Pups definitely change their entire personality depending on which parent is sitting in the room. And that’s what we get to see in this hilarious video, starring a goofy Golden Retriever named Maximus. The clip posted by @goldenboy_maximus shows the big difference between his cozy snuggle sessions with mom and his high-energy playtimes with dad.
According to his bio, the dog’s personality is a mix of maximum cuteness and Mad Max energy. And that description fits perfectly as we see him switch gears instantly.
Golden Retriever puppy chooses calm with mom and chaos with dad
The footage opens with the pup soaking up some serious love. Mom films the moment while giving him gentle head scratches as Maximus sits completely still with his eyes squeezed into tiny slits of pure bliss. He looks like a perfect example of a good boy. The on-screen text reads, “Quality time with mom vs…” And that sets up nicely what is to come next.
The clip then cuts to absolute mayhem in the living room. Maximus is suddenly jumping up to the entire height of his dad. He nips right at dad’s ankles whenever he tries to turn away from him to protect himself. Then dad playfully takes a classic wrestling stance, and Maximus instantly launches his entire body at him. This is in complete contrast to the quiet and sweet pet we saw moments before. The hilarious background audio also shifts perfectly to match the sudden chaos.
The owner captioned the clip by noting that it is all about balance. The post quickly exploded online and gathered over 24.1k likes from amused pet parents, as of the time of writing. And the comment section is filled with highly relatable stories. One viewer laughed about the funny karate moves. Another parent commented that their house is the exact opposite.
This adorable Golden Retriever clearly knows exactly how to balance his energy in the viral video. Someone else joked that someone (dad) has to teach him the fighting skills. Every household needs a good mix of calmness and chaotic energy to keep things interesting, and Maximus has both in equal measure.
