Post by DogGoneGood on Aug 15, 2008 19:08:09 GMT -5
Puppy Aptitude Testing
Purpose: To evaluate, as early as possible in the dog’s life, his temperament and behavior. Testing, when properly structured, is a fairly reliable predictor of the dog’s personality, trainability, and sociability when he reaches maturity. There are no good or bad results to testing. Results are used to match the puppy’s temperament with the most suitable environment, i.e. guard work, personal protection dog, pet, show dog, guide or support dog.
Scoring: There are nine (9) individual tests, each taken into account separately and results are neither totaled nor averaged. Each test is graded from one to six with guidelines as follow:
1. extremely aggressive/dominant
2. very dominant; easily enticed to bite
3. slightly dominant, active
4. submissive, willing to work with humans
5. very submissive, shy (fear biter)
6. independent, unaffectionate
Puppies scoring consistently in the one to two range are likely candidates for guard and/or protection work; two to three, if combined with structural soundness, is a probable show dog; and three to five are pet quality puppies with four being the most suitable. Puppies scoring consistently five and six may be modified by intensive socialization therapy at this early age.
When Is Test Done: Age seven (7) weeks
Where is test Performed: In an area unfamiliar to puppy, away from dam and littermates, and with some distractions.
Tester: must be a stranger to puppy, (a person familiar to puppy would only evoke learned responses).
Testing should be carried out at a neutral, stress-free time, i.e. not just after worming or immediately proceeding a visit to the vet, or during a nap time.
Overview: Begin testing by observing puppy interaction with each other, noting dominance, lethargy and their initial reaction to seeing you or a stranger. Remove puppies one at a time from their kennel and take them to testing area, being sure to carry them in neutral/comfortable/secure fashion. Begin tests as follow:
1. Social Acceptance: Set puppy on ground and walk away a few steps, bend down and call him “puppy, puppy!” Reactions will vary from the puppy bounding over to you with tail erect, to puppy not coming at all. Test is a good predictor of puppy’s interest in human interaction.
2. Following: Walking away from puppy, calling “Here, puppy, puppy!” patting your side, encouraging him to follow you. Reactions vary from puppy following so closely he almost trips you, maybe biting you, to puppy totally disinterested and going the other way (independently). Test is another good predictor of future dog/human interaction and dog’s dependence/independence level.
3. Restraint: gently turn puppy over on his back and place your palm lightly over his chest, using only enough pressure to keep him in this position for 30 seconds. Reactions vary from puppy struggling frantically to get away, to puppy just laying quietly. This is a very important test to gauge puppy’s acceptance of human dominance.
4. Social Domination/Forgiveness: Immediately following restraint test, attempt to have puppy “Friend up” to you, kneel down, have him sit and pet him. We are looking to see if puppy will “forgive” you, i.e. react towards you in a very friendly manner right after your domination of him, or if he will “hold a grudge”, i.e. ignore you.
A puppy who will not forgive, will probably in the future be temperamental and pouty following corrections for misbehavior, adding another complication to training.
5. Elevation Dominance: With your fingers entwined under puppy’s ribcage, lift him off the ground so that he is in a suspended, helpless position. Reactions vary from puppy struggling fiercely to get away, to just laying there calmly. Test helps to gauge puppy’s future reaction to new strange situations; such as, a visit to the vet’s office, or being judged at a show where he will again be under human dominance.
6. Retrieving: With a small wad of paper, kneel down with puppy and attempt to capture his interest in it. As soon as puppy indicates his attention is on paper, toss it two to four feet in front of him. While he is chasing it, back up two to three feet. Reactions vary from puppy grabbing paper and carrying it away, to puppy returning paper to tester. Test is fairly reliable predictor of puppy’s willingness to work with humans.
7. Touch Sensitivity: Apply pressuer to one of dog’s front pads (on a scale of 1-slight pressure, to 10 – extreme pressure) gauge dog’s pain tolerance (threshold) or grab him by scruff of neck and again on a one to ten scale, gauge his reaction. An extreme reaction to light pain indicates a future screamer during training, and mild corrections may suffice. Minimal reactions to heavy pain indicate that dog’s pain threshold is very high and future corrections during training will need to be adapted or modified accordingly (i.e. hard, physical corrections to this type of dog will have little effect on him).
8. Sound Sensitivity: Very unexpectedly make a sharp, loud noise a few feet away from puppy, such as banging a metal spoon on bottom of a pan. Reactions vary from totally ignoring it or mild curiosity, or total fear and panic. Test indicates how he will be able to handle unexpected sounds such as gunfire, fireworks, heavy machinery, fire engines, etc. in the future. Severe panic reactions to loud noises would not be a good indicator for a guide or guard dog.
9. Sight Sensitivity: Pass a moving unexpected object such as a towel attached to a string, laterally in front of the puppy. Reactions vary from attacking the object to mild curiosity. Test indicates puppy’s future reactions to sudden unexpected stimuli.
10. Structure: Evaluate the puppy’s conformation and standard to his breed as best you can, including the following indications:
1. Straight Front
2. Straight Rear
3. Shoulder Lay
4. Front Angulations
5. Croup Angulations
6. Rear Angulations
Be sure to see the damn, and if possible, the sire before making any purchase and get an overall picture of their temperament and sociability levels.
