What a cutie! I like the name Max, too, but I also think you're going to settle into the right name after a couple of days.
I had a dog who was deaf for the last several years of his life and a few things helped us.
- He doesn't know he's deaf, so don't treat him like you feel sorry for him. He won't understand what you want if you do.
- We have a fenced back yard with a light on the house and another one on the shed at the back of the yard. To get Baxter's attention if he was facing toward the back we'd flash the light on the shed; if it was dark and he was facing the house we flashed the light on the house. He soon learned this was his signal to come inside, even if he couldn't see us in the dark.
- Deaf dogs can't hear you coming but they will respond to vibrations in the floor. They'll know you're coming by your footsteps, and stomping your foot is a great attention-getter. However, watch out if there are small children about; their steps are not heavy enough for the dog to feel them through the floor so it's easy for kids to startle a dog who is facing away from them. If a snap is going to happen, this is a likely time. Teach small children how to make themselves known to the dog without scaring him.
- All dogs "hear" your body language better than any sound you could make. Keep in mind that for the most part dogs don't relate to each other through sound either - some of mine never bark, whine, or make any noise at all! Use your body and your energy the same with a hearing or deaf dog and they'll "hear" you just fine. :)
Thank you for rescuing this little heartbreaker!