Boarding Tessa--Leap of Faith

[Catia]

So last night was Tessa's 1st time ever being away from home, I am doing a 1 night trial overnight to prepare her for a 2-3 week boarding that is coming up.

I will pick her up this afternoon.

I'm in Pa & didn't find much I could stand, in good conscience, but I managed to find an absolutely wonderful place in West Virginia, which is about an hour or so drive.
I am praying (and am not religious) that this works out.

Tessa, being 1/2 golden retriever, will be boarded with a seriously beautiful lot of goldens. She's got a soft side & I want to keep it that way. I worked really hard with her socialization, so we shall see. Plus, Tessa mimicks what other dogs do-she only needs to SEE it once--so I want to not have her boarded with dogs with 'off behavior' LOL.
I am so impressed with this woman's property, & her dogs, & she boards the pups she sells if the owners go away.
I can't say enough good things about how she runs things, the place is so clean & the dogs healthy/happy.

She also has recently started up an actual boarding facility that is not on the farm, & that is really nice too, but if Tessa makes it through her 'trials', she'll get to stay on this lovely farm with a bunch of well bred/well trained/well behaved dogs, & will hopefully be more of a vacation for her than boarding.

The trails are my idea, to monitor how stressed she gets about the situation.

Tessa, as a pup was so so stoic, but has become so much more expressive. Her temperament is unshakable. Never saw a dog so consistant.
Since she's gotten older--she's slightly over 1 1/2 now, & I see all of this expression, I was SUPRISED that the breeder saw her as stoic!!!!

On Tessa's 1st visit, she walked right in like she'd always been there & just joined in with the crowd, which was at times 30 dogs--since it was a 'socialization Saturday' that the woman holds for pups she breeds.

Breeder commented on how surprised she was at how she was just taking it all in like she belonged there. She said "she's got to be stressed with all of these dogs, but her temperament & behavior is just wonderful. She's really not showing any of it, not even the salivation, & just jumps right in"

I commented on her other 1/2 being livestock guardian, & she commented "yes, she's really very stoic" & I just laughed & said--"you should've seen her as a pup-she's incredibly expressive now".
She said Tessa is hiding her stress, but I explained I don't feel she is that stressed, if she's stressed she shows a little hyper-ness & Tessa was just happy go lucky, not high strung.

Tessa isn't near as stoic as her pure bred gr pyr buddy up the street, whom it took a year to show signs of "happy to see you Tessa" in the form of happy tail wags when he sees her--
This happen ONLY IF it's only his owner & I...if there's others around, it's all hidden lol.

All of the kennels on this farm are so clean, & dogs can go in/out when they want to & get fresh air & sun.

Due to a miscommunication, owner didn't know I was arriving, & she's filled to the max, but though Tessa would do just fine sharing a kennel with a very mellow & sweet female, & she moved some pooches around to accommodate her.

This was the ONLY part I was worried about--being boarded in the same kennel with a female. There has been issue in the past with other females confronting Tessa.
It's never been Tessa starting anything EVER, but she did correct the last female...& it was a bit scary to see her flip & pin a pooch as big as her with little effort. The owner wasn't pleased, but he let his dog off leash & it ran right towards me & it was late dusk.

Anyway, we let the girls hand out & run around & get to know each others for a hour or two to get familiar & to see if there was any issue while owner was feeding/watering & cleaning up.
We followed her around a bit & checked out other kennels while she did her nigh cleaning. All are so much better than anything I've seen, & I went to a LOT of places. No poop/pee smells, no chemical/bleach over pee smells--she custom built these small buildings with inside/outside access & really is meticulous about how she keeps them.

Hardest part was leaving Tessa. I worry that she will freak out & try to get loose. I worry that she won't be OK with the other dog. I worry when she lets them all out that Tessa will escape through the fence & UGH--it's an awful feeling.

Only thing I could do was to allow a leap of faith. This woman knows what she is doing, & at the end of the day, I need to know Tessa can be boarded for a couple of weeks & so, I had to put on my big girl pants & leave... AT about 10pm lol.

