At the tender age of 11 months, Dino is already 85 lbs, so he is going to be a big boy when he's fully grown! He was turned over to VGSR because his owner developed serious allergies to him and was unable to interact with Dino regularly. While Dino is just a goofy, happy puppy right now, he has an excellent, stable temperament that is befitting of a German shepherd. He is confident and curious, fearless, and not easily startled by loud noises or sudden movements. Dino is appropriately aloof with strangers, though if they pay attention to him his tail will start wagging and try to go visit, an excellent trait in a puppy. I believe once he gets older and matures he will become more aloof with strangers, preferring the attention of his family over all else. Right now we are working hard to socialize him to all sorts of environments, sounds, people, and smells, because as a large, powerful adult, it will be important for him to know what "normal" looks like so he can react appropriately when things are not "normal." As with many GSDs, Dino is very focused on his people and extremely affectionate with us; he loves to interact with us, whether it's for a long game of fetch, cuddling, or just lying at our feet gnawing on a marrow bone. He must still think he's a little 20 lb puppy, because he loves nothing more than to bring his ball or chew toy over to you and climb into your lap as he chews on it. Dino has been pretty easy to train, as he has a lot of drive, enthusiasm and focus for work. He is moderately food motivated and extremely toy motivated. For this reason, his ideal adoptive family would find some sort of sport or job for him to do - whether this be Schutzhund, agility, herding, rally, or just a set of obedience courses - Dino is a dog that would be happiest if kept active both physically and mentally. Currently Dino is living with another male dog (and a cat that's in hiding). While they do get along, Dino has a tendency to be dominant and tries to do a lot of dominance posturing. Coupled with his large size, he can come across as very intimidating, however he means no harm and really just wants to play. There is no aggression towards dogs or people. The dominant behavior is one of the issues that we have been working on, and he has been responding well. Dino would thrive in a home that has a clear set of rules and a firm and fair leader that he can look up to, so he doesn't feel the need to be the top dog all the time. His behavior with cats is unknown, but my guess is that he would probably want to chase. Because of his large size and puppy clumsiness, he would do best in a home with older children. Dino's adoptive family should be prepared to continue his socialization and participate in some kind of obedience training. Dino has the potential to be an incredible dog, and a stellar ambassador for the GSD breed. He will make a loyal, loving companion for a lucky family. I just cannot say enough nice things about this dog!