Meet Max

This is Max. He is a two year old Lab/Heeler mix. He's a goofy dog. I met him at work. At work we call him Counter Dog. He would come into the store with his dad and make a bee-line for the service counter and put his front paws on the counter and demand his "cookie". We give cookies to all the dogs that come in...they all know this!
Max made some mistakes in the recent past which made his dad have to make a decision. Not a good decision either. He either had to have Max put to sleep or find him a home where he couldn't make these mistakes. He was nipping at small children, even the owner's small children.
Max is a sweetheart! Max is also a heeler. Which means anything he thinks he should herd, is to be nipped in the heels until it goes in the direction that Max wants it to go. Children don't understand this. A lot of adults don't understand this, so Max has been touted as a biter. And yes, he is. He bit at us when I brought him home. I understand most breeds and their reactions to situations, so I understand why he bites. He bit us because he was plunged into a situation that made him nervous and he had to protect himself. What I noticed though is that he never really bit down. He mouthed us, let us know that he wasn't comfortable. He didn't even leave a mark!
I am trying Max out in my house. I don't want to see him put to sleep. I've had heelers in the past and I understand their psyche, so I know what to do and how loud or softly to do it. So far he is fine.
Ahem, if you think that living on his dad's time schedule is fine. His dad's schedule is up at 4AM! Two mornings in a row...I get this feeling in my sleep that I am being watched. Then I hear growling. I open my eyes and there is Max telling me his alarm has gone off, and there is no snooze button! It's cute now, I don't know that it will be as cute in say, a week, or even tomorrow morning.
Of course there are always little quirks and things that dogs do in one home that are not great in another. He was never collared or leashed before. I will not let the dogs out the front door without both on, Max doesn't like the collar and leash. (Although I do have the collar on him and he is understanding that it is standard uniform here.)
We'll see. OD has just taken Max and Tootsie out for a walk. She has always been good at taking the dogs out for me. I can't walk a lot, so this works for both of us. It works out well for the dogs too. We'll see how it goes when she gets back.
At least I am thinking that if Max works out here, Tootsie won't be so depressed. She has been since Dante was put to sleep. Hopefully Max will kind of fit the bill!