Some people believe you can only train a puppy. They believe that if you stall too long of a time, a dog will just never learn anything you try to show them, including how to break bad habits.

This is a big concern considering the trend of adopting as opposed to purchasing pups today. Don’t get me wrong, I am all for the adoption movement. I am a tremendous supporter of it. And I feel that adopters must know there are a couple rules you can teach a dog at any age. Such as these:

To end the crying

With babies, we are told not to go to them when they are crying. No matter how loud and how long they cry, we are to resist the temptation to go and cuddle them. That’s right, we have to endure their piercing cries. But why? To possibly set it up so that one day, there will just be no cries. You put up with a little now, so that you don’t need to put with it forever! This concept goes for dogs. If you don’t react to their cry, they get it in their minds that crying doesn’t accomplish anything. But if you respond to} them, pet them, or even so much as make eye contact with them once they are crying, this states to them, “Crying gets the job done. I will continue this tactic.” Give your dog a few stern no’s when he cries, and after that just ignore him. It may take weeks or even months, but so long as you are persistent in your approach, in most instances the dog will begin crying dramatically less.

To keep away from specific areasrooms

Every house is different and so are the rules in it. If you adopt a dog, he may have been permitted to roam everywhere in his previous residence and may not realize it’s not okay to do that in your home. Whenever your dog goes into an area he is not permitted in, say “No!” and usher him out. This can involve guidingt him out by the collar, or simply walking behind him so he has no choice but to leave. Also, any time you see him approaching the room, yell, “No!” You have to do this every time though, because each and every time they are allowed in there without repercussions, they are back at square one and all bad associations with entering the area vanish for them. My good friend who is a voice coach teaches singing lessons in LA to small kids has a Great Dane. The dog is so sweet but, its big stature frightens kids and it could even unintentionally harm one by leaping on them. So, whether or not there are kids in her singing room learning how to sing better, my friend keeps the dog from there at all times. She doesn’t want to confuse the dog by permitting her in there when no kids are there, and all of a sudden kicking her out once students are there.

It’s the one thing you forget to plan for: the car rental. You get a great rate on a room, you could possibly know someone who works for the hotel, you land super cheap airfare because you booked at the last second and landed those seats that had to be filled, and then WHAM! You’re forced to spend several hundred dollars on renting a car, and it feels like there is no way out of it. Don’t get in that jam. Keep this in mind.

Find the cheaper airport

The same car from the exact same rental company might cost you more at one airport than it would at another, in the same city. Compare prices not just between companies but between airports. If the cost of your plane ticket is barely affected by which airport you fly into, fly into the one with cheaper car rentals.

Book online

Someone you speak to on the phone at the rental-car service probably won’t inform you of the promotions or special coupons currently available. If you order online, you’ll see a variety of special offers flashing all around the website.

Can your memberships help you?

Often people forget, or never even know, their particular credit card, Costco card, Sam’s Club card and other memberships offer discounts on car rentals, sometimes as much as 25%.

Upgrade for little

Even if you can’t reduce your spending, you could get more for your money. At many companies you can upgrade to a larger car for as low as a few bucks per day. My friend who is a highly-known voice coach in LA and vocalist is constantly travelling, but often needs to bring tons of equipment with her. She discovered this trick a long time ago, that has saved her a lot of money as she travels the world often, speaking at conferences and covering new technology and techniques used in singing lessons that help people learn how to sing.

Are you already insured?

When renting a car, you’re already in such a nervous place about being accountable for such an expensive item, that you just automatically let the customer service rep add whatever insurance they’re offering. But pause, call your personal car insurance company because often you already have renter’s insurance and don’t even know it!

Are fees included?

One additional reason to search online is that, the “total” fee shown when you’re going to purchase often reflects all of the fees like second driver fees, drop-off fees, registration and the like. If you book in person or on the telephone, sometimes you are sent these fees as an extra bill AFTER already having used the vehicle!

I’m a huge dog lover, so you should understand that I think you should adopt a dog!

But, as a dog owner, I realize there are two major dynamics of dog ownership which lots of people do not imagine before adopting one. They are not problems, but rather merely things to be prepared for so you are able to take pleasure in having your new furry friend even more!

Scheduling

You’ve had a long day. There is a game on you’re dying to watch. Your good pal calls and says she and all your other pals were somehow able to get a table at the busiest sports bar in town—and it’s right up the road from your work! How perfect! ThisThe day couldn’t have ended any better! Simply zip on over there and…oh wait! You have a dog who who’s been stuck in the house alone for 6 hours. He can’t be left on his own any more. He might have an accident in the house if not painfully hold it in even longer because he is so well behaved! Not to mention, he needs dinner!

This situation is all too common. You’ll have to cut activities short or end the day at difficult times to take care of the dog. Build a friendship with a neighbor—this might even be a teenage kid—who is frequently home and can take care of your dog for you. Give them a modest fee. Maybe just $15 every time you call them up at the last second to feed the dog and take him around the block. Make them a spare key.

