08/20/2026
I met an old friend of mine yesterday, and she spent some time with Klëpa.
I have known her for about 22+ years, so she has seen me with several personal dogs. She was absolutely shocked to find out that Klëpa doesn’t know any tricks. 
There is a reason for that. Just because I am very good at trick training and I’m very good at managing behaviors, that doesn’t mean that I should be forcing every dog I own to participate in what I like to do.
Like not every dog is an extrovert and enjoys a bigger, wider world; not every dog enjoys doing stupid tricks with you. She would much rather play possession games with me or play with a ball in the open field.
Now, there are necessary " tricks " for a good life. Knowing how to behave in public, knowing how to manage off-leash trails, and having strong boundaries and manners. Those “tricks” must be part of every pet dog's life. The better they are, the more enriched a life these dogs will have if they happen to be extroverts. Which Klëpa definitely is. 
And although she does not particularly enjoy these things, she will be subjected to them throughout her life because they simply make her world wider.
But WHY would I determine for her how we spend the fun time?
She’s her own individual. I respect dogs. I respect their opinions.  I brought her into my life. It’s my job to satisfy her needs. I will enjoy my Dog no matter what I do with it. So why don’t we look into what makes them happy?
I have two dogs with opposite personalities for the Freedom Program at the moment. I have a total extrovert who wants to do tricks all day and has been chosen as a Service Dog because that’s what he will enjoy most. That’s why we spent so much time looking for the right candidate, and Shiloh is perfect for it. And then I have Thena, who will suffer if you keep trying to “open the world” for her. She will not enjoy stupid tricks; she will not enjoy large company; she will not enjoy changes, and she will never enjoy large doses of pet life. She will be happy in the smaller, family-oriented world. And I think if you are going to push her otherwise, none of you will be happy.
So yeah, let them grow in the activities that they enjoy. Stop pushing your own personal agenda. Life is too short for that.