The Best Plan Is Rarely the First Plan

Quiet Rise
3 days ago
5 min read

What Raising a Puppy Taught Me About Navigating Change

When my husband and I decided to expand our family by welcoming a dog we knew life was about to change.

What we didn't realize was just how much.

Up until that point, we were free to go anywhere at any time without thinking twice. There wasn't another little life depending on us to get home, go outside, be fed, exercised, or simply showered with love.

Then we intentionally welcomed our sweet Bernedoodle, Sprinkles, into our family.

Before we brought Sprinkles home, I imagined having a puppy was basically like having a baby. While I've never had a baby, I'm fairly confident they stay where you leave them. It didn't take long to realize it felt much more like inheriting a toddler who never got tired, explored absolutely everything, and thought using his mouth was an appropriate response to every situation.

There were the middle-of-the-night potty breaks, of course. Then there were the tiny nibbles that started off adorable before transforming into full-blown land shark attacks. Shoes were routinely separated from their partners, their laces shredded and damp with slobber. Walks became an adventure since every leaf, squirrel, and blowing piece of grass deserved a full investigation.

Don’t even get me started on how Sprinkles used his mouth for absolutely everything.

Happy?

Mouthy biting.

Frustrated?

Mouthy biting.

Overstimulated?

Mouthy biting.

The mysterious 7 PM witching hour?

Tantrums, with mouthy biting.

Needless to say, this was a huge adjustment for us.

We thought we were prepared, and honestly, we were.

We had done the research, bought the recommended supplies, and talked through the responsibilities.

What we couldn’t prepare for ahead of time was all the things we were going to learn through the experience of having a dog.

Plans Meet Reality

Sprinkles is incredibly smart and picks up on things quickly.

We started training early, around twelve weeks old, with an individual trainer. During lessons he was fantastic with her. He picked up commands quickly and seemed eager to learn, like an ivy league student of the dog world.

At home, though, things weren't translating the way we'd hoped. Tom and I couldn’t quite keep his attention the way the trainer could.

Part of the challenge was that Sprinkles wasn't especially food motivated. While treats work really well for many dogs, they just weren't enough to consistently hold his attention.

Walking quickly became one of our biggest struggles as he began to grow bigger and stronger. He pulled because he was thrilled to be alive.

Every smell.

Every squirrel.

Every neighbor.

Everything was exciting and new.

The Fall That Changed It All

In March of 2023 my mom watched Sprinkles for two weeks while my husband and I were on vacation.

When we got home, we quickly discovered she'd become quite popular around her condo complex. Mind you, she’d been living there for more than a decade at this point. Apparently, several neighbors had watched Sprinkles enthusiastically pulling on one of his walks where he pulled Gigi, right to the ground in the last patch of melting snow.

Thankfully, neither of them was hurt, but it became painfully obvious that his pulling was a real problem and what we were doing wasn't working well enough to correct it.

At this point we had already tried different:

Collars that make sound
Collars that vibrate
Harnesses
Higher-value treats
Shorter walks
Different routes

We kept trying harder but eventually, we realized that maybe trying harder wasn't the answer.

Maybe we needed a different approach.

Finding the Right Approach

Since our original training sessions had ended, we started looking for another trainer. The distance to our original trainer made it difficult to continue, so we found someone who could come to our home.

This trainer focused much less on treats and much more on clear communication and verbal corrections that better mimicked how dogs naturally communicate with one another.

Having her come to our home for training sessions was also valuable because she could see Sprinkles in his element. She saw how he reacted to people at the door, how he handled going outside, and how he was on a walk.

After implementing the tools and techniques she taught us, the difference was incredible.

The goal was never to find the “best” training method. The goal was to find the one that worked best for Sprinkles.

Was he suddenly perfect?

Of course not.

He's still a dog, with his own personality, wants, and needs.

He still gets excited.

He still occasionally decides that something far more interesting exists across the street.

But the transformation was night and day.

People who had watched my mom get unintentionally dragged across the neighborhood started commenting on how much calmer he had become. They'd say,

"He's so well behaved."

and

"What a sweet dog."

And they're right, he truly is.

Looking back, I'm grateful we didn't stubbornly stick with our original training plan focusing on food motivation simply because it was the first one we chose and the most common solution that works.

Had we done that, we probably would've continued feeling frustrated and prevented Sprinkles from becoming the confident, well-behaved dog we knew he could be.

Instead, we used our learned experiences, reflected on that new information by asking ourselves what wasn't working, and we made an adjustment.

Everything started changing after that.

The Lesson Was Never Really About the Dog

Whether you're changing careers, improving your health, navigating relationships, becoming a parent, grieving a loss, or simply stepping into a new season of life...

You can and should prepare as best you can.

But until you're actually living through a transition, you simply don't have all the information.

No amount of planning can fully prepare you for the reality of the experience.

Even when you've planned for a positive change—even when it's something you've wanted for a long time—you won't have all the answers, you won’t even know half the questions to ask.

It is so important to be flexible, learn from the experience, and be willing to adjust as new information presents itself.

Ultimately, the goal isn't to create the perfect plan. It’s to:

Reflect.

Adjust.

Repeat.

Progress rarely comes from pushing harder.

More often, it comes from being willing to adjust your approach when things aren’t working the way you anticipate.

Sometimes your biggest breakthrough isn't waiting for you to work more, it’s just waiting for you to see things differently.

Your Next Intentional Step

If you're in the middle of a life transition, ask yourself:

Where do I need to adapt instead of push harder?

That one question might be the adjustment that changes everything.

Ready to take your next intentional step?

The Pivot Compass was created to help you navigate transitions like these.

It helps you reflect on where you are, clarify what you've learned, and identify your next intentional step—because navigating change isn't about having all the answers. It's about continuing to move forward with clarity.

Explore the Pivot Compass.