INPUT ARTICLE: Article: A lot of people go into retirement with many plans for the future. However, this is not always realistic. Making big commitments within the first months of retirement may prove stressful. Give yourself a year to simply live without working. Take some small trips and look into engaging in some small hobbies. However, hold off on your big plans and endeavors until you've had time to get accustom to not working. An unstructured life can be stressful. Even if you have no work obligations, try to get on some kind of schedule after retirement. You will feel better physically and emotionally if your life retains some structure after retirement.  Stick to commitments, even small ones. For example, make a point of taking a long walk each morning. Shower every day. Make lunch for yourself every day at noon.  Consider your sleep schedule. If you're not going to bed and waking up at roughly the same time each day, it can be hard to stick to other routines. While you may like the idea of being able to sleep in, consider getting up around 9 each morning anyway. A regular sleep schedule will allow you to maintain a regular exercise, eating, and social schedule as well. As stated, give yourself a year or so to adjust. However, during this time you should write down some goals for yourself. Going into retirement with a plan can help prevent stagnancy.  Think about what you want to do now that you're retired. When you were working, there were likely many things you simply did not have time for. Maybe you want to volunteer with your community more. Maybe you want to spend more time with your grandkids. Maybe there's some reading you want to finally get done. Also, consider travel plans. If you never took that trip to California, maybe you can do so now if you have the time and money. Try to think of a realistic time table for retirement goals. You're not going to check everything off your bucket list in a year. However, maybe you can hope to have accomplished some of your post-retirement goals in 2 to 3 years. After retirement, many people pursue work. You may want to try a new career or look into part-time employment. Even when working is not financially necessary, many people derive a sense of purpose through having a job. Consider looking for work after retirement if you like the idea of having some schedule and guidance even when you're technically retired.  It can be difficult to find employment, especially in a new field, after retiring. However, there may be organizations in your area dedicated to helping people starting second careers late in life. Browse the yellow pages or look online to see if there are any organizations in your community.  You could also consider part-time, less demanding work. Substitute teaching, for example, has a fairly easy certification process in most states. You would not have a regular, demanding schedule, but you would have some structure in your life. There are a lot of benefits to post-retirement work. Studies show it lessens depression associated with retirement and may stave off cognitive decay that comes with age. If you feel lost without a career as guidance, post-retirement work is worth considering. For many, retirement is a chance to get involved. Consider joining an organization or volunteering in retirement. There may be organizations in your town specifically made for the recently retired.  Consider what you always wanted to do, but never had time for when you were working. Maybe you always wanted to be on the local theater board, but simply could not fit the meetings into your schedule. Keep your personality type in mind. You may not enjoy all activities and events catered to the recently retired. It's okay to pass on certain opportunities and social events. You should seek to find post-retirement involvement that suits your specific needs. Work takes up a lot of your time and social life. There are probably friends from outside the office you have not seen in years. Consider calling an old friend and inviting him or her out to lunch or dinner.  Relationships often fall to the wayside when you're busy with work commitments. Your college roommate, who you thought you'd be close to for life, may have disappeared from your life over time. However, strong friendships tend to rekindle easily, even if a lot of time has passed. Call up a friend you have no seen in years. Consider visiting old friends. If you still know a lot of people in your hometown, make a trip to visit. If you've been promising your friend Matt from grad school you would come visit him Seattle one of these days, do so in retirement. Memoir writing can be a fun, creative way to help you adjust to retirement. It can also allow you to examine your past, enhancing your understanding of yourself and your life.  See if any local community centers or colleges offer memoir writing classes. Some universities allowed retired people to audit courses or take them for a small fee. You can also look into online courses. A wide variety of universities offer coursework online.

SUMMARY: Take time off initially. Stay on a schedule. Make some goals for retirement. Consider post-retirement work. Get involved in your community. Reconnect with old friends. Consider a memoir writing class.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: You can find adjustable dog jumps used in agility courses online or at your local pet store. When you’re just starting out, set the bar at ground level or at the lowest available setting. You’ll start training by just having your dog walk over the jump bar. If you don’t want to purchase an adjustable jump, you can easily make your own. Place a plywood board over two cinder blocks, or other sturdy, flat objects. Add more blocks to increase the jump’s height when you’re ready to increase difficulty. Look for fallen logs, low walls, or even small creeks nearby that you can use as free obstacles. Make sure the area is safe and stable before bringing your dog there so that they don’t get hurt. Have your dog sit on one side of the jump bar, and place a treat on the floor on the opposite side. Tell your dog “Go get it!” or any other command (like “Okay!” or “Go!”) you’ve taught it that lets it know it should get the treat. If necessary, guide your dog over the bar to get the treat.  The treat should be on the floor instead of held high in the air so your dog will get used to looking down and forward as it goes over the bar. This will help it learn to round its back when it actually jumps over the bar, which is better for its spine. If your dog walks around the jump instead of over it to get the treat, set it up with one side against a wall. Place an obstacle, such as furniture, on the other side. Keep having your dog step over the jump bar so it gets comfortable with the object. If you start by having it jump right away, it might accidentally knock over the bar. If that happens and it gets hurt or startled, you’ll have a hard time getting your dog to go near the obstacle.  Keep practicing for about 20 minutes at least once a day. Remember to give your dog lots of verbal praise to show it how proud it’s made you. Once your dog is comfortable stepping over the bar, raise it to the next setting or add another set of cinder blocks. Ideally, at this next phase, your dog should just have to put a little more spring into its step to get over the bar and get the treat. When it’s mastered this stage, increase the height so it has to complete a full jump to get the treat. Like bar jumping, the key to teaching your dog to jump through a hoop is to raise the obstacle gradually. Start by having your dog walk through the hoop to get a treat so it gets comfortable with the object. Raise the hoop so it has to step a little more energetically, then gradually work your way up to a full jump.

SUMMARY:
Use an adjustable jump. Create your jump with cinder blocks and plywood. Use natural outdoor obstacles as jumps. Set down a treat on the far side of the jump. Practice at the lowest level until your dog is comfortable. Raise the bar gradually. Use the same method to teach your dog to jump through hoops.