Jordan is getting better about being around people and other dogs. He is still kind of a skittish, and definitely on guard in the house, but he’s sweet and is fine with receiving affection.

The barking at the door and when people pass by the window is still a concern. Haven’t made a ton of progress with his reaction to the doorbell. Seems more at ease in his new home and has become more familiar with the noises and smells around the city. Children come up to Jordan all the time and want to pet him and he obliges.

We give him long walks and he’s been well-behaved in the house. But, we haven’t made much progress on his barking at the door.

Sit and lie down are reinforced with treats. He walks on a loose leash when his gentle leader is on. When people come in the house Jordan will bark at them until he recognizes them.

Jordan has spent some time in another foster home while his foster parents have been away and he has been an excellent guest. The other four dogs in the house don’t seem to faze him. Those four dogs are kept upstairs and Jordan is away from them downstairs. They can be quite noisy at times, but Jordan keeps his cool downstairs laying on the couch or looking out the window.

Jordan is doing very well in his foster home and holding steady at 27 lbs. The vet said that Jordan is in good health, except for his hind legs. Both Jordan’s knees are calcified, which means that he walks a little stiff-legged. But since Jordan doesn’t complain, the vet didn’t think there was any pain associated with it. His advice was to give him regular exercise, but nothing too strenuous like running.

Jordan’s foster parents describe Jordan:

The way my wife and both describe his disposition is like an old man. He’s generally sweet, cute, and lets you know when it’s play time. Jordan loves to have his belly scratched — it’s his go-to position when we pet him. But, he’s also kind of protective over his home and still huffs or barks when there are people outside (which is often because we live in a ground floor apt). He generally doesn’t like other dogs — which isn’t to say he’s mean, he just kind of stares at them until they respond. And he’s getting over being skittish on the street. It seems like there were just noises in the city that he’s never encountered, and used to try and bolt when he heard things like a truck’s brakes or metal shutters going down.

There’s been some progress on Jordan’s barking at the door, but it has kind of plateaued. We don’t get a ton of visitors who ring the bell, but when the super comes he gets excited. Usually one of us will answer the door while the other disciplines by standing over him and responding every time he barks.

Within the first month of being here he definitely became more relaxed around the home. The first few nights he paced around the bed; jumping up and trying to get our attention. Now he loves to just lay around, or on the couch, and hang out while I work. He never shows signs of needing to go outside, and when I take him out there’s no urgency to relieve himself.

There are a few really cute moves he loves to do. One is what we call the “T-Rex”, where he shimmies on his back with this paws in front of his chest. And the other one — the one where he got the old man rap — is he’ll get off the couch, putting his front paws on the floor but leaving his back paws stretched on the couch, and slowly dragging himself off.

Like I said, he’s sweet in general. But, Becky and I worry about him with dogs and kids. There have been a few rare occasions when he’s shown annoyance (not really aggression, because there wasn’t much physical contact), but he’ll growl if you get up in his face when he’s on the couch, rear up and make a biting motion. Now, I’ve put my fingers in his mouth when he’s really excited while we’re playing, and he doesn’t have a bite response. I think it’s more posturing than anything else, but he can’t be “cuddly” with a kid who wants to hang off of him.

He’s better about going in the crate and not whining now. Still doesn’t love it, but at least he now knows that it’s not a punishment.

We bought a gentle leader that he’s really gotten used to. Jordan used to pull forward, but now he almost heels with us, if not right at our side. He’ll track a bit around the neighborhood, sniffing at trees and hydrants, but you don’t need much correction to get him to stop. Mostly he’ll respond to positive reinforcement and treats. After walks we give him a treat, but make him sit and lie down for it. Never a problem. Sometimes it takes a few “come” commands to get him to wander over, and he’s still fairly aloof, but he knows what it means.

Jordan only barks/jumps/etc. with strangers if they’re coming into our home. That usually subsides if I show him that the person is with me.

He’s shy in new places, and will generally not want to go into stores or homes he doesn’t recognize.

Here is a cute short video of Jordan:

Jordan’s foster family let us know that because of his ACL replacement, he sometimes holds his leg up as if it bugs him a little. He will walk, run, and stand on it but occasionally he will wince a little. Otherwise he’s in good shape.

He can be very sweet but gets very overly excited when he hears someone ring the doorbell and will bark and sometimes act in an aggressive manner. This is why we stressed that he should be in a calm home without too much activity as it seems to agitate him. He’s nervous when he first meets people but once he’s gotten to know you and is comfortable he welcomes pets and attention.

Jordan does not seem to like other dogs, and so he’d do best as the only pet in the house. He also shows some signs of being aloof and doesn’t always come when called, sometimes pulls on his leash, and sometimes argues about being placed in his crate. Jordan may have a small stubborn streak but his foster family is working with him on these issues and little by little they are making progress.

He likes to sleep on his dog bed and is fine when he’s left alone in the house. His foster family trusts him, he is not destructive or tries to get in the garbage. He’s a good boy overall and just need to trust you before he lets his guard down.

Keep checking back to see how Jordan progresses!

Jordan is an 8yr old neutered male who was surrendered to us because he showed some aggression to the mailman and his owners were nervous that they would not be able to curb this behavior properly. Our initial impression of him is that he’s nervous, perhaps a little low in the self-esteem/confidence department and therefore guards himself by showing aggression. He barks a lot when he first meets someone and is very tense. If you let him sniff you and get to know you without forcing him, he seems to warm up some but he must be approached with a calm and controlled manner.

Jordan lived with children but would thrive in a home that was overall quiet, calm, and not too hectic. The buzz of a busy home seems to upset him and keeps him tense. He didn’t relax too much when we first met him but did let our volunteer pet him. He’s very healthy and has nice bright eyes but he did have his ACL replaced and may walk with a small limp or seem to favor a leg. Since he’s been with us, he’s been coming out of his shell and adjusting.

Keep checking back to learn more about Jordan!