Jodi, I think you’ve got it. Me, I’m just beginning to get it.

Once when Sampson was a pup we were hiking a trail when we came upon a walking bridge that was slatted. Sampson did NOT want to attempt it, he balked and was shaking. I put myself in his paws and we turned around. We did our best to expose him to many things, but I wasn’t going to push on something that we probably would never encounter again.

Thank you for that optimistic last sentiment, Beth. After seven years, Honey has me marked down as a slow learner.

The Husband thanks you. Your interest in what your little ones are thinking says you want to understand them. And that’s good as long as you also remember that what you imagine might be pretty different from what they’re actually thinking. In any case, putting your head near the floor to see how different everything looks to them couldn’t help but be useful in better guessing at what they think about.

In my case, I had guessed at the steepness of the ramp; and it made me slow down and be more gentle in encouraging our dog. But my wife’s note toward the end of the post made me realize that the ramp’s steepness may exacerbate issues Honey may have with its aluminum diamond-tread bottom plate.

The Husband responds: To Pam, empathetic points of view come as no big deal; it’s part of her terrain. To her husband, though. . .

Honey went through something similar a few years ago to prep for life on a rolling boat. Pam was great with her. We shot a video of some of their work called “Adventure Dog in Training.” The post containing it is probably somewhere in Something Wagging’s back issues. Three minutes of highjinx and joy, but I have no idea how to get to it. (If your mom were to ask Pam nicely, though, she’d probably pull it out again and hook her up.)

Now, that’s commitment.