Sharing a Project

I've been posting about our new pet and you might be wondering what this has to do with retirement.  Here's the way I see it.  Adding a pet to the household is like taking on any new big project that is going to affect everyone in the household.  In my case, this means that our household of 2 people need to be on the same page as much as possible in order for the project to have a successful outcome.  Like any major project, it requires us to cooperate and compromise, as the project moves forward.

It became quite clear early on that we don't necessarily agree on how to train our new puppy.  My husband has high expectations for quick results re house training, for example, and is determined that the new puppy will get it as quickly as possible.  I, on the other hand, seem to be more patient on the issue.  He, the puppy that is, is pretty good at using his papers inside and as long as he is doing that, I'm happy.  Yes, he needs to learn that going outside is desirable but what's the rush.

When couples retire, they generally end up spending more time together and this means many more moments that require good communication and successful negotiations.  Training the new puppy is a big test of these two requirements - so far we're doing pretty well.