How some Boating equipment made our walks more efficient

I must have been 15 or 16 years old when I first came across the Japanese business term: Kaizen

As an eager business student starting my A-Level qualification I remember being fascinated by it.

This simple method can explain a lot of the amazing rise of Japanese Industry since the end of World War 2.

For those unfamiliar with the term here comes a simple explanation in diagram form:

The automotive manufacturer Toyota is unbelievably good at applying this principle. This goes to explain why they make vehicles that last and why 3 of us Walkers own Toyotas. Far from luxurious, but a good, trusty, reliable workhorse.

So what does all of this have to do with boating equipment and dog walks?

Since I started the company in 2013, I have always been looking for small ways in what we do and how we do it so as to tweak performance and deliver a better service.

Whenever a new Adventurer joins our Team, after a few months I make the point of asking them if anything seems strange or if they can think of any ways or things in which we could improve.

After so many years of Dog Adventuring sometimes the small things can be overlooked and improvements missed.

Just after the Summer Break one of the Team suggested that a simple, cheap piece of boating equipment might stop the leads from getting tangled up for those dogs who need to be attached to us.

The Team Member had gone so far as to purchase the piece of equipment so that we could test it.

The item can rotate on itself allowing it not to get tangled up when the dogs walk over each other’s long leads.

However the clip on the lock opened too easily and the leads could have detached from us. This led to several experiments, and finding what is so far the best solution, with a carabiner lock on either end to avoid any potential runaways.

Coming from a child with two retired Teachers for parents, I know that both Mr Swain and Mr Powell would be very happy to hear how, all these years later, we are still using Kaizen on a daily basis.

Doggies: Leopold, Mino, Bandido and Teddy