We investigated the transport, thermal and magnetic properties of antiferromagnetic (T_N = 45 K) Gd₂InGe₂. Magnetization measurements under applied magnetic field, oriented along different crystallographic directions, were used to extract the anisotropic magnetocaloric effect. We also measured magnetization under pulsed field up to 45 T. From the analysis of the electrical transport and magnetization, conduction band electrons were weakly coupled to Gd f-electron local moments. Differential scanning calorimeter data confirmed a second order phase of the antiferromagnetic to paramagnetic transition. The anisotropic magnetocaloric effect points to a model of magnetic ordering whereby Gd local moments couple ferromagnetically and antiferromagnetically perpendicular and parallel, respectively, to the c-axis.