Hey Reader, it's National Online Learning Day so I wanted to talk about learning and what Doggone Healthy Choices has to offer their community. Our "teaching" is a way of guiding and leading our community to the next step from where they are in their personal journey by getting to know them.

My Dogs Have Been Some of My Best Teachers

Today September 15,2026 is National Online Learning Day

I’ve taken a lot of courses over the years.

I’ve learned about health and wellness. Dog training. Communication. Photography. Writing. Business. Marketing. And lately, like so many of us, a lot of that learning has happened online.

I’m a big believer in continuing to learn.

But some of the most important lessons I’ve ever learned didn’t come from a classroom, a textbook or a computer screen.

They came with four paws!

Sometimes the Teacher Is Walking Right Beside You

My dogs have taught me things that would be difficult to fit into any online course.

They’ve taught me about patience.

Communication.

Movement.

Trust.

Starting over.

Paying attention.

Living in the moment.

And continuing to put one foot — and sometimes one paw — in front of the other.

Freedom continues those lessons today.

When we’re walking together, training together, doing Doga or figuring out how to turn one of my exercises into something she can participate in, I’m not the only teacher.

Sometimes she is teaching me.

If something isn’t working, I have to pay attention.

Maybe I need to communicate differently.

Maybe I need to slow down.

Maybe we need to make the movement easier.

Maybe we need to stop trying so hard and make it fun again.

Those lessons don’t stay at the end of the leash.

They carry over into life.

Learning Doesn’t Have to Look the Same for Everyone

That may be one of the greatest things online learning has given us.

There isn’t only one way to learn anymore.

You can watch.

Listen.

Read.

Practice.

Pause.

Try again.

Modify something for your own body, your own circumstances or your own dog.

And that’s very much how I approach Doggone Healthy Choices.

I’m not interested in telling everyone that there is one perfect exercise, one perfect routine or one perfect way to live a healthy life.

We’re different.

Our dogs are different.

Our abilities are different.

Our starting points are different.

But we can still learn together.

Your Dog Can Be Part of the Lesson

Try something simple today.

Pick one movement you already know.

Maybe you do a squat while your dog practices a sit.

Maybe you march in place while your dog practices walking beside you.

Maybe you’re working on balance while your dog practices WATCH or TOUCH.

Maybe you stretch while your dog settles next to you.

It doesn’t have to be complicated.

You are moving.

Your dog is thinking.

You’re communicating with one another.

And you’re both learning.

That’s six-legged wellness.

Paws of Purpose

let me introduce...... Aug 10 · Paws of Purpose Introduc... 8:06   ​

I’ve had many dogs walk through my life, and each one has left something behind.

Some taught me patience.

Some taught me courage.

Some taught me how to communicate without words.

Some taught me how deeply we can love another living being.

And some taught me that after a difficult chapter, eventually we get up and walk again.

That’s part of what Paws of Purpose means to me.

Our dogs aren’t simply animals living in our homes.

They can be companions.

Workout partners.

Teachers.

Motivators.

And sometimes mirrors that show us things about ourselves we weren’t paying attention to.

So Here’s Today’s Lesson

You don’t have to know everything before you begin

1. Learn something.
2. Try something.
3. Watch what happens.
4. Adjust.
5. And try again tomorrow.

That’s true whether you’re taking an online course, beginning an exercise program, teaching your dog a new behavior or building an entirely new chapter of your life.

One foot.

One paw.

One lesson at a time.

Now I Want to Hear From You

What’s one thing your dog has taught you?

Patience? Trust? Consistency? Joy? How to slow down? How to keep going?

I’d love for you to share your lesson.

And if you’d like more human-and-dog workouts, wellness ideas, stories and lessons you can put into practice alongside your own four-legged teacher, join the Doggone Healthy Choices community.

We’ll keep learning together.

Have a happy and healthy tail-wagging day!

Pam & Freedom

Doggone Healthy Choices

One foot, one paw at a time.