Stoicism for dogs?

Fitness #

I walked about 3 miles today, with the dogs. Our trainer does not like my Y leash, so I need to walk them individually to teach them what is expected from them during walks. That means I walked 3 sequential miles.
We had to cancel climbing. There is a church meeting tonight during our regular Sunday climbing time, and scheduling issues hampered us from pushing it forward. Next weekend is a holiday, and Jesse will be gone - but hopefully I'll get some climbing in then.

Family #

Mixed bag here. Beth has been working from the time she left church today. We may see her this evening. The kids have had something of a chill day, with Beebs going to an art-supply festival and having a friend over, and Jesse spending time on the computer between programming and doing the AAA online driving course.

Dogs #

As mentioned earlier, 1 mile walk each. They each did ok, although Dilly had a bit of a snit with another dog we passed. The detox proceeds. Probalby as hard on us as it is on them.

It's been interesting. The dog trainer keeps stressing that we need to follow the dogs' nature in training them. Become the pack leader, use the techniques the dog's mother uses in correcting, allow the dogs to follow their migratory instincts, allow them to shred and consume food items as rewards.
Jesse and I have been going through a book on Stoicism recently as part of our Father Son times. The main tenant of stoicism is living in accordance with nature. It strikes me that this is what we're trying to work on with the dogs as well. But it's more about us understanding the dogs' nature so that we can provide an environment and situation that is in accordance with it.
The one thing that I feel is missing is that the training focuses on the nature of dogs... but dogs and humans have been working together and cohabitating as long as dogs have existed as a species. I love the idea of dogs living in accordance with nature, but I think that some of that has to be the social interaction with humans that is also hard-wired into them.
She's a lot more versed in this than I am, and has put a lot more thought into it... but I will be seeking ways that we can work on this nature too. I think this is where the thought that dogs need jobs comes from. Part of their nature is to be a functioning part of human-dog pairings.
Anyways, still something I'm thinking about. But it's fun to think that we're teaching the dogs stoic philosophy as we learn it ourselves.

Reading #

Really hoping to get a bit of time on my current fiction book today. And then tomorrow I need to get back to my non-fiction book again.