oh, i guess i should add something constructive...I would tell people exactly what you told us; she is a one-man-dog. thats what Im looking for in a dog and im sre theres other people, ther has to be, that want the same thing. besides, the trump argument is that that is how a shepherd should be.
I cant emphasis how much I think that dog is perfect, just from what ive heard...
oh, and since the dogs issue isnt shyness, the treat-given-by-stranger (or handler) is probably teaching her very quickly to hold off the suspicious stranger till Mom (or Dad?) says not to (that would be when the treat was given) since she barked until she was given a trea I bet you she thinks it was a job for her to bark until then.
still; i would love to have a dog that was such a natural at being an alert dog...

Yes, and she looks like a LH to boot, beautiful! I don't know what to say, the best way to get her sociable would be to give her time, I guess, it will take her awhile to accept her new family, but I'm sure she would eventually.

Hmmmm...I had a difficult horse like that once. I made the new owners come visit him often and interact with him until they took him home for good. I then offered my services whenever they needed help with him - and he gradully grew attached to his new owners and couldn't care less about me.

I suggest that prospective owners come visit her at the fosterer's home as much as possible for awhile, then start taking her for overnighters that gradually extend out further. The dog has special needs that the new owner needs to accept instead of 'just giving up' after one night! And I am suprised the fosterer won't keep her - I would out of sheer flattery!!!! Phrase this to the prospective owner that this dog is extremely loyal and these measures must be taken for the dog to grow to love you this way.

As an aside, it is my understanding that this is classic behavior in an animal that has been re-homed. It can be very traumatic for them, so they develop an almost neurotic attachement to their 'savior.' Abandonment issues....

In addition to this, I would continue to have the fosterer socialize the dog in a postive manner as much as possible to get her to open up the possibility that people in general can be interesting creatures. Like the classic 'stranger offer the shy dog a treat' routine?

Michael, maybe I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed but I just don't see what the problem is. I would LOVE my GSD to be more like Nightstar. I always worry about someone stealing him because of his unreasonable friendliness. Having a dog like Nightstar would seriously diminish my paranoia!

I know my post isn't helping much but, on the other hand, maybe it, along with the others is...there seems to be no real problem with the dog.

I'd adopt that dog in a NYC minute if I could (still trying to convince significant other of the value of a 2nd dog ). But, I digress:

Nightstar is gorgeous and seems to need only time and patience. And who in this rotten world doesn't ?

Good luck with her. She sounds like a fabulous GSD.

 Quote: Michael Walker

The longest the dog has been away from the fosterer is about 30 hours. This is when the dog went to a different house over night and at one point escaped out the door. It has gone out a couple of times for a day trip, but never longer then that. The dog shows such a dramatic reaction, that most people have not wanted to keep the dog longer then that because it avoids them completely when they have him.

Well, I think everyone would agree that 30 hours is not really enough time to give the dog a chance to acclimate. All relationships take time. I think the suggestion to continue socializing the dog sounds like a good one but as long as the fosterer is still in the picture, living with this dog, I'm not sure how much it will help.

It seems that the real effort and work will continue to be done on your end, interviewing potential adopters who are up for the challenge, so to speak, of earning this dog's loyalty and trust. It's a leap of faith, a lot of work and not everyone's cup of tea...and probably not in a shelter where the average Joe is looking for a cuddly pet and an instant companion.

I would be more concerned about the medical issue. Explosive diarrhea caught my attention What was the diagnosis and what kind of meds is this dog taking?

Michael,
I'm going to join the chorus here and say that if I didn't live a continent away the dog would likely have a home. He sounds like a very nice GSD. It's too bad he must be uprooted.....again.
Coming at the problem from another angle, if the meds issue could be say cut in half or eliminated altogehter would the fosterer want to adopt? So I guess I'm asking just what are those problems? We have some very knowledgable dog health people here. Maybe they could help.
Other then that, to make a transition easier on the dog I think the fosterer will have to do as they did with the next door neighbor. Sooner or later though the break will have to be made and the work of the new owners will begin.
IMHO your beating a dead horse, the dogs nature is what it is and your trying to one: overcome some hard learned, deeply ingrained trauma, two: you are trying to rewire some basic characteristics of the breed, probably won't happen. The best a new owner can do is wait for the dog to trust them. Hard thing that, especially when the dog has learned that loyality is worth squat.
Give us the health picture, maybe we can help.

If your making a trip to the East Coast, bring the dog along. I'll take him.
Randy

First off let me thank you all for your comments and suggestions... my intent with him is to socialize him more so that he is not locked into avoiding anything that does not directly include the fosterer, since she does not want to adopt him. This is partly so that he is more "adoptable" for people but mostly so he is not as stressed when he goes out to a new home. While I am aware that this behavior can fall in the lines of normal GSD stuff.... this is on the higher end of the scale from most GSD's I have seen or trained.

The rescue program this dog is part of is German Shepherd Rescue of Northern California http://www.savegsd.org

Julie, I like the suggestions of having the potential adopters come to the fosterer's house increasingly, so he can get to know them. Since we have a model of this being effective with the neighbor it is definitely worth suggesting to the "powers that be" in the program. He has had several people interested in him; but each family either is willing to wait out the behavior but has no money for ongoing medical.... or has the money, but is really turned off by his avoidance behavior.

Sarah, I agree that the 30 hours is not enough to acclimate... but due to his behavior during those 30 hours, the person returned him because no matter what she did, he actively avoided everyone and everything in the house. To be honest, we work with our foster dogs with a lot of socializing, and this is the only dog I have seen in the year or so I have been with the program, who has acted this way in the new house. Most of our dogs are interested in interacting with people, new or familiar. Since the person that took him for the 30 hours, is also a fosterer, it was very clear to them the difference between him and most of our other dogs. Good or bad, it is what is it for that person.

As far as the medical part of him, I have a call into the Vet to get the specifics of the medical stuff to post here. Thank you all for your ideas and input.

He sounds so much like my first gsd who was also a rescue.......if this group would adopt out-of-state I would take him! Is there any way they'll make an exception?
When I got Griz he was the same only there was No-one he wanted anything to do with....it took me about 3 days for him to even look at me but once that happened it didn't take much more time. People have to realize with an adult it may just take more time.....

Michael, I do dog rescue, so I know how hard it can be to find a home for a dog like this. If she were one of my rescues, I would do several things. I would make her behavior a plus by describing her to potential adopters as a wonderfully devoted and loyal dog, well worth the wait for her to transfer her loyalty. There is no way her behavior is going to change. She doesn't know she's just a foster and her caregiver will not keep her. The dog is simply trying to do the right thing, and trying to change her behavior is, from her point of view, asking her to do something wrong. As has been suggested, the best bet is to have the adopters visit the dog frequently over at least a month to help rebonding. Finally, if the dog has pancreatic insufficiency, this can be treated very effectively and cheaply with raw beef pancreas. This not the same as an all-raw diet. It works fine with regular kibble. It's a bit more trouble, since the pancreas have to be liquified in a food processor, but a big batch can be liquified and frozen for use within 3 months. (Raw pig pancreas should not be used because of the risk of transmitting the pseudorabies virus.)