Introducing my new puppy. Her name is Néroli.

[Evilguppy]

She will eventually grow up to be my ptsd service dog, and receive additional training as medical alert (passing out) and light balance / mobility service dog.
She will also hike with us and help us make burn piles by pulling large branches and small carts.

I picked her up Friday and I am reminded that raising a puppy is very much like raising a baby, lol.
Néroli likes to chase moths, balls, and sticks.
The other day she didn’t recognize my man (he was partially hidden by a box he was carrying) and little miss thing and her full 12 lbs put herself in full guard mode, growled and barked but got all wiggly again once she recognized him.

She loves to give puppy kisses, grows like a weed and these days she mostly plays, eats and sleeps.

We have started light obedience training, she’s very good already.

I will always love and miss Patchouli, but I have great hopes with this little one, I think she would make him very proud.

My heart is full again.

 

[nikkisharif]

She will eventually grow up to be my ptsd service dog, and receive additional training as medical alert (passing out) and light balance / mobility service dog.
She will also hike with us and help us make burn piles by pulling large branches and small carts.

I picked her up Friday and I am reminded that raising a puppy is very much like raising a baby, lol.
Néroli likes to chase moths, balls, and sticks.
The other day she didn’t recognize my man (he was partially hidden by a box he was carrying) and little miss thing and her full 12 lbs put herself in full guard mode, growled and barked but got all wiggly again once she recognized him.

She loves to give puppy kisses, grows like a weed and these days she mostly plays, eats and sleeps.

We have started light obedience training, she’s very good already.

I will always love and miss Patchouli, but I have great hopes with this little one, I think she would make him very proud. //uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20181108/af3011b7946bc0ff178815d6f27b20e4.jpg

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//uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20181108/76d65639f5930be55c601ec7bc1ce907.jpg

//uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20181108/6b25a84ac0bf8d0f870d6229730104b2.jpg

My heart is full again.

She’s absolutely beautiful Congratulations

 

[bakron1]

Very cute chow hound, looks like she is going to be a great doggie

 

[Evilguppy]

Very cute chow hound, looks like she is going to be a great doggie

Thanks. She got her final round of shots today so she’s resting for now and then formal training begins tomorrow.
She’s already aced obedience training so the rest is going to be easy, I think.
She has grown a lot, today she tipped the scale at 32 lbs.

 

[Evilguppy]

Growing up still!

Today’s measurements:

Neck: 21”
Chest: 29”
Belly: 24”
Back length: 25”
Height: 23”
Over 70 lbs now.

She is now larger than Patchouli was.
Has completed all her obedience and agility trainings and is learning new tasks (for me) easily.

 

[nikkisharif]

Growing up still!

Today’s measurements:

Neck: 21”
Chest: 29”
Belly: 24”
Back length: 25”
Height: 23”
Over 70 lbs now.

She is now larger than Patchouli was.
Has completed all her obedience and agility trainings and is learning new tasks (for me) easily.

Wow!!! She’s so beautiful

 

[Evilguppy]

Wow!!! She’s so beautiful

Thank you

 

[Evilguppy]

Néroli is now a teenage girl and she just went through her first heat period. (It’s important to allow large breeds to fully grow before spaying because it puts the dog in post menopausal stage and is detrimental to their joints if their growth plates didn’t close before spaying)

We were on a trip and had to race home to keep her safely under lock and key because her scent has been sending mating signals to all the male canines (dog or... coyote ) to our home.

Miss Thing was having a helluva time understanding what was happening to her and she was quite anxious, which turned her into a destructive force all over the house.

This is what she did to the screen door in just the time for me to turn my head and look at a passing hawk. And no, she doesn’t look sorry at all

She’s calming down this morning but we’re keeping her in for a few more days.

 

[Evilguppy]

15 months old.
Néroli is now 85 lbs, still professionally trained in personal protection work, obedience and agility, as well as task training every single day with me.
She understands commands in French, English, German, Italian and Russian.
(It’s a sort of a multilingual code we came up with after some ***** tried issuing commands to her one day. She didn’t respond but that was enough of a reality check)
She knows how to retrieve my meds if needed, knows to warn me before I pass out, bring me back if I do pass out, stops triggers and panic attacks on a dime.
And she knows when to ignore people or tell them to back off.
She’s not aggressive but she will protect me when needed.
She never reacts to other dogs unless they show aggression towards me, in which case she just puts herself in between: she’s always bigger than them and they back off.
She also knows to recognize law enforcement in uniform or medical professionals, so she stays calm when they’re around. (You wouldn’t believe how many cops and EMTs were begged to give her treats to achieve that, lol)
Puppy girl has come a long, long way from the day I met her and she could fit in my hand.
Life is good

 

[Annie_M]

Awwww what a wonderful thing this is! I’m so happy for you!

 

[Evilguppy]

Awwww what a wonderful thing this is! I’m so happy for you!

Thanks, it’s been a lot of work, but all super rewarding. I still miss Patchouli a lot but Néroli has really come into her own and her personality is so much fun. I’m able to live almost normally now.
I know I’ll never be able to enjoy crowds or urban settings, but as my life is set up now, I can walk miles in the wilderness without fear, I can get sleep without nightmares and if I start panicking, she calms me down in minutes.
And I have not hit my head while fainting in at least 6 months: she’s been able to warn me and help me get down on the floor safely everytime .
And I’m a lot more confident now when I must interact with people in real life: she blocks anyone from coming too close so I’m able to breathe and think and not be crippled by fear all the time.
She won’t be considered “fully trained” for another 2 years, but her training base is super solid now.

The only problem:
Néroli’s empathetic streak is a wee bit too intense: we had a mouse problem (rural area) and she did find the mouse... but instead of killing it, she made friends with it and we saw her play bow and play growl while chasing the mouse all over the spare bedroom but made no effort to catch it
(So i had to take her on a walk while my man dealt with the mouse)

But she has no problem handling human threats so she clearly understands the difference.
It’s a journey...

 

[andysoft]

Aww. so cute "puppy" :big-hug: She will protect you all the time

 

[Speedygi]

Such a sweet darling!