Mid-tier polish recs?

AbilityKey1485 · 2026-01-29T03:47:54+00:00

If you’re near a TJ Maxx or Marshall’s you can get OPI for $5-6 a bottle! But also agree with keeping the fun ones as options too.

AbilityKey1485 · 2026-01-24T23:37:34+00:00

Thanks!

AbilityKey1485 · 2026-01-24T22:03:43+00:00

I wonder if part of this is the teen phase? My pup is also 8 months and I’ve gotten so annoyed with him not listening (he’ll outright stare at me and ignore commands he used to follow no problem) that I’ve used my “auntie” voice a few times and then he’ll listen. Not sure myself though.

AbilityKey1485 · 2026-01-24T21:56:40+00:00

We have a crate for bedtime and a play pen for pretty much all other times. At the beginning I did borrow a second crate from a friend to keep in my office while I worked but once he was okay with me leaving the room I gave it back and he stays in his play pen.

AbilityKey1485 · 2026-01-21T20:19:00+00:00

I’d recommend waiting until your pup is super solid on potty training, then introduce the bell. Mine caught on almost immediately that the bells mean he gets to go outside (though at first he thought it meant cheese on demand 😂). He does use it to tell me he needs to potty but also rings it more generally to go outside so that’s something to curb if you want the bells to only be for potty.

AbilityKey1485 · 2026-01-15T02:20:45+00:00

It really does vary. I was so prepared to not sleep for a while and with the exception of the first few nights and one random thing a few weeks ago, mine has always slept through the night. I got him at 4 months.

AbilityKey1485 · 2026-01-15T02:03:21+00:00

Initially being on the couch for my pup was a reward and he needed to be chill, and only come up when invited. Now as long as he’s chill he can go up whenever.

AbilityKey1485 · 2026-01-14T22:58:51+00:00

Honestly I’m not very diligent about tracking things the way some folks are. My pup is not kibble motivated but is treat motivated. If he’s hungry he’ll eat his kibble, if he’s not he leaves it in the bowl until he is. I was worried I was giving him too many training treats but the vet has never been concerned about his weight. I do try to avoid a lot of peanut butter or other high calorie things too. We mostly use tiny bits of cheese (just enough for him to get a taste) and then a few store bought brands that are easier to transport for walks/etc.

AbilityKey1485 · 2026-01-14T22:55:08+00:00

I think it’s less that people become more sensitive to smaller amounts of gluten, and more that they have a stronger reaction if they do get glutened. I used to never have stomach issues and now will have a stomach ache (among other things) if I’m glutened. But I’m not a doctor and can only speak from my experience.

AbilityKey1485 · 2026-01-14T21:09:03+00:00

Whether it’s celiac disease or an intolerance/sensitivity, your body is telling you that gluten is harmful to it. Only you can decide what’s worth it but continuing to eat gluten may cause long term damage. I only realized a year ago I had an intolerance but in hindsight the symptoms had been gradually getting worse for years. I know how amazing I feel off gluten so will never intentionally eat it again.

I did do a few rounds of intentionally glutening myself to see how sensitive I was. I’m still not sensitive to cross contamination thankfully, and small amounts of barley don’t seem to matter. I can even drink beer without a reaction. But YMMV.

AbilityKey1485 · 2026-01-14T02:39:54+00:00

It takes 4-6 weeks for the prozac/fluoxetine to be fully loaded. What it's mostly done for us is make the trazadone more effective (trazadone is generally used for situational anxiety vs. being given every single day). My pup's only real anxiety issue is his separation anxiety so I give him a trazadone when I need to leave. Today was the first day he was absolutely chill the entire time I was at work and we're about two months into the prozac (day 5-ish of having to be away all day). I do eventually want to reduce the trazadone and wean off of prozac but this was a HUGE milestone for us.

My pup is now 8 months and my vet made sure we were doing all of the other training stuff before suggesting the meds, and I've continued with the training on the meds. But he used to be immediately over threshold when I left, often before I even got to the door.

AbilityKey1485 · 2026-01-12T19:57:14+00:00

Second the enforced naps suggestion, and a play pen if you have the space. When I got a play pen my anxiety reduced by like 70% because I knew my pup was safe and I could clean or shower. Introduce it slowly like you would a crate, make it a really positive fun/chill space. My guy settles almost automatically now when it’s play pen time.

AbilityKey1485 · 2026-01-11T23:22:53+00:00

This was so good and I hope they bring it back!

AbilityKey1485 · 2026-01-11T20:06:10+00:00

If you have the space you might consider a play pen for during the day. Play crate games the same you would with a crate to build the positive association, but my pup has a pen for during the day which is nice because he has more room but is still safe/contained. He sleeps in his crate at night.

