Gentle Methods Dog Training

Ana Melara, CPDT-KA will be talking with us about Gentle Methods Dog Training.  Training With Grace relies on reward-based techniques to teach and build good behavior. Dogs learn manners while still having fun. We are positive, not permissive.  We can train dogs with techniques that are founded on praise-based, dog-friendly methods.  We can show our dogs that we are in charge and that they are safe all without ever using any harsh corrections or punishments.

Ana can be reached by sending her a note or calling 303-942-0718.

We all desire health; we all desire simplicity, and change in our health is only as “simple” as we decide it is going to be. Change is like a detour. One can change the route to work due to construction at any time and then change back to the old, familiar route. Shift, on the other hand, is the commitment to go a new route continually, thus making it a habit, a way of being. Therefore, here are some suggestions for simple things that we may undertake to dramatically shift and improve our health.

1. Breathe deeply. It relaxes your nervous system, calms the heart, oxygenates the blood and brain, allows the entire rib cage and associated structures movement, and eliminates 70 percent of toxins in the body.

2. Drink water. We all have heard it…our body consists primarily of water. When dehydrated, even slightly, the body goes into a fight or flight response, much as it does when we breathe shallowly. By drinking pure water your kidneys are flushed, thus directly impacting the health of your heart.

3. Eat well. Read ingredients to ensure you have eliminated hydrogenated oils from your diet. They inhibit the plasticity of the cellular membrane affecting how well signals are sent from cell to cell, thus hindering communication and health. Do not allow your blood sugar to drop by waiting too long to eat or eating poorly as it diminishes thought processes. Favor healthy sugars that are derived from fruits and vegetables.

4. Laugh. Research has shown that laughter really is the best medicine.

5. Simplify. Simplify individual aspects of your life such as your debts, your relationships, your obligations, your material goods, and thus their upkeep.

6. Service. By caring for someone or something other than yourself, you extend yourself in ways that create feelings of goodness, health and wholeness. Adopt an animal or simply walk or pet one daily. Help a neighbor. Let a car into your lane. Tell someone they look great. Feed a friend. Volunteer at an organization or event that serves the greater good. All simple acts of kindness serve not only someone else, but you and your health.

7. Live in Love. Open your heart. Let someone in. Share your heart with someone. Find forgiveness for yourself and those you have held in less than love. Practice compassion and kindness for yourself and others. When making a decision, ask yourself if it is from your heart or your head. There are many books written that include the health benefits of love – not simply being in love but living in love. A great deal of research on heart patients has been done in La Jolla, Calif., that confirms how dramatically the heart is impacted when kept emotionally closed, tight, hard or rigid.