I got a text a couple of hours later--my phone went off & I panicked--Text said "Tessa is doing just fine--don't worry"--so with that, I went to bed!

This afternoon I will go get her & get full report Let's hope it is a success.

 

[ruthcatrin]

Woohoo! You found a place! Which is probly a good thing cause I had this mental image of Apollo teaching her to guard if I took her!

 

[Catia]

Honestly Ruth, I wouldn't mind Apollo teaching her some 'guard'--followed by a bark--all she does is this silent unmovable posturing thing here in my neighborhood-but it does make people move to the other side of the street or give her a wide berth.

She's not felt the need to do any posturing-not once at the kennel, and as far as I have seen, none of the females have any issues with her.

So picked her up yesterday, all was well, no issues. She wasn't even barky at night--but owner said she did howl. So I know she was sad/stressed, cuz that never happens unless she is. Owner said she howled when the mule brayed or whatever that sound is called.
Tessa's howls are the saddest thing you ever heard-makes me wanna cry when I hear it! It's a soft low long howl, like she's trying to muffle it, trying to cry quietly, the sound of a broken heart.

This is the 1st time Tessa has not watched 'March of the Penguins' and been in the room with me to sleep--She was outside in a very large kennel, had a senior girl in there with her, & a window looking into the barn with the puppies so at least she wasn't all alone. And by the light of the moon, she could see the other pooches, & had fresh country air.
She slept like a rock for the rest of yesterday & most of today.

It's such a difference seeing Tessa with the dogs on the farm compared to the local dogs here in the 'hood--her farm dogs are all trained & good & it's a different world, & I see Tessa just relax & play & hang out.

I think the only time she was stressed was being overnight after I left.

She's got the drill down pat it seems, she understands the owner is the boss & followed her around quite a bit observing what she does & checking out every dog along the way.

I wouldn't mind spending a few weeks there, hell, I could throw a cot in one of the kennel buildings & just relax myself with the dogs--it's actually that nice!

I believe Tessa had wiggled her way into the owners heart. My lil 1/2 breed!!!
It was made clear to me by one of her employees, if I ever thought of giving her up for any reason to please bring back there--which really startled me at 1st--I hope they don't think I'm trying to get rid of her off-handedly.

Sigh, it's hard enough for me to board her, I seriously considered flying her across the country with me. Give her up? Not a chance. She's my Snootchie-Bootchie.

 

[ruthcatrin]

My vet ever so firmly informed me that if I ever couldn't keep Apollo she'd take him in a heart beat! I just smiled, but I do think its meant to be a compliment!

Glad she did well!

 

[Catia]

So Ruth, & others--I am curious about her behavior at the farm--

She's seriously observant & really paid attention to how things operate, with no assistance from me--she likes to figure things out.(even when she's 'conserving energy).
I actually believe she enjoyed hanging out with the dogs, even when it was overwhelmingly crowded, I don't think she was 'masking' stress, I think she was truly happy to join in & play. *I however WAS stressed*

She mimicks the behavior of the other dogs so much--it's just crazy to see it, especially when there's 20 dogs around & they are all basically trained the same way & do all of the same things to begin with.

I've seen her mimick other dogs before, but this is on a grander scale.

She's watches how they share the balls, & share food during feedings, where people go, she now mimicks the retrievers body language to a T when she's playing.

I understand MOST of this is her wanting communication with the other pooches, or I assume it is, but I've not had a dog that has done this before. My last girl didn't mimick anyone, so I never had to think about it, and she was superb with all animals.

It was wonderful seeing her play with other females & have no issues.

One older female retriever gets 'snarly' if Tessa runs towards her too fast head on, like when she's returning from a fetch, so Tessa will turn to the side, then circle back around & give her a sideways face sniff & lick the other dogs lips once & go about her business. No posturing from either bitch.
So she is letting the other pooch know she is submitting to her right?

