Tessa Update

Tessa is coming along beautifully! She has become so relaxed at home that the transformation is nothing short of amazing. She is still skittish in some ways, but she has overcome so much in such a short time.

One of the biggest changes is that she has bonded with me a lot more. She often comes up to me and puts her paws up and leans in to be petted. She is still wary of me moving in toward her to pet her and she usually can only handle that when she is anchored in a safe place, but more and more and more she approaches me for attention. And in the morning, she has become quite the dive bomber! She jumps up, gives kisses, and then rolls in to snuggle! And then she does it again and again and again! Once I pet her she settles in and snuggles until it is time for the morning potty break.

Tessa has passed two big milestones that have left me quite eager to start her formal training at class! A few weeks ago, I took her to the training building for our Christmas photo shoot. We did have a bit of a problem when we first got there. When I opened the car door, Tessa jumped right out and took off into the night! She came right back, but she could not come close enough for me to get the leash on her! I got Dean out of the car and fed him treats, hoping she would move in for some with him, but nothing doing! Finally, I had Dean move down into the Agility field and she followed us. She went right into the field with us and ran around with Dean while I closed the gate. Soon as the gate was closed, she walked right up and let me put the leash on her. Interesting! I'm not sure what it was about being inside a gated area that made her comfortable enough to come up to be leashed, but it's good info. I also know now not to open the car door until I have a leash on her.

After that it was smooth sailing. Once inside with the other dogs, she was immediately comfortable and interested in her surroundings. The people there knew to ignore her and she had no issues with any of them. We set the other dogs up for pictures and let her choose what to do and at first she joined them on the carpet, but the first time the camera snapped, she took off. We ignored her and continued to take pictures. She came back, but came up to me instead of joining the dogs on the carpet. We ignored her. Finally she figured out that dogs on the carpet were getting treats and she jumped in and had a blast with the rest of the photo shoot.

This is my favorite one. Tessa with her favorite sister, Maddie!



This one shows how far she has come! She actually chose to sit this close to this strange man in the strange suit!!



Tessa with all of her buddies, except Sammie. I photograph him at home because it's just easier.



And a solo shot. Not looking much like a homeless dog anymore! And she is so adorable!



The next evening we went back to the training center for a massage workshop. I had attended this before and I took Tessa, along with her buddy, Maddie, for the sole purpose of introducing her to being in a roomful of dogs and handlers. Massage workshop was perfect because there were absolutely no expectations. At first she stood and looked around and ate treats, but by the end, she was flopped on her back getting a belly rub!

Tessa LOVED that workshop! Her eyes were sparkling and her expression read, "I don't know what this is, but I LIKE IT!!" She was delighted with what she saw in the room, and she was surprisingly comfortable.

I think she is going to love training class. I plan to take Maddie along with her for the first couple of classes since she is always more confident with Maddie, but I don't think it is going to take long before she is going on her own. Or, at least, with Maddie staying in the car!

Training aside, I am mostly glad to see that Tessa is becoming a happy dog in general. She seems to be shifting from survival mode into cared for house dog mode in very short order. There are times when the survival mode kicks in, but I'm seeing that less and less. For the most part I am seeing a dog who is becoming downright content with her life. And that is something for which I am deeply grateful.