Math was never one of my favorite subjects. Not particularly interested in the relative speeds of trains traveling east or west or even upside down, I discovered more joy in math later in life when it gave me the answers I sought in trying to work out proper dosages or feed rations or how many board feet a stall wall would require. In other words, as soon as math involved animals, it had value for my life.
When I was little, one of my favorite Christmas carols was Away in a Manger. To my mind, I did not think there could be anything better than being born in a stable, unless of course it was being allowed to grow up and live in the barn. Not far from our house when I was young was a gas station that every year had a "live" creche, complete with a sheep or two, a donkey and a cow. They didn't go so far as having a live baby, but that wouldn't have interested me at any rate. It was the animals.
I get asked often, "What are the best rewards to use?"
Sometimes, folks mean what food treats do I recommend. The answer is, whatever the dog says is tasty & worth having. Try a taste test with as many different kinds of treats you can round up. You might be surprised to find that one dog thinks is the cat's pajamas elicits rather ho-hum responses from others. Taste is a really personal thing. And dogs could care less what you think is a great treat, or, conversely, what you think is a poor treat.
I'm telling you - you haven't lived until you've stretched out in fresh sweet hay next to a friendly pig and wrapped yourself around her warm, strong body and dozed off listening to hens cluck and birds singing and the quiet sounds of a barn on a spring afternoon. Those seeking security, grounding and reassurance that all is well with the world on a deep and basic level would find it, I suspect, in the company of this remarkable pig.
