how long does it normally take for them to be reliable as it felt kind of flukey

Well done both of you

It can take a long time, but he sounds like a smart dog so it may not be too difficult for him to learn what is required. Do not be discouraged if he doesn't do it next time.

However, as he has done it once (under pretty high distraction) and been well rewarded, the seed has been sown. Keep up the training and let us know how it goes.

i will and thanx for all the advice sb. now i just need to learn how to stop him destroying my house when i go out!!!!

Katy,
You said " i waited for a second then i said max drop! i didnt expect him to do it but he did!!!!! then he even responded to a max come!!!"

I am not knocking this, in fact I think it is brilliant. However, you might consider dropping Max and then going and rewarding him where he has dropped rather than calling him to you. He will then associate the reward with the drop rather than the return to you. It sounds very picky but I would be looking to maximize the reinforcement of the drop part, reminding him to 'stay' as you walk to his position & giving a really high-value treat. Also there could be a situation where you need Max to drop and stay and not to anticipate coming back to you. The usual example given is the dog getting out and crossing a road. If you see him on the other side of a busy road you would want to drop him and have him stay until you reach him rather than have him trying to cross back to you. There are, of course, other situations when the drop & stay can keep a dog out of danger.

As for the house destruction ... that's a whole other ball game

Well done katy and max

Well done to both of you

i hadnt thought of it like that sb very good point. i was just really wanting him back on the lead before he did the off