I feel like right now, I have a 'petri dish' of pooches & the ability to observe Tessa's full potential with other dogs, so I want to be sure what I'm seeing.

Back here, in my 'hood--things don't go that way EVER with ANY of the females in my neighborhood. They are all aggressive, less 1 or 2 new puppies in the neighborhood, & just give it time... I realize Tessa is reacting (posturing)because she feels she must.

To be fair, comparing the dogs in my neighborhood isn't in the same league with a large group of professionally trained/socialized dogs. But it's nice to be able to compare her reactions in both situations & to know what it all boils down to, getting both ends of the spectrum.

A large majority of the dogs here in my 'hood are untrained, or back street mutts, or older rescues, or not properly socialized. There's only 2 pooches in the neighborhood I trust to let her play with, & I don't see them near enough.

 

[ruthcatrin]

There may also be a facet of "home is RIGHT THERE and I must PROTECT IT" when she's dealing with dogs around home.

But yah, if you needed proof that she's FINE with properly socialized dogs and is just less tolerant of brats and jerks I think you've got it.

Apollo mimics, if he sees a dog get something he wants he'll perform like they did. Course, god forbid I try to get him to do it on command, but thats a different issue....

If you can, it might be worth your time to see if you can arrange occasional playdates with this woman's dogs, even after the need for kenneling is done.

 

[Catia]

"Apollo mimics, if he sees a dog get something he wants he'll perform like they did. Course, god forbid I try to get him to do it on command, but thats a different issue...."
^^^^^^^
Yep.
At the farm, she fetched every time. Her recall was really good too.
When we went to the field last night, she couldn't be bothered to do one proper fetch. She did run after the ball, then layed down in the middle of the field with it.

I just don't get it. It's like she wants a group to perform for.
Enter in strangers & other dogs & she really 'turns on the charm'.

On the way back from the field there were the 3 little street kids that are always out unsupervised(even at night). We were in the park, almost dark.
The 2 boys stand about eye level with Tessa-so very young kids-and 1 girl maybe 10. I had the tennis ball in my hand & the boys were insistant on wanting to play fetch with her--I told them she probably wouldn't want to fetch.
Nope--she retrieved for them EVERY time. AND she GIVES them the ball, drops it at their feet, if they stand still.

So I guess now, after over a year & 1/2 of trying to figure out her motivations, one thing has been consistant--I can count on her showing off to others. That's her 'thing'.
I just don't know why or understand the motivation behind it.

 

[ruthcatrin]

My very first conformation handling class with Apollo. I'd brought treats, but he was being his usual self and refusing to do the dumb lab stare at the treat for stacking. The instructor told me I needed different treats. I told her it didn't matter what I brought, he wasn't food driven and just didn't care enough about treats "see?" as I offered him a treat. At which point my giant fluffy brat proceeded to do the dumb lab stare at my hand till I gave him the treat. *headdesk* He has, of course, never done it again........

 

[Catia]

Haha!
It's maddening & I just don't get it. --She could give a shit about pleasing me--I'm old news. I barely even get a tail wag when I come home.
Perhaps I'd not feel it was personal if she didn't seem to live to please others!

 

[Catia]

*Disclaimer*
*I am totally self absorbed right now, stressing about my upcoming surgery, just 1 week away.*
*I am also obsessing & stressed out about boarding Tessa for a few weeks*

We have done multiple "trails" at the breeder's farm (her home), did an over night, & then a 2 night stay this past weekend.

Everything has gone well, much better than I ever expected, actually.
Tessa is like a freakin chameleon.
I've never seen a dog adapt like she has been doing.
You'd think she knew this place her entire life.
She seems to have learned how things work there & fits herself right in with the owners other pooches, which are all golden retrievers, and a jack russel.

