Fenna - Guardian of Peace

[Alexander.Of.Oz]

Being slightly self-indulgent here, but I thought some of you may be interested in updates on "Fenna," my mental health Assistance Dog (PTSD Service Dog), whom at this point in time is even yet to be formally in-training!

I was asked to bring her home yesterday afternoon, as her mum had stopped feeding the litter about a week ago, and it's become too much for the breeder to look after the eight pups with individual feeding and other needs. The poor lady was getting no sleep whatsoever!

So, I now have a five week old bundle of joy with razor sharp puppy teeth to look after.

She's incredibly intelligent, and has already picked up outside toileting, I've been advised by the trainer I will be using to establish a half hour cycle that just gets repeated non-stop; consisting of feeding, toileting/training, playtime and sleep. She has been tested for reactions to sudden noises and movement, responding with curiosity and not fear, she even passed the fetch test, where you scrunch up a paper ball, throw it about a metre away and see if she will get it and bring it at least part of the way back to you. Fenna brought it right back to me! She follows me around the yard, with little to no enticement, and comes when called.

According to the trainer, she's about a month ahead of what would be expected of a normal pup being checked for suitability of training as an Assistance Dog.

Last night she slept in a soft carry-case, next to me for the first part of the night, but after about the fourth cycle of taking her outside for the toilet she refused to settle back in, so she slept on the bed cuddled up with us for the remainder of the night. Getting up every forty minutes or so throughout the night is all new to me, I never had children of my own. Apparently, this should only last another few weeks, and she will then sleep longer and longer as she develops more control of her bladder.

Here's a few frames of her from when she first got back here yesterday evening, asleep on one of my t-shirts. The calm before the storm!

And she has accepted her little house as the place to sleep every time! This will make crate training really easy, both as a means of transporting her and having her sleep in it for the first few months.

 

[The Bad Guy]

Very cute.

 

[kenoh]

Being slightly self-indulgent here, but I thought some of you may be interested in updates on "Fenna," my mental health Assistance Dog (PTSD Service Dog), whom at this point in time is even yet to be formally in-training!

I was asked to bring her home yesterday afternoon, as her mum had stopped feeding the litter about a week ago, and it's become too much for the breeder to look after the eight pups with individual feeding and other needs. The poor lady was getting no sleep whatsoever!

So, I now have a five week old bundle of joy with razor sharp puppy teeth to look after.

She's incredibly intelligent, and has already picked up outside toileting, I've been advised by the trainer I will be using to establish a half hour cycle that just gets repeated non-stop; consisting of feeding, toileting/training, playtime and sleep. She has been tested for reactions to sudden noises and movement, responding with curiosity and not fear, she even passed the fetch test, where you scrunch up a paper ball, throw it about a metre away and see if she will get it and bring it at least part of the way back to you. Fenna brought it right back to me! She follows me around the yard, with little to no enticement, and comes when called.

According to the trainer, she's about a month ahead of what would be expected of a normal pup being checked for suitability of training as an Assistance Dog.

Last night she slept in a soft carry-case, next to me for the first part of the night, but after about the fourth cycle of taking her outside for the toilet she refused to settle back in, so she slept on the bed cuddled up with us for the remainder of the night. Getting up every forty minutes or so throughout the night is all new to me, I never had children of my own. Apparently, this should only last another few weeks, and she will then sleep longer and longer as she develops more control of her bladder.

Here's a few frames of her from when she first got back here yesterday evening, asleep on one of my t-shirts. The calm before the storm!

And she has accepted her little house as the place to sleep every time! This will make crate training really easy, both as a means of transporting her and having her sleep in it for the first few months.

Adorable... Just watch the sleeping on the bed. Remember this is the smallest she will ever be and she will love a good quality pillow. Whennthe chips fall, you WILL lose. Your partner will go for the cuddle something cute over you option everytime... So either get usednto the sofa or dont Fenna get used to the bed.

Note: all of my dogs have always slept on my bed. I am not one of these dogs belong outside types.

She is absolutely beautiful mate. Looks like you have got yourself a little winner there. If it means we see more of her then self indulge away I say...

 

[Alexander.Of.Oz]

Very cute.

Ya' big softy, Adam! They are special dogs!

Adorable... Just watch the sleeping on the bed. Remember this is the smallest she will ever be and she will love a good quality pillow. Whennthe chips fall, you WILL lose. Your partner will go for the cuddle something cute over you option everytime... So either get usednto the sofa or dont Fenna get used to the bed.

Note: all of my dogs have always slept on my bed. I am not one of these dogs belong outside types.

She is absolutely beautiful mate. Looks like you have got yourself a little winner there. If it means we see more of her then self indulge away I say...

