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Temperament
Test
Revised
January 2003
Developed
by Joachim and Wendy Volhard
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TEST
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PURPOSE
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SCORE
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SOCIAL
ATTRACTION
Place puppy in test area about four feet from the
tester. Tester kneels, leans backwards and coaxes
the pup to her/him by clapping hands gently.
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Degree
of social attraction to people, confidence, or
dependence.
Pack Drive.
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Came
readily, tail up, jumped, bit at hands.
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1
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Came
readily, tail up, pawed, licked at hands.
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Came
hesitantly, tail down.
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FOLLOWING
The
tester stands up and slowly walks away encouraging the
puppy to follow. Make sure the pup sees you walk away.
Coax puppy to follow by talking to it and attracting
its attention.
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Willingness
to follow a person.
Pack
Drive.
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Followed
readily, tail up, got underfoot, bit at
feet.
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1
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Followed
readily, tail up, got underfoot.
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Followed
readily, tail up
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Followed
readily, tail down.
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Followed
hesitantly, tail down.
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Did
not follow or went away.
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RESTRAINT
The
tester crouches down and gently rolls the pup on its
back and holds it down with light pressure with one
hand for 30 seconds.
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Degree
of dominance or submissive tendency, and ease of
handling in difficult situations.
Fight
or Flight Drive.
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Struggled
fiercely, flailed, bit.
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1
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Struggled
fiercely, flailed.
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Settled,
struggled, settled with some eye contact.
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No
struggle, no eye contact.
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No
struggle, straining to avoid eye contact.
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SOCIAL
DOMINANCE
Puppy
sits or stands on crouching tester's left side and
tester gently strokes it from the head to back.
Continue stroking until a recognizable behavior is
established.
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Degree
of acceptance of social dominance by a person.
Pack
Drive.
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Jumped,
pawed, bit, growled.
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1
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Cuddled
up to tester and tried to lick face.
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Squirmed,
licked at hands.
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Rolled
over, licked at hands.
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Went
away and stayed away.
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ELEVATION
DOMINANCE
The
tester cradles the pup under its chest, with both
hands, fingers interlaced, palms up and gently lifts
it two feet off the ground, and holds it there for 30
seconds.
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Degree
of accepting dominance while in position of no
control.
Fight
or Flight Drive.
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Struggled
fiercely, tried to bite.
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1
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Struggled,
settled, struggled, settled.
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RETRIEVING
The
tester crouches beside the pup and attracts its
attention with a crumpled up piece of paper. When the
pup shows some interest, the tester tosses the paper
no more than four feet in front of the pup,
encouraging it to retrieve the paper.
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Degree
of willingness to do something for you. Together
with social attraction and following, a key
indicator for ease or difficulty in training.
Prey
Drive.
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Chased
object, picked it up and ran away.
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1
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Chased
object, stood over it, did not return.
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Chased
object, picked it up and returned with it to
tester.
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Chased
object and returned without it to tester.
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Started
to chase object, lost interest.
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TOUCH
SENSITIVITY
The
tester locates the webbing of one of the puppy's front
paws and presses it lightly between his index finger
and thumb. The tester gradually increases pressure
while counting to 10 and stops the pressure when the
puppy pulls away or shows discomfort.
*
Do not use your fingernail when performing this test.
Press between the finger and thumb lightly then more
firmly until you get a response.
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Degree
of sensitivity to touch and a key indicator to the
type of training equipment required
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8-10
counts before response.
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1
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6-7
counts before response.
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5-6
counts before response.
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2-4
counts before response.
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2-3
counts before response.
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SOUND
SENSITIVITY
The
puppy is placed in the center of the testing area and
an assistant stationed at the perimeter makes a sharp
noise, such as banging a metal spoon on the bottom of
a metal pan.
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Degree
of sensitivity to sound.
(Also a rudimentary test
for deafness.)
Prey Drive.
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Listened,
located sound, walked toward it barking.
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1
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Listened,
located sound, barked.
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Listened,
located sound, showed curiosity and walked
toward sound.
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Listened,
located the sound.
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Cringed,
backed off, hid.
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Ignored
sound, showed no curiosity.
