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Max, a large handsome, young, sweet, gentle and affectionate Malinois is looking for his forever home. Max came into rescue after finding himself  at the Hartford CT pound. Max is up to date on all his vet care, healthy and friendly with other dogs. He is being fostered in Vermont. 

Although he came with visible bruises and also invisible ones he is not particularly wary of strangers and warms up quickly, especially when there is an ear rub involved. Quickly after I brought him home he sidled right up when I sat with him on the floor. He melts into your hands when being petted and he is a real snuggler.

He rides very well in the car. As soon as the wheels are rolling he lies down and relaxes. After I picked him up at the shelter it did not take him long to go to sleep on his dog bed in the back of the car.  Because he can get mildly carsick, I learned to take the corners slowly, especially when going around town running errands. That does the trick.

He met a lot of dogs so far, big and small, and he has not shown any reactivity. Once he is comfortable he tries to engage in play. I think he has not had a lot of practice and his main mode of initiating play is barking at the other dog. When he gets excited and barks at me I take him on short leash and walk on, that calms him down.I have not observed any food guarding. He sits close to other dogs when given treats without problems and keeps eating when other dogs walk by. I can also take his bowl away without protest.

He is food motivated and that makes teaching him very easy. As long as the instructions are calm and gentle he stays engaged. When he feels rushed or when he’s not quite sure what’s going on he gets suspicious and stops trying. If I take it down a notch it usually does not take him long to reengage.

For the most part he learned to walk nicely on the leash. Especially on the road he stays close to the leg. He’s not skittish when cars, trucks or snowmobiles are going by very closely. Going through the woods with all the smells and when my other dog is ahead he can be pulling on the leash but he is getting better when we are by ourselves. 

He does sit nicely and his downs are improving. Outside he is doing well on recall. Getting out of the house or the car he waits until he gets the ok, and the same is true when he is being fed.

 

Occasionally he chews on things especially when he’s bored or frustrated and we are currently in the process of finding an appropriate chew and play toys. 
Having said that, he has also been in the living room snoozing on his bed  when I was in the basement and did not chew on anything until I got back upstairs.I would say his exercise needs a moderate, he likes to go on walks and trots along cross country skiing but he’s not a crazy exerciser.When we come home after the walk he usually quickly settles calmly in the house

Since he is on the leash it is difficult to say anything about his prey drive but judging by the way he runs after the frisbee there is certainly some.      

In the last four weeks he adjusted nicely to the new circumstances and schedule. Early in the morning when I get up to make coffee and read for a while, he mostly stays on his bed and keeps sleeping. Then we go out for the walk and after breakfast he settles on his bed. I take him out for a short break at noon and then around three we go for the afternoon walk. After the short before-bedtime-potty-walk he sleeps through the night, usually on his bed in the bedroom but recently he has started to spend some nights in the living room.

As far as crate training is concerned. In the beginning was very afraid to go into the crate therefore I am not pushing at all and let him take his own time to get used to it.

We do not know any of his history before he was picked up by Animal Control but just seeing the progress that he has made over the last 4 weeks is a beautiful experience. He is young and therefore needs a lot of attention and training but he is worth every minute of your time. 

ABMR thanks you for taking the time to look at our malinois available for adoption.