Dallas
	Gender: Male Age: 8 Years Height/Weight: 22" / 57 lbs House-trained: Yes Fenced yard required: Yes Location: Mid-Michigan Foster Home: Jessica	Crate-trained: Yes Treat-motivated: Yes Toy-motivated: Ball Likes Car Rides: Yes Good with cats: tbd Good with kids: tbd Commands: sit, no, go lay down, back out (to back him away from the door when exiting or entering the house), kennel up, come here (inside the house).

Dallas became our first "Foster Failure" of 2019 when he was adopted by his foster mom. Don't they look happy?

Dallas has settled in to a smooth routine here at the house. He has a nice low energy that makes him easy to please. He enjoys starting his mornings with a little outdoor adventure time in the fenced back yard. He does well being outside by himself, smelling the smells and breathing in the air. I can watch him from my window while I get ready for work, so this works nicely for both of us. He is great about going in to his crate on work day mornings when I leave for work. A quick "kennel up" command and he's right in. He knows he will get a peanut butter filled Kong or a special treat so he doesn't mind at all. Some days I leave the tv on for him for the background noise, but I haven't seen any evidence that he cares one way or another.

He also enjoys going for car rides and being able to tag along on errands (he stays in the car). We like to go to the local nature park for leash walks on the weekends. He likes to be out in nature and has to stop for every smell. He does give growls to dogs he sees in the distance, so we keep a buffer between us and people we don't know yet.

He can be slow to settle when people come to the house, so I have him go in the crate initially when people come over. He will give a loud, low bark when people knock on the door or come in. I think he would make a good guard dog in the sense that no one is going to approach the house without him alerting you. With gradual introductions he warms up and has been very successful letting new people pet him once he has settled and is let out of the crate. Too much direct eye contact or talking to him while he is in the crate and he will give some growls to you if you are not his "person". Dog-to-dog introductions while both dogs are on leash have gone great. We have not had any off-leash dog-to-dog interaction yet.

Dallas has graduated to sleeping outside of the crate at night and does a very nice job. He settles down easily and is happy to sleep in if he has a nice fluffy rug or dog bed. He loves attention from me and will be the screen-police if I have been on the computer too long by coming over and setting his face in my lap or giving some sad grumbles from across the room. His outside recall is still non-existent and needs more training attention from me. With the right approach from the human, Dallas is a lover not a fighter. He is generally just an adorable old man. Reference pic attached. I very much enjoy having him here and am enthusiastic about how his world could expand when the weather warms up and we can go outside more.

Dallas is good in the house and is 100% house trained. He will go in his crate with a kennel up command, but doesn't enjoy being in the crate when you are home, as he would rather be with his person. He whines and barks when in crate when you're home. But he does well in the crate home alone and over-night. He mostly just chills out during the day and enjoys short ball throwing sessions in the back yard. His leash manners are pretty good. However, he can pull fast and hard when he sees something he wants to go after, so I keep him on a short leash with a firm grip when out for walks. He has had two successful meet and greets with other dogs while both dogs are on leash.

I had a family dog over at the house this week and he did not enjoy having that dog in "his"house. He gave a lot of growls to the other dog and was possessive of his toys/food. Dallas may prefer to be the only dog in the house, however, with time he might adjust to another dog in the home. He loves to be petted and will come put his face on you if you haven't shown him enough attention, in his opinion. He will bark when a stranger comes to the home. But he has warmed up to everyone he has met with time. I have not had the opportunity to test him with cats. He likes to chase the squirrels in the back yard, but does not bark much. His outside recall is basically none, but he will follow an "inside" command when you go in. Mostly because he likes to be with his person and not alone. I have had a sitter come and watch him for a weekend while I travelled. There was some growling and barking at first when she came in the house and he was in his crate, but he warmed up after about 15 minutes each day she arrived. After that they were fast friends and she was able to throw the ball for him and pet him.

At 8 years old, his energy level is very manageable. He tolerates sound well and pays no attention to the TV when it is on. He loves peanut butter and is very treat motivated. I think Dallas would do well in a home with routine and probably no other dogs or cats. Although the right owner might be able to open him up to more.

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