Maxwell 04-183 [1]

Max is here, and I can tell already that he's going to make someone a great pet! He's 1 1/2 years old, purebred (and just beautiful), a fairly big dog, and very sweet. Max was recently neutered and is up to date on his shots. He has that typical golden Velcro dog personality--wants to be by my side constantly. Max knows a few commands -- he knows "sit" and "come". I think he knows "stay", but doesn't always do it. He'll definitely need a refresher obedience course or two. He loves to play with toys. We were out playing fetch with a ball this morning, and this boy can jump! I've never seen a dog jump so high to catch a ball. He'd be a great Frisbee companion! Interestingly, he has not tried to jump my fence...which he could easily do as it's only about 3 1/2 feet tall. That tells me that he respects fences. He has dug under them in the past according to his paperwork though. Max does fine with my kids (ages 8 and 11), but I'd recommend that he not go to a home with really young kids -- I think he'd be too much for them. He gets along fine with my golden, but I'm not sure about the cats. They haven't ventured downstairs to meet Max yet, and I'm not sure I want them to. My guess is he'd chase them, but I don't know for sure.

Max does have a few issues that need to be dealt with. He doesn't have a lot of manners -- he was kept outdoors in a kennel for most of his life, and I think that he's just so excited to finally be around people that he gets a bit out of control. He jumps on people to greet them -- we're working on learning an alternate, more human-friendly greeting. Max wants human contact soooooo much, that ignoring him when he jumps and petting him when he approaches nicely seems to be working. He hasn't learned that furniture is not for climbing on....even the kitchen table! A very loud, grouchy "no" will bring him down, though. He's already doing better with that one. I haven't seen him chew on anything inappropriate -- but I'm not confident that he wouldn't. He did pick up a shoe of mine (again, another grouchy "no" did the trick). He'll probably need lots of exercise...he's still young and has a bit of puppy in him! And Max is protective of his toys -- doesn't want to let them go or share them with other dogs. He's not mean or aggressive about it....just refuses to give them up.

All in all, he's a great dog. Very sweet and loving, and will be a really fun companion for someone willing to put in the time and effort to train him and teach him good manners. If you think Max would be a good addition to your family, please let Placement know!