Sonoma County rain smells like a mineral-heavy Chardonnay.

Man, this is so much bigger than dog training. Feels like our whole culture right now is about fixing the symptom fast instead of the real problem. We use noise-canceling headphones to block out a stressful world instead of making it less loud. We make tense small talk at work instead of admitting what's actually wrong. Your trainer friend has a point about masking, but if Baxter isn't showing other signs of stress, you gave him a clear rule that made his world less crazy. Sometimes the quiet peace is the solution, you know?