I'm lucky in that the breeder/owner seems to have taken quite a liking to Tessa, & Tessa seems to like her as well.
This means that Tessa will be boarded at the breeder's home-with her own dogs (and horses/camel/zedonk etc)

Should any problems arise, breeder will take her to the actual boarding facility that she owns.
The actual boarding facility is the nicest one I've seen around. I've been to about 10 in person. All dogs at this facility have indoor/outdoor access at their own discretion, it's clean, nice & well maintained.

The last thing I expected was for the breeder to take Tessa at her home/farm.

Now the 2 night overnight stay went well, though Tessa howled at night & I know she only does this when she's sad or stressed.
She's not used to sleeping in a kennel, with the sounds of the great outdoors.
She's used to sleeping in a bed, in front of her television, & watching March of the Penguins every night before bed.
These kennels are huge, & clean, they are actual out buildings, with fenced in areas. Big enough to accomodate a person. She has the other pooches close, can see the wildlife & farm animals.

I'm worried about things like Tessa's stress/sadness/anxiety of being seperated from me. I have no idea how this will affect her behavior after the boarding.

When I picked her up yesterday, I let her out & she was off leash & she didn't go more than 3 feet from me & kept turning around to make sure I was there. She WANTED to run to greet my XBF who was 30 yards away at the car, but didn't. I watched her struggle with her decision, she wasn't leaving mom...

This turning around to check where I am is a totally NEW behavior.

Every other pooch I've had ALWAYS did this, but Tessa never did.
She's quite independent, does her own thing & I honestly couldn't train her to look to me for direction on her own, I tried--Tessa not looking to me for direction was one of those things I had to 'accept' was part of her personality.
It was not something I accepted without a fight--her stubbornness to be independent wore me down, & I was the one who accepted that was how she was going to be.

I'm not sure exactly what I'm stressing about here, I guess it's something changed in her personality, & I can SEE it.
Tessa's overnight trials shook her world as she knew it & changed how she thinks about things.
I've always been there, & now I'm not, & she's dealing with it, but isn't sure, & I can see/feel her uncertainty right now. Since normally Tessa shows so little, this is huge.

I can't avoid boarding her, will be 3 weeks, maybe more, depending on my return date & recovery.
I won't be able to walk her for a while, so I might board her for an extra bit of time.

When we got home, I let her into the yard, she dug up a bone I did not know she burried & came right back in, hid it under my sofa cushion & went to sleep on the other side of the sofa.
She slept like the dead all yesterday & is very lazy today & staying close.

I'm also afraid she might escape, or get loose. Not sure if this is rational or not. But it's a huge FEAR.

Tessa still respects all barriers.
LOL I still have baby gates in the house, & take them with me when I go to someone elses place. She respects them, even if they are not attached. She's not tried to escape the yard. She knows how to remove them, knows she can go over or through, but doesn't, unless she feels she 'needs' to.
It's the feeling of 'needing' to escape that worries me. A few days might be OK, but I think after a week, that might change.

I have a previous experience with my last girl that is sitting on my mind.

My last girl had to be boarded at my dad's for a few months due to an emergency move situation.
She was with my dad & all was well, zero behavioral issues.
I was gone for 2 months. I came home & visited her at my father's.
All hell broke loose after I left. She berzerked & did everything in her power to escape & destroyed a lot in the house in an effort to get back to me. She actually did escape & my father managed to catch her.
The howling & crying was so bad & for days that my own father asked me not to come visit him at the house unless I was ready to take her.
He said she sounded like she was being tortured & it was the worst thing he ever heard come from a dog.
Took him a week to get her settled & to not cry all night, & she could no longer be allowed unsupervised time in the yard or in rooms with windows she could reach, because she'd break through them.
So, with that previous experience, I'm a bit stressed.

I know Tessa is quite different from my last girl, but I do not know where her limits are.

 

[ruthcatrin]

Well if you had any doubts still that she's bonded to you I think you can stop worrying about it.

Its hard to say how boarding will affect her till you do it. She may settle in fine after a few days, or she could be stressed the entire time.

And yah, its a, well, terror is the only word, of mine. That I'll leave the dogs in the care of someone and they'll escape, either just because or because they're looking for me, and then not be able to be caught.......