The sleeping on the bed will only be for a few weeks, if that, just to acclimatise her to her new digs. It's a pretty big move from your seven litter-mates to just being by yourself! Plus, her snoring is actually quite cute, well, everything about her is pretty damn cute right now! I am managing to remain level headed though, with training and all that's associated with that being my primary focus with her, but when playtime comes, we play hard!

My partner is the one who keeps reminding me that we are dealing with something nearing the size of a small tiger here, and we don't have a kingsize bed to accommodate her as well. She's actually really good about it all.

 

[deep diver]

Being slightly self-indulgent here, but I thought some of you may be interested in updates on "Fenna," my mental health Assistance Dog (PTSD Service Dog), whom at this point in time is even yet to be formally in-training!

I was asked to bring her home yesterday afternoon, as her mum had stopped feeding the litter about a week ago, and it's become too much for the breeder to look after the eight pups with individual feeding and other needs. The poor lady was getting no sleep whatsoever!

So, I now have a five week old bundle of joy with razor sharp puppy teeth to look after.

She's incredibly intelligent, and has already picked up outside toileting, I've been advised by the trainer I will be using to establish a half hour cycle that just gets repeated non-stop; consisting of feeding, toileting/training, playtime and sleep. She has been tested for reactions to sudden noises and movement, responding with curiosity and not fear, she even passed the fetch test, where you scrunch up a paper ball, throw it about a metre away and see if she will get it and bring it at least part of the way back to you. Fenna brought it right back to me! She follows me around the yard, with little to no enticement, and comes when called.

According to the trainer, she's about a month ahead of what would be expected of a normal pup being checked for suitability of training as an Assistance Dog.

Last night she slept in a soft carry-case, next to me for the first part of the night, but after about the fourth cycle of taking her outside for the toilet she refused to settle back in, so she slept on the bed cuddled up with us for the remainder of the night. Getting up every forty minutes or so throughout the night is all new to me, I never had children of my own. Apparently, this should only last another few weeks, and she will then sleep longer and longer as she develops more control of her bladder.

Here's a few frames of her from when she first got back here yesterday evening, asleep on one of my t-shirts. The calm before the storm!

And she has accepted her little house as the place to sleep every time! This will make crate training really easy, both as a means of transporting her and having her sleep in it for the first few months.

It looks like she is already making a difference for you.
[doublepost=1530441422][/doublepost]

My partner is the one who keeps reminding me that we are dealing with something nearing the size of a small tiger here, and we don't have a kingsize bed to accommodate her as well. She's actually really good about it all.

Sounds to me like it's time to get a new bed.
[doublepost=1530441646][/doublepost]

The sleeping on the bed will only be for a few weeks

I'm pretty sure Fenna will decide that, not you.

 

[Alexander.Of.Oz]

It looks like she is already making a difference for you.

She's really opened up a soft side of myself, melted my heart, so to speak! I'm really looking forward to having her deep pressure application at times when I dissociate. That's going to be way more effective than a support or peer-worker ever could be for me, and way better from a financial standpoint too! I can see that she's going to allow me the ability to get out of the house again too. There's many layers of benefit to her presence in my life.

Sounds to me like it's time to get a new bed.

The queen-size is plenty big enough, for now...

I'm pretty sure Fenna will decide that, not you.

I have to actually be the one in control with this, she is an Assistance / Service Dog and not a pet after all. So once she has fully settled in, as hard as it might be, she'll be back on the floor beside me again. We'll just allow her the time to get settled in properly first, I was expecting a miracle putting her on the floor last night, especially for her first night here being away from her siblings. The trainer mentioned today not to put her down on the floor and then pick her up during the night, as it could establish a pattern of her thinking she can get what she wants if she wines, or howls, like she did last night. It's actually better to have her on the bed for a couple of weeks, just to settle in, and then to put her on the floor, once she's fully settled in, as she will be able to accept that then. At the moment, she's still a baby.

 

[mollyc]

So smooshy and adorable!

 

[kenoh]

Ya' big softy, Adam! They are special dogs!


The sleeping on the bed will only be for a few weeks, if that, just to acclimatise her to her new digs. It's a pretty big move from your seven litter-mates to just being by yourself! Plus, her snoring is actually quite cute, well, everything about her is pretty damn cute right now! I am managing to remain level headed though, with training and all that's associated with that being my primary focus with her, but when playtime comes, we play hard!

My partner is the one who keeps reminding me that we are dealing with something nearing the size of a small tiger here, and we don't have a kingsize bed to accommodate her as well. She's actually really good about it all.

she is really quite good about it all.... - yeah because she knows you are getting the boot mate... it's her and Fenna... game over...

lol... LOVE it! This is going to be a beautiful thing... and yes I agree... she seems to be having a positive affect on you already... long may it continue... not, I might add that at any point I thought you were in need of help mate. Hope that is received with the positive intent I want it to.
[doublepost=1530462082][/doublepost]

I'm pretty sure Fenna will decide that, not you.

