4/15/25~
Max is a 2-year-old Goldendoodle who is now available for adoption after spending the winter in the Southwest. He had a great time and his foster parents learned a great deal more about him.
He remains the sweetest boy ever and there has not been a person that has met him that hasn’t fallen in love with him. Although foster mom and dad adore him, they know there is a better setting for him that includes another dog and a fenced-in yard. Initially, when he came into foster care he was nervous in new settings, but now he just goes with the flow as long as his people are there.
Over the last 5 months, he has met and played with several dogs. He reads dogs very well. They can be big, small, old, young, wildly playful, calm, quiet, and even standoffish to his youthful exuberance, but no matter what, he figures them out quickly. His play style can be a lot for small dogs. He had a Golden girlfriend by the name of Tess who had the same hard play style and they were the best buds when together. Sadly, he had to leave her behind to come back to Iowa.
He did doggie daycare at least one day a week with an in-home dog sitter and also spent a few nights in her care. He did very well but was very happy to see his foster mom when she picked him up. The daycare has a pool and he kept a wide path around it until he fell in. He screamed like a baby and all the neighbors came out to see what happened. This behavior was not surprising as he has never been a fan of the water. If you are looking for a dog that enjoys the water, Max is not that dog.
His crate anxiety has gotten better, but his adopter will need to be willing to put the time in to desensitize him to a crate in his new home. He can currently be left alone, with a TV on for up to 4 hours, but we think with another dog in the home that is calm and content he will do even better. This is his biggest challenge and it will take time so the adopter must be willing to make accommodations as he learns he will be okay crated when left home. I do not believe that he will ever be the dog you can leave home for a full workday. Training to desensitize him to the crate will be provided to any adopter interested in him.
Max’s requirements:
- Dogs – Max requires a dog to act as a good role model and be his play buddy. A playful, yet calm dog would be ideal.
- Cats – Probably not cats in the home. We will test him with the grandcat again, but he has a very strong prey drive in the yard to squirrels, bunnies, and birds.
- Fence – physical fence is required due to his high prey drive. Max should always be leashed when outside a fence because when his prey drive kicks in, he doesn’t listen or make good choices. He is unaware of the risk of crossing the street without looking.
- Kids – He does well with the 16, 11, and 1.5-year-old grandkids, but the 3.5-year-old grandchild is too much for him. Each child is different so we can talk about the kids in the home.
- A calm home – a lot of yelling will make him anxious.
- Energy – Max can be high energy, but he can also be a couch potato. Once he has a play buddy I think he will be more of a medium energy dog.
If you are interested in Max fill out an online application
10/22/24:
Max attended the Great Iowa Pet Expo last weekend and was such a wonderful joy to be around. He politely met other dogs, loved all the visitors who stopped by our booth and gave him pets, and met a cat that didn’t appreciate his sniffing and got a right hook!
Attending an expo can be a lot due to all the noise and commotion, but he did great! He walked through the aisles, taking it all in. He slept in a hotel with his foster mom and went out to eat with all the ladies! While at the restaurant, he either laid down or sat nicely, loving the attention he was getting.
He is the sweetest boy but due to his past, Max does have separation anxiety. His foster is working with him and getting him more acclimated to a crate while they are gone and now they can leave him for up to 3 hours. Any adopter will need to take that slowly and know that it is unlikely he will ever be a dog that can be left home for a full day. He also has a strong prey drive and he has no recall at all when in hot pursuit of a squirrel or bunny, a strong fence will be required for his forever home.
If you are interested in Max and meet his forever home requirements, submit your application today!
8/10/24-
I’m happy to report Max is ready to look for his forever home. Max is a 1.5-year-old Goldendoodle. He looks all Golden, has the most beautiful eyes, and has the long legs of a standard Poodle. A DNA test proved he is 55% standard Poodle and 45% Golden. He was surrendered when the surrendering owner’s husband found he caused his allergies to act up. Max does shed more like a Golden than a Doodle.
Max could be the easiest foster we have ever had. He loves his people, never met a dog that he can’t get along with, and puts up with the grandkids. Max is high energy, but he reminds us of a greyhound, he will run around and then crash on the couch until the next opportunity to run around occurs. He is very sweet and we adore this dog, but know there is a better situation for him.
His only issues are that he has separation anxiety and a huge prey drive. We are working on the separation anxiety by very slowly increasing his time alone in the crate. Having another dog in the home should help, but it will be a work in progress. In the interim, the willingness to hire someone to come in and sit with him if you do not have someone home will be imperative.
He will require a decent-sized fenced-in yard to run off his boundless energy. If you have bunnies and squirrels he will joyously chase them. Another dog of similar energy level and size would be best as sometimes he plays pretty hard.
On occasion, we have to remind him he needs to settle down, but that could get better once he has a dog buddy to play with consistently. He does listen to corrections very well from other dogs, but a play buddy is necessary. That dog will also help him down the road when left alone.
I don’t think he would do well in a home with cats as they look too much like squirrels and he has been known to chase my son’s cat and not in a way that says “I want to play with you”.
We have 4 grandkids ages 15, 11, 3, and 9 mo. He enjoys the 2 older grandkids and the youngest, but the 3-year-old can be a bit much for him. I think his kid requirement is more dependent on the kid’s behaviors vs. setting an age. If there are kids in the home they should be relatively quiet and calm.
Max is a wonderful dog, he needs a home willing to work with his insecurities until he develops more confidence.