Jesse
	Gender: Female Age: 2.5 Years Height/Weight: 19" / 47 lbs Housebroken: Yes Fenced yard required: Yes Location: Mid-Michigan Foster Home: Pam	Crate-trained: Yes Treat-motivated: Yes Toy-motivated: learning Likes Car Rides: Good with cats: Good with kids: Commands:

Hmmmm. I want my ducky, but I don't want to get my feet wet....

Almost....

Got it!

Muahahahahaha!

Who's a pretty girl!

Just look at that smile!

Jesse has been with me for over a month. She has progressed in so many ways. I think the one barrier to her improving more is a permanent connection - a bond - that she needs to have with her forever owner. Sure, I'm "it" and she and I accomplish neat things together, but I cannot let her think that although I'm "it" right now, I am not hers for good. She doesn't know it, but there is someone out there who will become "it" for ever and for good. Someone who is able to continue to help Jesse become even more confident, and to teach her more fun and wonderful things.

• Whatever happened before Jesse came to GLBCR, she wasn’t taught much at all, nor was she helped to deal with and recover from anything she perceived as “scary”. All she understood, it seems, was that rolling onto her back into a submissive position would help to turn any pressure away from her and ease any stress she felt. I wondered if Jesse would come to see humans as her friend and provider and source of all things good.
• Did Jesse know anything? Sit? Down? Her name (or some way to make a connection with a human)?
• Although she seemed eager to interact with me, just as abruptly she would sever that contact to run my fence line, appearing to be searching for an exit.
• At first, Jesse showed absolutely NO interest in toys or even the oft-coveted tennis ball that BCs so dearly love. I wondered if she would ever develop an affinity for any toys. Early on, I told one of my fellow rescuers I didn’t think she had any prey drive at all.
• Jesse wasn’t thin; in fact she weighed in at 47 pounds when she should probably weigh around 40 – 42 pounds, so she had enough to eat.

Jesse is a very quick learner. Whether she knew any commands or not before, she now kinda knows sit, down, kennel-up, wait, OK, here, and her name. She will sit and wait at the doorway before going outside, but she is so insecure she cannot hold it for long at all. Jesse has also been taught not to rush out of her crate and will wait inside until she is released.

When Jesse arrived here, she would drop and roll into a submissive position on her back without warning. She would walk up to any person and roll over onto her back, even if the person avoided looking at her. Now, she will still roll onto her back apologetically, but she is ignored when she does that. She definitely doesn’t do it as much now.

What about toys? Any and all, please!! Jesse first discovered squeaky toys, and would lie in the grass endlessly squeaking. It became an obsession. When I let her outside, she would frantically run around the yard, searching for “her” squeaky. She became so obsessed that I had to remove all the toys that squeaked. She found a couple vinyl squeaky toys, and she proceeded to tear them apart. Now she runs around the yard with various non-squeaky toys.

The other day a big bumble bee flew by, and Jesse jumped after it! There have been big thunderstorms rolling through the past few days, and she is, like so many BCs, afraid of thunderstorms. She doesn’t seem “over-the-top” afraid; a comfy crate, lights on, and “white noise” help.

What kind of home do I envision for Jesse? She needs someone who will understand that it will take time to help her gain confidence, as well as to build a bond with her. Jesse would really like to have a human of her very own; one who will spend the time she needs to shape her into the awesome dog she wants to become.

Jesse is a *very* submissive dog, dropping and rolling onto her back even when humans aren't looking directly at her! She has not yet submissivly urinated, though. She is very insecure, so she needs to have some confidence-building. When she is outside, she will run the fence line, panting and sniffing, tongue hanging out even though she isn't hot). She is not a "typical" BC in that she isn't interested in chasing a ball or toy. She seems to have zero prey drive. It doesn't seem like anyone has spent much (or any) time one on one with her, teaching her the basics. She does do counter patrol, but I can easily call her off. I don't know if she knew what a crate was before she came, but she does great in one - barely uttering a peep.

After a couple of weeks with us, it seems she's "dropping & rolling" less. I'm thinking that's because she's gaining a wee bit more confidence. She will still drop, at times, but we don't acknowledge it. She runs around the dog yard with seemingly less desperation, looking for a possible way out. When she first came, she was not at all intrigued by toys or balls; in fact, I had told Debbie I didn't think she had any prey drive at all. About a week ago, she discovered squeaky toys, and they became her new obsession. She'd pretty much ignore most anything else while she laid in the grass and squeaked. When I let her outside, she immediately went on a squeaky-search, and she wouldn't stop until she found "her" squeaky. I took away most of the squeakies, because she needed to focus on me. She then found the vinyl squeakies and proceeded to destroy them, until I've taken more away. She's now decided the mesh balls can be fun to carry around and toss into the air as she runs through the yard.

She's *finally* learned "kennel-up", and will run into her crate when I say that. We're working on WAIT in her crate and WAIT at the door; I must be careful because she will turn and run away if she thinks she's being yelled at. I think she knows "sit", though I don't know if she knew before she came here. I also think she knows "down". We're endlessly working on her attention to us, and we had an intense recall session outside the dog yard, yesterday. Jesse is food motivated, so sometimes I can get beyond her insecurity to her "I want that treat!" instinct. Maintaining it, however, is quite a challenge.

I'm also thinking Jesse is probably a PB BC, but a smooth. She is one dog that "thinks too much" - typical of a BC! The way she moves looks quite BC, too. I don't think - but perhaps it hasn't been awakened in her! - she has any herding instinct.

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