It's cute he thinks he still has a say though right?
[doublepost=1530462205][/doublepost]

She's really opened up a soft side of myself, melted my heart, so to speak! I'm really looking forward to having her deep pressure application at times when I dissociate. That's going to be way more effective than a support or peer-worker ever could be for me, and way better from a financial standpoint too! I can see that she's going to allow me the ability to get out of the house again too. There's many layers of benefit to her presence in my life.


The queen-size is plenty big enough, for now...


I have to actually be the one in control with this, she is an Assistance / Service Dog and not a pet after all. So once she has fully settled in, as hard as it might be, she'll be back on the floor beside me again. We'll just allow her the time to get settled in properly first, I was expecting a miracle putting her on the floor last night, especially for her first night here being away from her siblings. The trainer mentioned today not to put her down on the floor and then pick her up during the night, as it could establish a pattern of her thinking she can get what she wants if she wines, or howls, like she did last night. It's actually better to have her on the bed for a couple of weeks, just to settle in, and then to put her on the floor, once she's fully settled in, as she will be able to accept that then. At the moment, she's still a baby.

I havent got the mental strength to not cave in. I am a softie with all dogs....

 

[Alexander.Of.Oz]

So smooshy and adorable!

On the outside, but on the inside, she's all razor blades! My nose, eyelids, ears, lips and fingers are all battle-scarred already from her waking, then leaping at me when she wants to play. There's nothing quite like being awoken by puppy teeth firmly latched to your nostril and sharp puppy claws scratching at your eyelids!

she is really quite good about it all.... - yeah because she knows you are getting the boot mate... it's her and Fenna... game over...

I know you jest! She actually has a little Tenterfield Terrier, and a predilection for the smaller breeds of dogs.

lol... LOVE it! This is going to be a beautiful thing... and yes I agree... she seems to be having a positive affect on you already... long may it continue... not, I might add that at any point I thought you were in need of help mate. Hope that is received with the positive intent I want it to.

I get you, Ken. I'm lucky that my living with six constant auditory hallucinations, the dissociating -- where I go out of myself randomly -- as a part of my living with complex trauma's and complex PTSD and the social anxieties don't impact upon my ability to be cognitive, for the main part. The greater majority of people I meet never have any idea of the turmoil going on within. It's like living in a waking dream that straddles reality and illusion.

It's cute he thinks he still has a say though right?

She spent last night snuggled up in my arms, with her body under the Doona and her head on my pillow, pressed into my cheek. I'm not under her control in the slightest...

I havent got the mental strength to not cave in. I am a softie with all dogs....

This one has to be trained right, and doing that in simple ways to establish certain behaviours from a very early age is the aim here. So that the Assistance Dog training can commence from maybe six months of age. Puppy school will start at 7 or 8 weeks of age, for four weeks and then straight into the local dog obedience classes.

 

[kenoh]

On the outside, but on the inside, she's all razor blades! My nose, eyelids, ears, lips and fingers are all battle-scarred already from her waking, then leaping at me when she wants to play. There's nothing quite like being awoken by puppy teeth firmly latched to your nostril and sharp puppy claws scratching at your eyelids!


I know you jest! She actually has a little Tenterfield Terrier, and a predilection for the smaller breeds of dogs.


I get you, Ken. I'm lucky that my living with six constant auditory hallucinations, the dissociating -- where I go out of myself randomly -- as a part of my living with complex trauma's and complex PTSD and the social anxieties don't impact upon my ability to be cognitive, for the main part. The greater majority of people I meet never have any idea of the turmoil going on within. It's like living in a waking dream that straddles reality and illusion.


She spent last night snuggled up in my arms, with her body under the Doona and her head on my pillow, pressed into my cheek. I'm not under her control in the slightest...


This one has to be trained right, and doing that in simple ways to establish certain behaviours from a very early age is the aim here. So that the Assistance Dog training can commence from maybe six months of age. Puppy school will start at 7 or 8 weeks of age, for four weeks and then straight into the local dog obedience classes.

You are right, I do jest, it is a beautiful thing to see you bonding. Fantastic mate so very happy you will get some internal peace.

 

[oblomow]

This is cute! Good luck you two in your hunt for peace.

 

[The Bad Guy]

Ya' big softy, Adam! They are special dogs!

Even bad guys have soft spots for puppy dogs.

I expect to see plenty of K9 spam from you as she grows. Here's the first photo I took of my (then) little guy.

 

[Alexander.Of.Oz]

Even bad guys have soft spots for puppy dogs.

I expect to see plenty of K9 spam from you as she grows. Here's the first photo I took of my (then) little guy.

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He's a handsome fella! You can be guaranteed of plenty of K9 spam.

