Tending the Tinderbox: How Small Habits Prevent Big Problems - a podcast by Ty Brown

In my community there’s a hillside covered in dead, brown grass. There are a few shades of green on the hill, but they’re only there because of the community’s efforts to water this dead hill. I live directly across the street, and every time our guests see the sprinklers come on in the evening, they get confused. “Why waste so much water?” they ask. “Why water a dead hill?”

Well, why does the community do this? Because if they didn’t, then there would be no green on the hill whatsoever. All of the grass would be completely dead—and would immediately turn into a tinderbox. Just over that hill are thousands of homes, where tens of thousands of people live. If this hillside were to catch fire, it could potentially harm many people and destroy lots of homes. The community takes various measures to prevent this from ever happening, such as routinely cutting the grass and watering even the dead patches. That hillside, without the maintenance it receives, could quickly destroy many acres and lives. However, the community puts down water and keeps the soil wet, and as a result it’s much less likely that a hill fire occurs.

Watering dead grass seems like a ridiculous concept, but it’s one that I constantly encourage my dog training clients to do. Now, I don’t care too much about my clients’ landscaping. Rather, I ask my clients to do a lot of little things to prevent their dogs from potentially turning into a “tinderbox.” If I’ve helped a dog with aggression, then I know that if his owner doesn't get him to perform daily place commands and walk properly a leash, there could be negative consequences.

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