About Max-Lehner

Do not be fooled by the way I look. I am a goofball, baby, mega kisser, who loves to lie next to you and snuggle. I was locked in a crate for the first 2 years of my life. I had never been socialized with people or other dogs. I had little idea about boundaries and hated my crate. This meant that although I was 2 years old, I was emotionally a little stunted and inexperienced because of my early treatment by people. I was not used to other dogs and was told I became overly excited when meeting people, so I was sent to doggie training. I was nervous at first as I was away for two whole weeks, but I learned so much that when my foster mum came to get me, she kept asking me, 'O.K. Who are you and what have you done with Max?' She couldn't believe it was still me as I had changed so much! I learned to walk to heel on a loose leash. I also learned the 'place' command so I can lie down and only greet people calmly when instructed to. Sometimes I still want to jump up, but I'm working on that. It is obvious that I'm extremely smart. I picked up the commands my foster mum taught me almost immediately. I learned, sit, stay, down, come, wave (my paw), touch (your hand- for future tricks), leave it and let it go (so I can let you throw my ball or toy, which I will bring back so we can do it all over again). I LOVE tug of war, frisbee, chewing on a bone and sleeping upside down! I always let you know I want to go outside to 'potty' by whining by the outside door. No one taught me to do that. It's just something I always knew! I love people, but my foster mum says I have a preference for a daddy for some reason. I have never shown any resource guarding over my food, bones or toys, but I also learned the 'out' command so I will step away from my food bowl, a bone, a person or another dog on command. The man who trained me told me this was the most important command of all for us dogs to learn. I'm very good at this one! I was also trained to sit before a door is opened and to wait until I am instructed to 'break', before I can go through it. I do not need to be told to 'stay' anymore' as my sitting and laying down and place commands mean I stay until told to 'break' and go back to being my goofy doggie self again After training I only bark when someone is at the door (a good idea to put off potential burglars I was told!) or if there is a loud noise or something I'm not used to. I will not continuously bark anymore and will stop when commanded to be 'quiet'. I admit I used to steal shoes, chews socks, surf tables and the kitchen counter and loved the garbage bin! Obviously, I needed to learn that this is a big NO! After training I leave shoes alone, rarely even try to 'surf' and will leave the odd 'stolen' sock when told to (sometimes I find them just too tempting, especially if smelly!). I have been able to interact with many dogs without incident thanks to my training. I like female dog companions who have my energy. My foster mum has a female service dog who taught me a lot prior to my training. She was my first friend and taught me how to play so that could be why I like the ladies I was trained using an e-collar as I am a big strong boy that is powerful. I respond most of the time to just the 'beep' noise of my collar, but if distracted I sometimes still need to be reminded of my command. My foster mum says that with continued work on my commands, maturity and experience, I will not need an e-collar. I have been successfully taken to a dog park many times, where I generally leave the other dogs alone. I play nicely with a few friendly dogs. If another dog greets me with a snarl, growl, or is snappy I just walk away. My foster mum kept me on the e-collar and used a muzzle in the park, just for safety and to ensure that nothing bad would happen as she didn't own me. Foster mum says It is recommended that I wear my muzzle when meeting new dogs just to be sure that all my encounters are positive as I continue to learn and work on my doggie etiquette. I have been around an autistic young 7-year-old who would jump, scream, run around and sometimes behave in a very boisterous manner around me. I never reacted except to watch with curiosity and to kiss when invited to. This just goes to show my intelligence, tolerance, and loving nature. Foster mum was very proud of me each time! Max (the goofball kisser) The best family for Max: Max will need a fenced backyard Active owner He would love going hiking, trails, running Owner with lots of love to give and willing to keep working on his training. Adopter will be trained how to use the E-Collar and will have 5 free training refreshments **Please note. If you email us, please check your spam folder for our response. To apply To apply please fill out the adoption application here https://form.jotform.com/210286667669167

Bergen County
Paramus, New Jersey