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You’re Not Failing — You’re Learning

  • Writer: Frankie Jackson
    Frankie Jackson
  • Jun 4
  • 2 min read


There’s a moment I see in almost every guardian I work with — a pause in the conversation, a drop in their voice, and a sentence that stings:

“I think I’m the problem”, "Maybe I wasn’t ready for this dog”, “She deserves someone better than me”

If you’ve ever said something like that — or even just thought it in a quiet moment — let me stop you right there.


You are not failing. You are learning. And those two things? They look exactly the same sometimes.


Real Talk: This Stuff is Hard

Living with a dog who’s anxious, reactive, fearful, hyperactive, or just a lot is tough. It’s isolating. It’s frustrating. It’s exhausting in ways you didn’t even know were possible.


You might feel like everyone else is breezing through life with their perfect Instagram dogs, while you’re crying behind a bush because your pup barked at a paper bag.


But behind every “perfect” dog is a human who’s either: a) been where you are, b) is currently where you are, or, c) hasn’t been challenged yet — but probably will be.



Emotional Erosion is Real

When things don’t go to plan, it wears you down. You start to dread walks. You stop inviting people over. You feel like your whole world is shrinking — and with it, your confidence.


That slow wear-and-tear? We call it emotional erosion.


And unless someone sees it — unless someone says, “Hey, what you’re doing is really hard, and you’re still doing it, and that matters” — it keeps chipping away at your hope.


So let me say it loud: I see you. You’re doing your best. And that’s enough.



Mistakes Are Part of the Process

Here’s the beautiful, frustrating truth:

There is no way to raise a dog without getting things wrong.

There will be missteps, timing fumbles, misread signals, days you wish you could rewind. But you can’t learn without getting it wrong sometimes.


Just like your dog needs time to trial-and-error their way through life, so do you. Compassionate, science-based training isn’t about perfection. It’s about progress. Tiny, messy, beautiful progress.



The Power of Showing Up

Every time you try again — even when yesterday went to hell — you’re teaching your dog something.

You’re teaching them:

  • That humans can be patient.

  • That the world can be predictable.

  • That mistakes aren’t dangerous.

  • That learning happens in safe relationships.

And while you're at it? You're teaching yourself that you're stronger, more adaptable, and more empathetic than you thought.



Rewrite the Narrative

Instead of:

“I messed this up” Try: “I’m figuring it out”

Instead of:

“I shouldn’t have got this dog ” Try: “We’re both growing, and we’re doing it together”

Because struggling doesn’t mean failing — it means you care.And every dog deserves a human who cares this much.


You’ve got this. And I’ve got you.

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