 

[Catia]

Ya, that's it exactly.

Being that I was in that exact position with my last girl, I worry a lot more.
I know it seems irrational, but in my personal experience, I'm being realistic/logical.

If I could have it my way, I'd have my surgery performed here, & do my recovery on the farm where Tessa be staying-the house is big enough LOL- & it's just a great place with the dogs & other animals & land. I don't like to leave there, the whole set up has me rethinking what I'd rather be doing with my life--but as luck would have it--there's no time for that now.

Taking Tessa back out there sometime today, as it's now all down to the wire, & I'm wrapping up loose ends.

The pressure of the surgery, trying to get dr's on the same page in a timely fashion, insurance companies, work issues & FMLA, trying to prepare the house, the travel & everything it entails is overwhelming. I have to force myself to focus, am running on empty, because 4 weeks is not enough time to prepare for everything if you've got to work, there aren't enough hours in the day. And then there's the unknown--which sucks.
I'm on the verge of a mental breakdown, but there isn't any time.
Got my big-girl pants on.
Hoping I don't lose my mind, any of my organs, or my dog/cats/job/house...

 

[Catia]

Everything went better than planned, both the surgery & boarding Tessa.

Went to get her today, gave her a bath & brought her home.
She's sleeping on the sofa. She made some friends both canine & human.
Even has requests for playdates!

Yay!!

 

[looby73]

Thats excellent news. Well done Tessa.
Hope you're recovering ok from your surgery too.

 

[ruthcatrin]

Yay! And it over and she's home and yay!

 

[Catia]

Tessa has lost some weight, no surprise there, as she was 3 weeks away from home & running around playing a LOT more than she does at home since she always had other pooches to play with.

I was told she settled in & just played all day-which totally different than home, where she's a bit of a couch potato when we aren't out.

I opted to just let the owner feed Tessa what she feeds her own dogs, mainly because Tessa LOVED the food & had zero issues eating it, & seemed to have no bowel issues even with an immediate food switch with no transition period when I did the 'test overnight visits'.

I feed Orijen, owner feeds Purina One lamb & rice & is adament about loving that food, to the point where discussion was almost off the table, despite the research I'd explained I had done.
Also, I didn't want Tessa to have to eat seperately since she was immediately accepting of the new food & was fine with eating with the other pooches, so this was actually 2 less things to worry about...accepting of the food & no resource guarding...

All things being put into (my twisted) perspective, I looked at it like sending my kid to summer camp for a few weeks-yeah, she'd be eating things I'd not choose to feed, but everything else was optimal, the environment, the other playmates being such good dogs, no bad influences , clean country air...

I knew I'd have hell to pay with her coat, change in food seems to affect her coat immediately. But damn, her coat is a hot mess & she feels so boney.

I think Tessa wasn't eating enough considering her mass (big bones) & the caloric change between foods, & heightened activity level.
This was something I didn't consider. She was eating the same as the full grown golden retrievers basically, but she is bigger & thicker in mass than they are, & at 1.5+ yrs, still a pup even if she is a 1/2 breed.

To look at her, I can easily see the weight change, whereas with all of her fur, no one else would. She is built like a TM.
Since her fur stands up, & also she has some big curls/waves, Tessa tends to look a little "thick" & has a 'badunkadonk' rear end.
A few months ago, even the vet commented he thought Tessa was over weight, as soon as we walked into the office.
Vet pegged Tessa at 120+lbs on appearance--I told him it was the way her fur stands off her body--He was pushy about it--(read:a bit pissy)-I told him to feel her & then we weighed her...After that, even the vet agreed it was just the appearance of her fur--ONLY AFTER weighing her & giving her a good feel--she was 96lbs then-but her fur makes her look a good 20-30 lbs larger & he was surprised at her actual weight.

To feel her now is another issue entirely, when giving her a bath, she just felt so boney & has lost some muscle mass. She *appears* normal size due to her coat--even with her coat so thin & blown it still makes her look thicker than she is.