My pal, a singing instructor in Los Angeles, owned a dog who would happily sit under the piano as her owner taught teenagers how to sing better. She would get frequent strolls in between singing lessons. Then one day, my buddy got asked to begin teaching music lectures at the local community college two times a week. She was so honored! But—uh oh. She hadn’t realized how lucky she’d been to set her own hours and work from home before. She almost couldn’t take the teaching gig but luckily she arranged to have a neighborhood kid take care of her pup in the middle of the day.

A tiny accident can cost a lot

I once forgot to close a cabinet all the way that had my pup’s liver flavored (and scented) painkillers in them. And he ate the whole bottle. He had to be rushed to the hospital. Forget the near panic attack I had at the idea of losing my sweet pet, that all culminated in a $600 bill to get his stomach pumped and get him all kinds of recuperation meds.

You have to develop sharp doggy-safety radar. You have to ensure each cabinet and door is shut tight. You need to make sure all chairs are pushed in at tables so the dog doesn’t climb on top of them. Double check you don’t have any snacks left over in handbags you leave sitting around. It may seem like a pain, but it’s really just an extra five or ten minutes before leaving the home, as opposed to an hour or three at the pet hospital and hundreds of dollars out of your wallet all because you forgot something.

I knowso many struggling writers who don’t know the first thing about where to get work as a writer. These writers had visions of graduating from top universities with a degree in creative writing and walking directly into a screen writing job, or becoming one of the staff writers on a big show, or acquiring an instant book deal.

In reality, it simply doesn’t work that way. But you have to know of the in-between, not-so-glamorous jobs you have to take to make your way up, and where to get those jobs.

First off, you’ll need to write for no pay. Think about it: writing is FUN! Everyone would like to do it. Not just that, so lots of people desire to to start their own publications or websites. There are several competing publications out there, that only a handful actually make income. And then, there are a lot of writers who want to write for those few. Do you actually believe they will hire somebody with no professional experience or published work?

Go to the “Contact Us” page of your favorite sites. Look at their “sister sites” (websites typically publicize these somewhere) and find their “Contact Us” pages as well. Email the Managing Editor, Editor, or even the simple contact email address on there inquiring if they are seeking writers. If they are paying, great. If not, you should still take it.

I suggest doing this for the sites which enjoy since, if you’re going to be doing something for no payment, you may as well get pleasure from it.

Look, it’s not uncommon to need to do something for no payment for a bit before you will get paid for it. Especially in the arts. My good friend who had been a singer her entire life wanted t a voice coach in Los Angeles.But, she had no resume, no success stories of how she had helped people become a better singer to show for herself. How could she expect clients to simply begin shelling out their cash to her? So, she started offering to teach her friend’s children how to sing better for free for a while. If they liked their kid’s progression, they would pay her. Also, she would get recommendations from that!

Doing it at no cost is simply part of the game. In the meantime, get a side job which actually pays the bills. It’s perfectly ok if it has nothing to do with what you genuinely want to do as a career.

An additional great approach if you would like to call the own shots is begin a blog or your own website about the subject you want to write on. At the very least, if you aren’t able to get any of those free gigs, you have work to display to various possible writing employers.

If the blog becomes big, even better! You might get a book deal out of it! Either way, having a blog is always a good idea.

If I don’t do something to treat myself every now and then, I become depressed feeling like somebody that only works but never plays. Unfortunately, most “playtime” requires money. MOST. But, there are some ways for you to really feel indulgent, without totally going over your budget.

Sip This

Everyone stares at the one individual drinking champagne at a restaurant. We feel as if they are celebrating something and we want to take part in it. Yet, we always forget to get a glass other than on special occasions. The next time you’re in a bar, order a $10 or $12 glass of champagne and you’ll feel as if you’re living it up during every sip, while everyone stares at you wondering, “What’s the occasion?”

“Do” Lunch

Most restaurants offer a lunch menu that is significantly less expensive than their dinner menu, and expensive restaurants are no exception. Grab lunch at the pricey place you’ve been wanting to dine at and you can probably slip out spending $30. For the longest time when my buddy was getting started as a singing teacher in LA and wanted to take clients to a meal (she was shooting for celebrity clientele) she’d take them to fancy places at lunchtime to talk about singing lessons. Before she knew it, she was teaching high profile people how to sing.

Go to the (school) theater

If you live near a well-known, prestigious university or college, check in on their theater schedule. Often huge names in music, comedy, opera, you name it, make visits to ecognized universities, but charge significantly less for tickets than at regular venues.

Lots of massages

 Would you be willing to commit to spending $35 monthly on a massage, monthly for the year? It’s not that much money, and it’s SUCH an indulgent experience. Many massage places offer packages of 10 or 12 massages, pushing the price per massage down to very low numbers. But, the key is the package. Because individual massages may be $50, $60 or maybe more.

Rich “hand-me-down’s”

If you’re already in to the thrift store/consignment store trend, great. You’re halfway there. But, you have to learn to be selective. Think about it: you take your old clothes to simply the closest thrift store. So do the people in wealthy areas. So visit thrift and consignment stores in the richest areas of your town. You’ll find barely used designer goods from the wealthy women that live in the neighborhood.