Yes the extra toes do take some getting used to! Ive been fortunate that Tessa has been very well behaved for trimming/filing of her toenails since she was a puppy..i cant imagine having a dog that hates their feet being touched, AND having extra toes to deal with! I do think its funny though, generally when Im out in public with her, people comment on how BIG her feet are, but many dont seem to notice the extra toes are why they look so big until I point it out!
As for seeing breeders, no, honestly I didnt see any. As crazy as it sounds, Id never even seen a Beauceron in person at all before I had Tessa flown in. I had read and researched all I could find on them for several years before, and knowing I wantd a show dog, I started researching show results for other organizations (they werent AKC accepted at the time)as well as their specialties in the US and constantly kept coming up with the same breeders name winning. I started researching her dogs more, and liked everything about them. When I decided to get the puppy, I didnt have any doubt it would be from the same breeder I got Tessa from. Shes been everything I wanted her to be! As for a "pet", Tessa still is first and formost a Pet. I just enjoy showing and competing as a hobby. The biggest thing in owning one period, in my experience is providing the exercise and mental stimulation to keep them happy. They are very active, and very intelligent. They thrive off of learning new things, or atleast Tessa has, and from what Ive read, this seems to be the norm. They are also very slow to mature, especially with males, so yes, im not preparing myself to have a 100 lb puppy for the next 3 years! I heard one breeder once say they are "like a malinois with an off switch" and that seems to be fitting. I generally describe Tessa to most people that ask - When its time to work, shes all business, but on downtime, shes a super big clown!
i do love this breed. My girls name is Tessa ( Contessa du Chateau Rocher CD RA) and my boy that i will be getting hopefully soon will be Han Solo du Chateau Rocher. I originally chose the breed because i wanted somthing that wasnt "divided" between working and show dogs. I researched on the breed for years, and eventually got my Tessa in 2007. I have little personal experience with other beauces honestly, as I only know of two others around here ( im about an hour and a half from houston) although i hear there is one or two in dallas and dan antonio. In 4 years of showing my girl all around TX and LA we only had two shows that had any competition, once in Houston last year, and once in OKC when Tessa was just a puppy. But from my experiece and what ive heard from others..i do enjoy that while they are serious when working, theyre big goofy clowns when not. I could really go on and on about all i love about this breed! I will say they thrive from having somthing to do, and we take daily bike runs, as well as run agility atleast once a werk and do other training throughout the week.. i know if ive been slacking, cause even at almost 5 years old my silly girl will still get into trouble sometimes if shes bored or left home alone too often! 