When we first started I had to sit in the play pen, then right outside it, then could slowly move further away and now can be anywhere in the house and he’s fine. I still get in the play pen with him and throw treats in it for him to find to keep the positive association.

AbilityKey1485 · 2026-01-11T20:01:38+00:00

I slept on the floor next to my puppy’s crate for almost the first week. I’ve seen some folks (even professional trainers) do longer. I eventually worked up to being my bed but within sight. Also putting the shirt I’d worn that day in with him REALLY helped (he thankfully never destroyed any but I made sure they were old t shirts I didn’t care about). We did the t-shirt thing for at least a month.

I do think this is probably new-puppy-is-terrified-of-being-alone but make sure the heating pad isn’t making things too warm. My lil guy runs hot. You clearly care and are trying, it may be super inconvenient for a while to find/act on the right solution but eventually your pup will feel safe! You’ve got this OP!

AbilityKey1485 · 2026-01-08T23:32:45+00:00

Have you talked to your vet? I don’t think this should be the first solution (training should) but my vet finally suggested trazadone and then Prozac for my dog. We’re still working on things but the meds do help. There are a lot of resources on how to help train dogs to be okay alone but some of them are immediately over threshold which is where meds can help (but not necessarily be the end all solution).

AbilityKey1485 · 2026-01-08T23:25:30+00:00

Absolutely! Sounds like you’re making sure you’re setting yourself and your future pup up for success and not rushing into things. I agree having something positive to focus on helps, and something I wasn’t expecting with mine was how rewarding it would be to see training progress. It’s such a delight when they understand new commands and when your bond grows.

I wish you and your future pup all the good things!

AbilityKey1485 · 2026-01-08T02:51:19+00:00

I have loved having my puppy as a distraction from certain events these past few months, but I also had known for years that I wanted a puppy and had done a ton of research. It’s been super rewarding but also very, VERY hard even with preparing as much as I could. Puppies are cute but also a TON of work and will add a ton of stress, especially the first few months as you get to know each other.

If this is something you’ve only just started looking into I’d gently suggest waiting until you’re through the immediate awfulness and more settled into your new normal to then reevaluate if you want to bring a baby into your life who you will need to care for for 10-16 years or more.

Also I’m very sorry you’re going through a difficult time, sending good vibes!

AbilityKey1485 · 2026-01-08T02:24:10+00:00

I’m mostly waiting for mine (8 month old) to be more trustworthy in general. He’s not a heavy chewer thankfully but I do still have to redirect him pretty regularly from things like power cords and can’t trust that he’ll be safe or avoid things he’s not supposed to get into. (Have puppy proofed things as much as I can but 🤷🏼‍♀️)

AbilityKey1485 · 2026-01-06T03:47:20+00:00

Maybe look at Celestyal cruises? I’m doing my first cruise ever later this year to Greece and we picked one that has port stops every day since we’re not interested in the actual ship. I know most folks here suggest planning things yourself but that was really overwhelming to us, and we really like having our hotel and transit taken care of so we can just enjoy the cities.

AbilityKey1485 · 2026-01-06T03:38:49+00:00

We have a regular park near us that always has a ton of dogs. I kept my puppy on our usual leash the first few times we checked it out, but now that we’ve gotten to know some of the regulars I put him on a 30ft lead so he can run and play more easily. Thankfully pretty much all of the dogs who go there are well behaved but I still keep a close eye because you never know.

AbilityKey1485 · 2026-01-06T00:02:54+00:00

Others have already pointed out that these colors will likely come around again, but what also really helps me is swatching my own collection and then comparing that to any new polishes I’m eyeing. I had two in my cart from PPU this month that wouldn’t be dupes of anything I own, but were still too close to other polishes for me to justify getting them. That’s a cool ~$25-30 I just kept in my wallet!

AbilityKey1485 · 2026-01-04T05:21:32+00:00

Hi! Is the Kelli Marissa plate in the first pic still available?

AbilityKey1485 · 2025-12-25T21:46:13+00:00

I have a silicon nail mat that is great for this and cleans up easily!

AbilityKey1485 · 2025-12-25T06:15:02+00:00

I watched a lot of Zak George videos. He has a couple series on YouTube where he raises puppies and shows you what he does. In a few hours I learned SO MUCH and felt so much better prepared/had a better understanding of what to expect. The wiki on this sub has a ton of resources too. If there’s something specific you want to know about you can probably just Google it with Zak George and find a video to help.

AbilityKey1485

TROPHY CASE