My name is Max!

Max. 15 mo old Sable Papillon. Neutered male.
Darling Max. He is such a great pup, he deserves the best home on the planet and we intend to find it for him. Max was meant to be a companion for an older woman and her female Papillon, Poppy. Sadly, two dogs was just too much for this tiny lady. She is having some health problems and Max's puppy energy is wearing her out. Not that he's a wild thing by any stretch of the imagination. He's quite well behaved, he just needs some obedience training and more attention than he's been getting.
In Max's foster home he lives with Poppy, a female Papillon, and two large breed dogs. He loves his 70 lb dog buddies and likes to jump up and down and snap at their noses to get them to play. The 8 yo Siberian husky female loves Max and tolerates his puppy behavior. The older Shepherd mix likes Max a little less but is getting used to having an obnoxious younger brother in the house. We would want to be sure that Max is introduced slowly to new dogs so that he doesn't get too rambunctious with them. We've also noticed that on our walks Max will be a little aggressive and posture a bit with new dogs. With proper introduction he should get along with any permanent dog in his household. He should spend a lot of time out and about so that he continues to learn doggy socialization and so he can be very brave in new situations. Mostly Max just wants playmates. He doesn't care if they are human, cats or other dogs.
Max is used to cats. In his foster home there are several cats that think dogs are lower than them on the food chain. Max is fine with them and has learned that he can't growl at them at the food dish and that they are allowed to share his space on the bed or on mom's lap. In his other home he was good buddies with the cats. They thought he was one of them and they would play chase with him, and roll on their backs for him to play doggy dominance games. On the other hand, if Max is off leash in the back yard or out and about, and he sees a strange cat, he will chase it. This is unacceptable behavior and we are working to change that. He needs to go to a home that will gently teach him that all cats are to be treated kindly. He needs to be given a proper introduction to cats in his new household so they can be buddies. We don't want him to frighten the cats and we also don't want a scared cat to turn around and scratch his eyes.
Max goes for two mile walks in the evenings in good weather. He LOVES his walks. If he sees his mom putting on her tennis shoes in the morning he starts to jump and bark. If he sees or hears a leash he goes bonkers.
We are teaching him that he must SIT to get the leash put on and that he also has to sit prior to going out the door for the walk. At this time he is obediently accompanying us off leash but only because we are in an area where there is no traffic. We walk along country canals where there are no major distractions. Well, for the most part there are no distractions. Once he and the Siberian Husky chased a family of quail and we were not happy. That and the time that he and Poppy chased a herd of 30 Black Angus Cattle around a pasture. The point is, this is a smart dog. With proper training he will be highly obedient and the sky is the limit on what he could accomplish in the way of obedience, tricks, obstacles, etc. If you know your Papillons you will know that these are really smart dogs and he is no exception.
Max has a couple of quirky behaviors that need some patience to work through. He comes when he's called for the most part but sometimes he gets nervous and skitters away when we reach for him. We have no idea why he does this. We believe that attending a formal obedience class would work him through this type of nervous behavior. We don't want him to end up being one of those yappy, shaky dogs that is scared of their own shadow and obnoxiously loud when people come to visit. Max also tends to dart out the door when you open it. You will need to be really careful when he first comes home with you so that he understands when it's allowable to go outside and to be sure he knows your voice calling his name.
Max is very vocal. He talks to us. We actually tried to get him to say "mama". It's what it really sounds like when he talks. We don't know what he's saying or what he's trying to communicate but he sits and talks to us and is trying to tell us something. Sometimes it means he wants to sit on your lap, can tossed onto his back, and have his tummy rubbed or have you play with him. Other times he's wanting to go for a walk. We think for sure he wants some attention!
Max is mostly potty trained but still has some confusion from time to time. He lived in a breeder's kennels until he was 7 months old so he was potty trained later. His foster parents work long hours so he stays in an Xpen during the day with Poppy. We don't want to leave him outside in the back yard all day or in a kennel, but sometimes he's without humans for as long as 11 hours so the Xpen keeps him from having an accident inside the house. We think he's done a GREAT job of holding it but do leave a puppy pad for him in case it's just too long. We expect that the kind of home that Max will go to will have much more time for him, and that he will be 100% with his potty training within a matter of days.
We are looking for an adults only home with small dog experience. We prefer a home with one other dog (especially if it's Poppy), or cat, or maybe no other pets where Max can get tons of attention. Best case scenario for this human identified pup would be to have one of his human parents working from the home, or both parent retired is even better.
Max's adoption fee is $300.00. We will be looking for a home with a
proven record of providing proper vet care, training, time and attention to their dogs. He is neutered, vaccinated, in good health, and will be microchipped prior to going to his new home.
Max loves his best friend, Poppy. She is a female Papillon rescued from one of our local shelters. She is 2-3 yrs old. The adoption fee for the pair would be $500.00. If you adopt both of the dogs they will come with food dishes, and an "Xpen" for them to stay in during the day while you're gone for a few hours.
Contact Ellen. Ellen@purebredsplus.org