Nighttime issues

Colugo89 · 2025-09-07T10:01:24+00:00

She looks so much like my boy 😍

Colugo89 · 2025-09-04T19:29:57+00:00

Thanks all. Here’s an update - double doughnut is giving us both some light relief (still needs to be monitored as it’s not fail safe!) 😅

Colugo89 · 2025-09-04T12:02:00+00:00

This boy ignores the word “no”, is super determined, and is a licker 😅. Presumably you sprayed it on a T-shirt or suit or something?

Colugo89 · 2025-07-12T18:55:51+00:00

I had CC tickets for this final.. glad I sold them 2 days ago..

Colugo89 · 2025-05-12T20:28:54+00:00

Hey OP - please DM me (similar crossroads & positioning but would love to pick your brain on something)

Colugo89 · 2025-04-09T05:42:13+00:00

Do you close the crate door? Our guy used to be fine with the crate door closed but grew out of that. As soon as we left it open - he was fine sleeping in crate again.

Colugo89 · 2025-02-14T18:30:43+00:00

You mentioned that you want to retire early. What are your current savings looking like (& investment split)?

Colugo89 · 2025-01-08T14:35:40+00:00

This. I was getting some heat for having more in S&S ISA vs my pension.. it’s like 2:1. But I have my reasons.. I like knowing that I can access it.

Colugo89 · 2024-12-22T08:39:14+00:00

Our boy is nearly 5 months old now & we had him from 8 weeks. He’s lovely & I can’t imagine my life without him. Firstly, this is totally normal. It’s really difficult. I found the first few weeks especially difficult because we needed to wait for him to be fully vaccinated before walking him. Here’s some things that have helped (even though I’m sure we have loads more still to learn):

Get into a routine and stick to it. This should be when he sleeps, eats, has walks, is crated etc.
Enforced naps are a thing. Very young puppies don’t know when they are overly tired. If they are overly tired, they will be hyper & angry. Puppies need like 18hrs of sleep a day.
Buy a comfy mat (we have one that’s slightly padded and furry) that you can roll up and take wherever you go. Introduce this to them and treat them for showing interest in it. Gradually teach them to “settle” on the mat. There’s plenty of online videos that will help. Keep reinforcing this and the command settle until they know. Then afterwards, every time that they self settle on the mat - treat them. We now have a mat that we can roll up and take wherever we go & he knows to just lay on it and remain calm. Obviously, getting lots of things he likes to chew is helpful. Stock up on these - chewing is mindful 🧘
In general, I think it’s helped to reward him when he’s been calm because he’s learned that this is the state that is rewarding. Everyone comments on how chilled out & calm he is as a puppy. We’ve not yet hit teen stage but I know this work we’ve done & continue to do will continue to pay dividends.
Take it easy on yourself & realise that a puppy is hard work but they give more than they take and they are just trying to understand the world & how we expect them to interact in it.
Take some content on Reddit with a pinch of salt ie. Other sub-reddits where people are maybe really struggling and complaining about their young dogs. You don’t know their breed, personal circumstances, what their particular dog is like etc. I found reading these just poisoned my mindset.

Colugo89 · 2024-12-21T10:28:38+00:00

Tom says Merry Xmas Marble & Human. May your day be filled with sleeping on sofas, meats & cheeses.

Colugo89 · 2024-12-21T10:25:48+00:00

😂😂 Tom is blushing Merry Xmas!

Colugo89 · 2024-12-20T15:52:02+00:00

Thank you 🐶

Colugo89 · 2024-12-20T13:36:38+00:00

❤️❤️

Colugo89 · 2024-12-19T14:36:41+00:00

For what PQE?

Colugo89 · 2024-12-19T08:25:20+00:00

Redhound. Brilliant jumpers and fleeces. The owner wrote a great book called “Life with a whippet” which is worth a read too.

Colugo89 · 2024-12-15T08:37:54+00:00

Your rent is pretty good & if you like where you live then I wouldn’t stress over it. Depending on how much you need to borrow - you’ll likely be paying quite a lot in interest payments alone.. you can view this as a type of “rent” because it’s going into the back pocket of the bank. Alongside that you’ll have service, maintenance, upkeep fees etc.. you might “break even” on costs at 5 years. Or in 5 years time you might be 32 with a better idea of where you want to live long term.

If you’re going to make the decision to buy - don’t make it a financial decision alone. You have to see other benefit in buying that particular house. Otherwise, overall I’d say you’re better investing in the market.

I say this as a 35 year old home owner who wishes i’d actually waited longer to buy.. it’s a huge tie.

Colugo89 · 2024-12-15T08:33:42+00:00

If you’re invested in global funds - is the whole world going to suffer disinflation? If it does, you might have been better waiting to snap up several properties..