So I need to get the weight back on her.
I was sent home with about 4-5 cups of Purina One, & I have a bag of Orijen.
Last night & this morning, Tessa won't touch the Orijen--Did a 'taste test'-both foods side by side-even with the Orijen covered with a cup of warm beef gravy--WTF?!?!?!?!
Never saw Tessa turn down ANYTHING covered in gravy...
She has eaten everything else I have offered her, but won't even acknowledge the Orijen-but ate the Purina One DRY without hesitation.

So what do I do?
I know if I wait it out, & Tessa doesn't have a choice, she will eventually eat the Orijen-but I am not sure that is the right thing to do after seeing her turn her nose up to it covered in gravy & go for the dry purina.

Not sure what kind of hocus-pocus Purina adds to their food to get a reaction like that??? Are there food additives that make this kind of reaction occur?
Or could be Tessa telling me she's never really liked the Orijen. I did have issues with poos & etc a while back.

Comparing ingredients, Orijen is the winner no contest, & the difference in her coat is night & day-she's lost her super shiney-ness on the Purina one & I'm just not sure what exactly to do at this point. With the weight loss, I'm not wanting to mess around too much.

 

[ruthcatrin]

Had that discussion with my vet once, "you know, he looks like he's put on some weight...." me: scale says he hasn't Vet: hmmmm, *checks chart and starts getting hands into fur* you're right, he hasn't......

The Purina One Smartblends aren't as bad as some (not that I'd recommend it in general), but yah, especially where its obviously not doing well for her, you've gotta get her off it. (and yah, many pet food companies add "flavors" to their foods, I'm not seeing any jumping out at me in the Purina ingredient list but that doesnt' mean that they're not there)

Maybe pick up a small bag of the Purina, and start doing a slow change back to Orijen? IE: a bowl of Purina with a couple kibbles of Orijen mixed in for a day or two, then a 1/4cup of Orijen for a couple days, then a 1/2cup....reducing the amount of Purina by the same amount.

And/or maybe see if she'd do ok on one of the Acana formulas? They're made by the same company as Orijen, and they have a wider variety of flavors. She's old enough now that the calcium/phos numbers aren't as big a deal if they aren't perfect.

Also, maybe as a treat (assuming it doesn't do bad things to her digestion), a couple hard boiled eggs a day? That'd help put weight on her, and eggs are a good source of all sorts of nutrition.

 

[Catia]

I think I am actually going to have to do the slow transition like you described. Was tryng to avoid since it's a PITA.
I'm just baffled at her turning down gravy saturated food.
Gonna give it the rest of the day & see what happens before going & buying a bag of Purina One.

The hard boiled eggs sound like a really good idea--I'm not so worried about a little gas here & there, as it doesn't necessarily mean the eggs are bad for her-if she got the runs for a period of time I would worry-
My thinking is --people eat cabbage & broccoli & it gives most gas, but is a good food-eggs give gas to people sometimes too --wouldn't this apply to dogs also? A little gas here/there with different foods/treats isn't abnormal right?

The issue with switching foods is the time & expense. Not everyone takes the food back if the dog doesn't do well on it. This, at least in my particular case, is especially true of Fromm/Acana/Orijen--in my area, the places that carry these foods do not take back bags or give refunds, they are smaller stores-not Petco type places. The big commercial places do not carry the foods I want. Still, something doesn't seem right about not giving a refund if pooch doesn't do well on it.

 

[ruthcatrin]

SOME dogs get really bad gas on eggs though. A little doesn't worry me either. And neither of mine gets any gas at all. It definetly varies from dog to dog!

Champion (who owns Acana and Orijen), offers tiny little bags of their foods, looks like Amazon has at least some of them, so you could buy a tiny bag to at least see what she might eat, and then go from there to see if that'd work for her coat and health.

 

[Doggyhelpplease]

Glad to have you back and that everything went well. Wish you a full recovery