Self-improvement is all the rage, especially at this time of the year: the beginning. Happy New Year!

Because the desire for self-improvement is so strong among us, at the start of each new year, about half of us resolve to do better in some way. We list our resolutions and declare them aloud to whoever will listen. According to Forbes, our success rate is about 8 percent.

Humans have been making annual resolutions, successful or otherwise, for at least 4,000 years. The Babylonians were bent on self-improvement vows, and the Romans continued the practice. When Julius Caesar implemented the Julian calendar, he decreed January 1 the start of each new year in honor of Janus, the Roman God of beginnings, whose two faces allowed him to look back on the past and forward into the future.

So humans have been making and forgetting resolutions for centuries. But 21st-century humans have the advantage of study and research that give us some insight into how we can set ourselves — and our resolutions — up for success.

Forbes offers four basic tenets for successful resolutions:

—Keep it simple. No extreme makeovers.

—Make it tangible. A measurable goal is an achievable goal.

—Make it obvious. Tell your friends. Post it on Facebook.

—Keep believing you can do it. Studies show that our wells of willpower are as full as we believe them to be.

As loving dog owners, a lot of us want to do better by our FBFs (furry best friends). Keeping the four guideposts above in mind, here are some resolutions that might actually succeed in 2014.

—I resolve to walk my dog for 30 minutes twice a day, every day.

—I resolve to take my dog and myself on a small adventure once a week: a walk in a new neighborhood, a hike, a mini road trip or joy ride, an agility class, a swim, a doggie play date, a pack walk, a trip to a reputable dog park, an hour at the beach or the lake or the river if you're near one.

—I resolve to give my dog time to sniff the world. I resolve to patiently devote a portion of our walk time to sniff time: no huffing or hurrying or impatiently dragging him away during these special moments.

—I resolve to play with my dog — fetch, Frisbee, hide and seek, tug of war (for nonaggressive personalities only) or whatever his favorite game might be - for at least 15 minutes every day.

—I resolve to teach or reinforce a command every month: sit, stay, down, wait, come, shake, leave it, drop it, bring it, heel, roll over, speak. That's a year's worth right there.

—I resolve to take responsibility for my dog's health and welfare and for his actions and my own.

Tweet them. Post them on Facebook. Send out a group text to all of your dog-loving friends. And let me know how it goes. I'm wishing you and your dog all the best in 2014!

Woof!

Dog trainer Matthew "Uncle Matty" Margolis is co-author of 18 books about dogs, a behaviorist, a popular radio and television guest, and host of the PBS series "WOOF! It's a Dog's Life!" Read all of Uncle Matty's columns at www.creators.com, and visit him at www.unclematty.com. Send your questions to dearuncle.gazette@unclematty.com or by mail to Uncle Matty at P.O. Box 3300, Diamond Springs, CA 95619.