8/13/15 - "If you give him an inch, he will take a mile" - words of wisdom regarding this dog that were echoing in my head as we picked him up from the trainer who boarded this handsome fellow for two months.

Beetlejuice 4248, or as we call him, Beetle is a big bundle of happy dog.  He is very affectionate and will put that giant head of his in your lap for ear scratches and petting.  He has slimmed down to 103 lbs and looks great.  He has recently had an upper respiratory infection and is still coughing occasionally.  He is not for the faint hearted.  While trained very well (shout out to his trainer!), he is strong willed and knows his size.  He must be with a leader familiar with GSDs.  He is a good dog, but will test what he can get away with.  I would not recommend him to a family with young children as he would likely steal their toys.  Beetle loves his pink pig (sadly it no longer squeaks) and any stuffed toy he comes across.  He will play tug with us and his foster brothers with his purple dinosaur.  A video of him playing in the yard with his foster brother is attached.  He plays well with his two foster brothers, one is 43 lbs, the other around 80-85.  He is just starting to play with his foster sister... at 55 lbs she is a typical dominant female.

He has met numerous people since we got him and has been fine with all.  He likes his crate (he sleeps in it sometimes at night, door open).  He walks well on a leash.  He needs help getting his hind legs into my small SUV.  Once in, he enjoys the ride.  He had hip surgery on his left hip when he was much younger.  He has a slightly funny gait and is not a huge fan of stairs, but no pain that we can detect.  He runs and plays with no problem.  We've put him on a glucosamine/condroitin supplement for good measure.

Prior to us, he was with a trainer for a couple months, was adopted for a couple months and before that was with another foster, who's description of him follows...

February, 2015 - Beetlejuice 4248, or "Beetle," is one of the happiest dogs you will meet!  He is a friendly boy who likes to wrestle with his foster siblings, two collies and another GSD.  He's respectful of the five cats with whom he also currently lives, and he accepts correction from them as well.  He doesn't seem to have too much of a prey drive but has shown some interest in "playing" with some of the poultry and waterfowl.  He's afraid of the goat and horses!  His current fosters do not have human children, but Beetle is reported to be good with kids as well.

The first thing you will notice about Beetle in person is his size.  At 121 lbs, he's a very big boy.  He's also just gorgeous, and his personality matches.

Beetle likes to run and play but is usually mellow and calm in the house.  He is perfectly housetrained.  He does not counter surf but has no shame about picking up food or other yummy-smelling items on low tables or counters that he can reach without effort.  He recently decided that, although he had been crate-trained, he doesn't want to crate any more (doesn't really need it anyway).  He has some mild separation anxiety and will scratch at the door when first left alone, but he settles down once he realizes he isn't going along.  He needs a little leash work (pulls some when excited).  His biggest vice is not liking to be excluded any time you go outside for any reason: he will attempt to push past you and barge through the door.  He can and will open doors with push handles to let himself out.  His fosters are working on "sit" and "wait" to correct this, but his adoptive family will probably need to continue this training.

Beetle is not especially food-motivated, but he will do just about anything for his favorite pink pig toy, which is a great training aid.  The pig will, of course, go with him to his new home.  He knows "sit" and "paw," and although he will sometimes come when called, a squeak of the pig will always bring him running!

In summary, Beetle is a gorgeous dog in a super-sized package with a true "gentle giant" personality.  Approved adopters who are interested in Beetle may contact his fosters to find about meeting him!