Hey, fans! It's me, Max! I have some exciting news for you all. I will fill you in on some of my current events, and then my Foster Mom will take over.
I arrived at my new foster home on July 17th and have been peacefully residing with a 25-month-old male Foster Brother named Buddy ManyFeathers. Now, first, I will tell you a bit about Buddy ManyFeathers. Buddy is a young guy, but acts like an old man. We will have wrestling matches a few times a day, but for the most part, he ignores me. Once in a while, my Foster Family will tell me nicely to "leave it" when Buddy just wants to rest. We enjoy long walks together, at least 3 miles every single day. Sometimes longer, sometimes more than once. Our foster parents tell us it is very important to get a lot of exercise and that it is crucial for my sanity. These people here keep me very busy.
Now I will tell you a little about my human people at this house. I have a Foster Mom and Dad who are middle-aged, active people. They both work full-time jobs. The first month I was here, my Foster Dad was on vacation. He kept me very busy during the day. I have a 16-year-old Foster Sister. She is not responsible for taking care of me, as I have some behaviors that she cannot handle on her own (my Foster Mom will explain later). My people dedicate their evenings to me. I need my exercise and to work on my training daily. My Foster Mom spends about two hours with me each morning before she goes to work. The days my Foster Parents are working, I spend about 7 hours in my crate. On the weekends, I go to this wonderful place they call "the lake."
So now my Foster Mom says she has to take over, uh oh!
Hello, everyone.
Thank you for checking in on Max. We have a lot to share about this handsome boy. Now, if you have been thinking about Max, and if he just might be a fit for your home, please read his new entry over and over again.
As Max explained, he has been with us since mid July. Now Mr. Max can be a complete gentleman at times, but he has some behaviors that will need to be consistently worked on. This is our list:
- Resource guarding - Max will take inappropriate items and tear them up. At times, he will hide under a chair or the kitchen table. It is very important that Max works on his trading skills when this occurs. This can be tricky at times. NO grabbing or hollering - remain calm, and at times, you just need to walk away and not give him the satisfaction he is seeking. It took us about a month for Max to establish trust with us. To this day, we are very careful and need to read his body language. Due to this behavior, we feel that Max should not be in a home with children, no matter their age. A family with experience in training is a must. Patience is key. Be prepared for damage to your personal property!
- Jumping up - Max will jump on you when he is excited. This usually only occurs on return home from work or after being gone an extended period of time. When the other family members return home, he will jump on them as well. He will sometimes grab your sleeve, purse, or anything fair game flailing from your hands. He will also jump on your houseguests. If you are not steady on your feet, he will most likely knock you on your keister. This is a difficult behavior to correct and will need consistent work.
- Digging - This guy will go on digging streaks. It will go on for a few days and then quit for a week. Then he will go at it again. He can dig a hole a foot deep in about 30 seconds. If you want a perfectly manicured landscape, Max is not the dog for you. He has not bothered any plants, potted or planted in the ground.
Now on to the good. Max is a rockstar at his training sessions. He has been the demonstrator at group training. He is not reactive to other dogs. He knows all the basic commands and follows them at training. At home, not so much, unless you have a pocketful of treats. His Foster Parents have learned how to use the clicker which Max knows well. He has also been to one-on-one training where we have worked on going in and out the door, mat training, trading, and the basics. When he is at the training facility, he is a completely different dog, much like a young child! We would like Max to continue with one-on-one training in his forever home until he matures in to a well-mannered boy.
Morning is Max's best time of day. He sometimes is very slow to get out of his crate (he is crated at night as he will try to play with other dog and cannot be trusted to not get into inappropriate items). He will snuggle nicely on the bed for a bit before he wants to go outside. He eats breakfast, rests a bit, and then usually will have a wrestling match before Foster Mom goes to work.
Evening can be a completely different story. Usually between the hours of 7 pm and 9 pm, Max will get very amped up, even after a long walk. He will do just about anything to get 100% of your attention, whether it is positive or negative! This is his ugly time. Sometimes a run or a second walk helps, or short training sessions. Even if Max is amped up, he will go to bed and sleep peacefully in his crate all night. If you are a runner, this will be an added bonus for Max!
We will say that Max is pretty darn good on the leash. He will be a little excited for a few minutes, but will have an enjoyable walk after he gets going. He will pull like a bull when he sees the little furry critters, but will only look at other dogs and keep on trucking.
Max LOVES to go for car rides. We travel an hour and a half to the lake, and he does fantastically. He is at his very best while going for a drive. The last couple of long rides, he did not want to get out of the car. He has been known to ride in a convertible and loves it!
Once in a while, Max will not want to go into his crate. We have found this usually occurs on the days when we go to work or some evenings when he does not think it is bedtime. We will have to patiently lure him in with treats. He has caught on to what we are doing, so it sometimes takes a lot of treats!
There is so much more to say, and I will think of things after the fact. Max needs someone who is calm and has never-ending patience. If you work during the day, he will need your attention every evening. No happy hours or going to the movies. If you have another dog in the home, it will need to be one that is very tolerant, confident, and not have any similar behaviors to Max. A senior dog would probably not be a good fit, as the Max we know likes to play very rough and will pester, pester, pester. A fenced yard would be ideal (physical fence) and a home that is picked up, neat, and clean. If things are not kept in their place (clothes, shoes, etc.), they will end up in the trash.
As stated before, Max will need a family of experienced dog owners that can provide him with positive training methods going forward. Max has lived quite a few places and most of all needs stability and a schedule in his forever home. You will need to be prepared for a long period of adjustment and times of frustration. If you are willing to dedicate every moment of your free time training and tolerating, Max may be the dog for you!
Thank you for taking the time to visit Max, and if you feel that he may be a fit in your home, please submit an inquiry.