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SIGHT
SENSITIVITY
The
puppy is placed in the center of the testing area. The
tester ties a string around a bath towel and jerks it
across the floor two feet away from puppy.
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Degree
of response to a moving object, such as chasing
bicycles, children or squirrels.
Prey Drive.
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Looked,
attacked and bit.
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1
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Looked,
barked and tail up.
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Looked
curiously, attempted to investigate.
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Looked,
barked, tail-tuck.
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STABILITY
An
umbrella is opened about five feet from the puppy and
gently placed on the ground.
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Degree
of startle response to a strange object.
Fight
and Flight Drive.
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Looked
and ran to the umbrella, mouthing or biting
it.
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Looked
and walked to the umbrella, smelling it
cautiously.
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Looked
and went to investigate.
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Sat
and looked, but did not move toward the
umbrella.
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Ran
away from the umbrella.
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STRUCTURE
The
puppy is gently set and held in a natural stance and
evaluated for structure in the following categories:
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Straight
front
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Straight
rear
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Shoulder
lay back
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Front
angulation
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Croup
angulation
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Rear
angulation
(see
diagram below)
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Degree
of structural soundness.
Good
structure is necessary.
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The
puppy is correct in structure.
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good
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The
puppy has a slight fault or deviation.
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fair
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The
puppy has an extreme fault or deviation.
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poor
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(First
published in the AKC Gazette, March 1979, in an article by
Melissa Bartlett.)
Interpreting
the Scores
Mostly 1's A
puppy that consistently scores a 1 in the temperament section of
the test is an extremely dominant, aggressive puppy who can
easily be provoked to bite. His dominant nature will
attempt to resist human leadership, thus requiring only the most
experienced of handlers. This puppy is a poor choice for
most individuals and will do best in a working situation as a
guard or police dog.
Mostly 2's This pup
is dominant and self-assured. He can be provoked to bite;
however he readily accepts human leadership that is firm,
consistent and knowledgeable. This is not a dog for a
tentative, indecisive individual. In the right hands, he
has the potential to become a fine working or show dog and could
fit into an adult household, provided the owners know what they
are
doing.
Mostly 3's
This pup is outgoing and friendly and will adjust well in
situations in which he receives regular training and exercise.
He has a flexible temperament that adapts well to different
types of environment, provided he is handled correctly.
May be too much dog for a family with small children or an
elderly couple who are sedentary.
Mostly 4's
A pup that scores a majority of 4's is an easily controlled,
adaptable puppy whose submissive nature will make him
continually look to his master for leadership. This pup is
easy to train, reliable with kids, and, though he lacks
self-confidence, makes a high-quality family pet. He is
usually less outgoing than a pup scoring in the 3's, but his
demeanor is gentle and affectionate.
Mostly 5's This is
a pup who is extremely submissive and lacking in self-
confidence. He bonds very closely with his owner and
requires regular companionship and encouragement to bring him
out of himself. If handled incorrectly, this pup will grow
up very shy and fearful. For this reason, he will do best
in a predictable, structured lifestyle with owners who are
patient and not overly demanding, such as an elderly couple.
Mostly 6's A
puppy that scores 6 consistently is independent and uninterested
in people. He will mature into a dog who is not
demonstrably affectionate and who has a low need for human
companionship. In general, it is rare to see properly
socialized pups test this way; however there are several breeds
that have been bred for specific tasks (such as basenjis,
hounds, and some northern breeds) which can exhibit this level
of independence. To perform as intended, these dogs
require a singularity of purpose that is not compromised by
strong attachments to their owner.
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The
remainder of the puppy test is an evaluation of obedience
aptitude and working ability and provides a general picture of a
pup's intelligence, spirit, and willingness to work with a human
being. For most owners, a good companion dog will score in
the 3 to 4 range in this section of the test. Puppies scoring a
combination of 1's and 2's require experienced handlers who will
be able to draw the best aspects of their potential from them.
Developed
by Joachim and Wendy Volhard
© Wendy Volhard 2003
©
As long as the material used is correctly credited
with the authors' name,
a link to this website, the publication where it was
printed from and the copyright,
Jack and Wendy encourage people to use their material.
Updated:
January 14, 2003 7:59 PM
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