Here's an initial exploration of an idea I had whilst walking my little lady around some of the wilder parts of our block. I'll play with this further and with a better vantage point when I get the opportunity.

 

[Cheese&Apple]

What an amazing story about a wonderful and very cute companion that is evolving here.

On the outside, but on the inside, she's all razor blades! My nose, eyelids, ears, lips and fingers are all battle-scarred already from her waking, then leaping at me when she wants to play. There's nothing quite like being awoken by puppy teeth firmly latched to your nostril and sharp puppy claws scratching at your eyelids!

LOL, I've had dogs all my life (most from pups in the 8 to 10 week range) and equate the puppy experience to giving a sharp pair of scissors to a young child and saying "have at it". With hindsight, I wouldn't change a thing.

~ Peter

 

[Alexander.Of.Oz]

What an amazing story about a wonderful and very cute companion that is evolving here.

LOL, I've had dogs all my life (most from pups in the 8 to 10 week range) and equate the puppy experience to giving a sharp pair of scissors to a young child and saying "have at it". With hindsight, I wouldn't change a thing.

~ Peter

I'm in the process of creating a blog about her journey to becoming an incredible piece of assistance technology for me. www.fenna.dog

She definitely has the "cute factor" in abundance, Peter!

She's my first puppy, I was always a rescue cat person, with my two lasting 20 and 18 years. Loved the child with scissors analogy!

I reckon she's settling in quite fast. On the first night I got up 8 times between 11:30pm and 6am, Sunday night only 6 times, and last night only 4 times! All with the complete cycle of toilet training, feeding, playtime and then the blissful sleep whilst my body recovers from the brutalising it just got in playtime! She is slowly learning not to bite me, but that she can chew on one of the multiple chew-toys she has to select from. Seems she has a preference for a soft rubber one impregnated with vanilla scent, well, as a second choice after me.

 

[Alexander.Of.Oz]

More puppy cuteness for you all. Now just turned 6 weeks of age, she has put on over a kilogram of weight this last week. Here's a collection of captures of her taken today, with her doing what she loves to do, snoozing, chewing, chewing some more (at least it wasn't on me this time), asking to play, and helping to weed the garden.

 

[kenoh]

More puppy cuteness for you all. Now just turned 6 weeks of age, she has put on over a kilogram of weight this last week. Here's a collection of captures of her taken today, with her doing what she loves to do, snoozing, chewing, chewing some more (at least it wasn't on me this time), asking to play, and helping to weed the garden.

Oh man she is beautiful. Her face in the weed the garden shot is wonderful.

 

[Alexander.Of.Oz]

Oh man she is beautiful. Her face in the weed the garden shot is wonderful.

That's my fave from these too, Ken! She has a thing for helping to pull out baby Soursob's for some reason, roots and all.

 

[Alexander.Of.Oz]

A few more from the weekend just gone, when she just turned 8 weeks old on Saturday, including one with her (step) brother and sister. She already towers over them! She's put on well over a Kilogram a week so far and now weighs 6.3 Kg's, the paws have just this last 2 weeks become massive, and her legs are so thick and stocky compared to the other 2 dogs here. There seems to be a theme of chewing in these images, surprise, surprise...

 

[kenoh]

A few more from the weekend just gone, when she just turned 8 weeks old on Saturday, including one with her (step) brother and sister. She already towers over them! She's put on well over a Kilogram a week so far and now weighs 6.3 Kg's, the paws have just this last 2 weeks become massive, and her legs are so thick and stocky compared to the other 2 dogs here. There seems to be a theme of chewing in these images, surprise, surprise...

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OMG she is so cute!

 

[Alexander.Of.Oz]

OMG she is so cute!

I love the slightly manic look she gets when she shows the whites of her eyes, like in #4 & #5 above of this last lot.

 

[mollyc]

Is she living with you full time now?

 

[Alexander.Of.Oz]

Is she living with you full time now?

She has been with us since the end of June, Molly. The mum stopped feeding them at 3 weeks of age, and the breeder needed us to take them a couple of weeks later, as she couldn't keep up the constant care of 8 pups on a continuous basis. So, I've had her for 3.5 weeks now.

 

[kenoh]

A few more from the weekend just gone, when she just turned 8 weeks old on Saturday, including one with her (step) brother and sister. She already towers over them! She's put on well over a Kilogram a week so far and now weighs 6.3 Kg's, the paws have just this last 2 weeks become massive, and her legs are so thick and stocky compared to the other 2 dogs here. There seems to be a theme of chewing in these images, surprise, surprise...

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I love the one where she is chewing the black fibre matting in the garden. That look in her eye of mischief and “He he, I haven’t been spotted yet!”.... so adorable.

 

[mollyc]

Since she is going to be your service dog, when wil she have her training? Will she be sent away for that? Or are you doing the training?