
Hi Gaelle, oh dear you do sound down in the dumps, poor you.
At 9 and a half months Tess is still very much a baby. I know you say she has toys and Sam for company, but she doesn't have YOU and it's you she is missing. Do you think it is a case of seperation anxiety or is she simply bored. Does she ever chew when you are in the house, if not then it is probably more a case of SA, rather than boredom and this obviously need addressing. When you are at home, does Tess have free access to you at all times? If so it might be an idea getting her used to being in "the dog room" whilst you are in the house and get her used to chilling out in there. Toys are great, but they dont tend to be much fun unless a human is joining in the game. Mental stimulation is far more tiring than physical exercise. Try giving her a bit of a mental workout before you leave her, even if it's only teaching her a few tricks. Half an hour before you are ready to leave her, don't pay too much attention to her. If it is that she is upset at your leaving her, then you can try and reduce some of triggers that get her in a panic. Try popping your coat on whilst you do a bit of housework, pick up your keys then put them down again, pick up your handbag and carry it around a bit, before putting it back down. They are all triggers that could put Tessa into an anxious state. Seperation anxiety is quite a problem to deal with, but I am sure you will get lots of excellent advice off other posters.
When you leave her, do you leave her anything to keep her busy, ie a stuffed kong? As well as leaving her a kong, try leaving her a selection of goody boxes to rip up and destroy. Fill empty boxes with a couple of bics, cubes of cheese, tiny strips of ham, etc, then punch a few holes in the sides and tape the box closed with good strong packaging tape. Whilst she is busy ripping open her packages, she isn't thinking Oh no Mum's left me, and she is tiring herself out. I bet Sam will enjoy joining in too. Give her a few to practice on when you are with her, then if she needs some encouragement rattle it and play with her with it until she gets the idea. Most dogs love ripping open packages and I am sure that once you have shown her what to do, she will have great fun doing it on her own. Plastic pop or milk bottles can also be used in a similar way, but don't put the cap on, just use a bit of tape across the top. To start off with, make the boxes easy for her to get into, as you don't want her getting bored, but you can work your way up to big thick boxes, that take ages to get into. I know you will come back to a mess of soggy card, but a quick tidy up and the room will be good as new. There are a lot of activity toys on the market, but I still think the old cardboard box is one of the favourites. Many years ago I used this strategy with a GSD, funnily enough called Tessa, and it worked a treat.
Good luck and enjoy her as a puppy, they grow up all too soon.