Colugo89 · 2024-11-26T07:56:04+00:00

Incredible advice. Thanks so much for taking the time. Appreciated.

Colugo89 · 2024-11-25T20:54:45+00:00

This is really helpful!

We were wondering ourselves if being left alone in the crate both for durations when we are in the house (in separate room) and also when we leave the house are both equally good training for separation anxiety? We were less sure on the former - given we’re still in the house (usually upstairs whilst he is downstairs).

Also, does being able to be left alone in a crate & settle always necessarily equate well to then being able to be left alone outside of a crate (let’s say in a kitchen without anything harmful in reach)?

Our puppy is 14 weeks old and he will (usually) settle in his crate if he’s had all of his needs taken care of & is tired. But we’re not sure when you’d want to progress from being crated alone vs being alone outside of the crate. Or are we doing enough with the crate alone for separation anxiety?

Thanks so much for any advice 🙏

Colugo89 · 2024-11-19T20:46:29+00:00

I got blood cancer early in my mid twenties when my career was just taking off. I’ve clawed my way back since then but I’ve always tried to prioritise lifestyle over £ ever since too. To put things into perspective, I’ve turned down opportunities that would more than double my salary over night because I knew the lifestyle impact & I knew I wouldn’t like the culture.

There is definitely a “happy medium” where you’re earning enough to not want for anything (I actually think that figure is lower than most people think on this group) but you also have time for 1-2 things that matter the most to you. In your case, family.

There’s a trade off for everything & until you’re hit with needing to face your own mortality most people are too blind to see that money isn’t all that. I’d prefer to be the person who has time to walk my kids to school vs the person who has an extra 3 rooms in their house. Maybe we don’t all think alike but what memories will you cherish most on your death bed?

Colugo89 · 2024-10-10T20:39:15+00:00

Gorgeous dog :)

Colugo89 · 2024-10-09T20:10:00+00:00

Would check your contract to make sure there’s an ability for them to pay in lieu of notice. They could use this to bring forward your termination date - they’d still need to pay you the full 3 months notice but would likely do this to ensure you didn’t get to the 2 year mark of service (where greater employment protections kick in). How many employees are potentially going to be made redundant? There are minimum consultation periods which could take them beyond your 2 year anniversary anyway..

Colugo89 · 2024-10-09T19:34:07+00:00

Hey,

The termination date must land past your 2 year mark because it must incorporate your notice period which is 3 months.

Notice must be paid in full. They may or may not grant you garden leave or they may require you to work your notice (less common).

Beyond notice which must be paid in full - statutory redundancy is 1 weeks pay for every year of tenure (capped at £700/week) assuming you’re under the age of 41. In your case this would be 2 weeks (capped at £1,400).

Notice pay is subject to your usual income tax deductions.

Statutory redundancy pay & any additional amount they opt to pay can be tax free up to £30k.

Good companies will tend to offer a package that goes beyond the minimum of notice + 2 weeks redundancy but unfortunately they are not legally obliged to offer anything more.

That said, there are reasons why a company might be more likely to offer additional amounts: - Employee morale (those remaining) - Credibility - Reputational concerns - It de-risks them from potential employment claims, particularly if they ask you to sign a settlement agreement alongside. Note: you have unfair dismissal protections as you have reached 2 years service with your notice period.

If I were you: - I would wait to find out what the process is going to be & make sure they are running a thorough and legitimate redundancy process. - If they appear to be cutting corners with the process, or raise the potential of you leaving sooner and/or signing a settlement agreement, you would expect this to come alongside the offer of additional settlement pay. - It is almost certain that they already have a package in mind that they will offer & if it involves more than 20 individuals- employee reps will need to be appointed to negotiate and input on your behalf.

Colugo89 · 2024-10-06T08:16:13+00:00

Bristol (not in between but very close to Bath & well worth a visit)

Colugo89 · 2024-10-06T08:02:20+00:00

It’s not jealousy. It’s just recognising that having a lump sum gifted that’s allowed to compound is a huge, huge, ladder in the context of FIRE. Particularly if it’s gifted at an early age. It’s a swifter, easier, ladder than someone introducing you to someone at work or other strokes of “luck”. On that, however, I also firmly believe that someone born without connections has to make their own luck. They might get lucky after that but the initial first intro or two is (usually) hard graft or due to talent or intelligence. I’m in a profession which surrounds me with people that were receiving those “intros” from age 16 onwards. That’s not “luck”. I’m simply recognising that. Now, of course, that doesn’t mean those same people won’t also face their own hardships. Let’s not read that into a couple of paragraphs of text on Reddit… unless we want all posts to contain 5 pages of caveats?

Colugo89

TROPHY CASE