very first event… we were busting a gut to impress our shiny new clients.

One of these clients was Jamie, who had come along to workout with her spritely Jack Russell Terrier x Chihuahua, Rossy. Jamie was looking stylish – head to toe Lorna Jane fitness gear, complete with an LJ bag, which she dropped beside our kit.

Now I’m sure you already know where this is heading, but yup, our little guy Tux officially ended the session by cocking a leg on Jamie’s bag…

Immediately horrified, I scrabbled to wipe it off, feverishly cursing myself for not thinking to pack wet wipes, or even a tissue, into our kit. Oh boy, I think I ended up wiping it off with the sweaty singlet off my back. But you know what?

Jamie was totally cool with it.

She wasn’t just acting cool either, I can prove it. Jamie and Rossy have gone on to become amazing lifelong friends of ours, and we have laughed about this story many times.

Jamie and her cutie Jack Russell X Rossie

I decided that his little indiscretion was Tux’s way of reminding us about one of the main reasons that we had developed a dog business in the first place, and that is:

• Dog people are cool

Tux was telling us that Jamie was now ‘ours’. We had created a community (a ‘pack’), and everyone was included and valued.

But the lessons don’t end there.

Since this time, Tux has taught us many other things that have made a difference in the way that we run our business:

• Be a good leader

Tux is at his most confident and happy if he knows I am in charge and totally have his back. And so it is with our wonderful team at Barx Active, with Dan and I at the helm.

• Shake it off and move on

If something upsets Tux, he just shakes himself and moves on. This has taught me not to dwell on the tricky stuff.

• Be clear

Tux is a good boy and loves to please. If he doesn’t respond to a command correctly, I know it’s because I wasn’t clear enough with my instruction. In business, it’s the same. If we make sure everyone is clear on our expectations, then we build ourselves up for success.

• Be consistent

The best way for Tux to learn right and wrong is for us to give him consistent boundaries, responses and rewards. Naturally we owe the same respect to our community and team.

Last, but certainly not least, Tux reminds us to:

• To Play

A daily wagging tail on Tux’s back end serves as a reminder to us that life should be fun. We will never function at our optimum if our business is all work and no play.

The dawn of every new day is simply another opportunity to learn something new, and dogs can be our greatest teachers.

What has your dog taught you lately?

 

 

 

 

 

 

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