PUPPY APTITUDE TEST

TEST	PURPOSE	SCORE
SOCIAL ATTRACTION: Place puppy in test area. From a few feet away the tester coaxes the pup to her/him by clapping hands gently and kneeling down. Tester must coax in a direction away from the point where it entered the testing area.	Degree of social attraction, confidence or dependence.	-Came readily, tail up, jumped, bit at hands. -Came readily, tail up, pawed, licked at hands. -Came readily, tail up. -Came readily, tail down -Came hesitantly, tail down. -Didn't come at all.	1 2  3  4  5  6
FOLLOWING: Stand up and walk away from the pup in a normal manner. Make sure the pup sees you walk away.	Degree of following attraction. Not following indicates independence.	-Followed readily, tail up, got underfoot, bit at feet. -Followed readily, tail up, got underfoot. -Followed readily, tail up. -Followed readily, tail down. -Followed hesitantly, tail down. -No follow or went away.	1 2 3 4 5 6
RESTRAINT: Crouch down and gently roll the pup on his back and hold it with one hand for a full 30 seconds.	Degree of dominant or submissive tendency. How it accepts stress when socially/ physically dominated.	-Struggled fiercely, flailed, bit. -Struggled fiercely, flailed. -Settled, struggled, settled with some eye contact. -Struggled then settled. -No struggle. -No struggle, straining to avoid eye contact.	1 2 3 4 5 6
SOCIAL DOMINANCE: Let pup standup and gently stroke him from the head to back while you crouch beside him. Continue stroking until a recognizable behavior is established.	Degree of acceptance of social dominance. Pup may try to dominate by jumping and nipping or is independent and walks away.	-Jumped, pawed, bit, growled. -Jumped, pawded. -Cuddles up to tester and tries to lick face. -Squirmed, licked at hands. -Rolled over, licked at hands. -Went away and stayed away.	1 2 3 4 5 6
ELEVATION DOMINANCE: Bend over and cradle the pup under its belly, fingers interlaced, palms up and elevate it just off the ground. Hold it there for 30 seconds.	Degree of accepting dominance while in position of no control.	-Struggled fiercely, bit, growled. -Struggled fiercely. -No struggle, relaxed. -Struggled, settled, licked. -No struggle, licked at hands. -No struggle, froze.	1 2 3 4 5 6

 

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OBEDIENCE APTITUDE TEST

TEST	PURPOSE	SCORE
RETRIEVING: Crouch beside pup and attract his attention with crumpled up paper ball. When the pup shows interest and is watching, toss the object 4-6 feet in front of pup.	Degree of willingness to work with a human. High correlation between ability to retrieve and successful guide dogs, obedience dogs, field trial dogs.	-Chases object, picks up object and runs away. -Chases object, stands over object, does not return. -Chases object and returns with object to tester -Chases object and returns without object to tester -Starts to chase object, loses interest. -Does not chase object.	1 2 3 4 5 6
TOUCH SENSITIVITY: Take puppy's webbing of one front foot and press between *finger and thumb lightly then more firmly till you get a response, while you count slowly to 10. Stop as soon as puppy pulls away, or shows discomfort. *Do NOT use fingernail.	Degree of sensitivity to touch.	8-10 counts before response. 6-7 counts before response. 5-6 counts before response. 2-4 counts before response. 1-2 counts before response.	1 2 3 4 5
SOUND SENSITIVITY: Place pup in the center of area, tester or assistant makes a sharp noise a few feet from the puppy. A large metal spoon struck sharply on a metal pan twice works well.	Degree of sensitivity to sound. (Also can be a rudimentary test for deafness.)	-Listens, locates sound, walks toward it barking. -Listens, locates sound, barks. -Listens, locates sound, shows curiosity and walks toward sound. -Listens, locates the sound. -Cringes, backs off, hides. -Ignores sound, shows no curiosity.	1 2 3 4 5 6
SIGHT SENSITIVITY: Place pup in center of room. Tie a string around a large towel and jerk it across the floor a few feet away from puppy.	Degree of intelligent response to strange object.	-Looks, attacks and bites. -Looks, barks and tail up. -Looks curiously, attempts to investigate. -Looks, barks, tail-tuck. -Runs away, hides.	1 2 3 4 5
STRUCTURE: STRUCTURE: The puppy is gently set in a natural stance and evaluated for structure in the following categories: Straight front Straight rear Shoulder lay back Front angulation Croup angulation Rear angulation	Degree of structural soundness. Good structure is necessary.	-The puppy is correct in structure. -The puppy has a slight fault or deviation. -The puppy has an extreme fault or deviation.	good fair poor

 

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INTERPRETING THE SCORES

Mostly 1s – hard temperament

Such pup is a very dominant, aggressive and has the potential to bite due to a dominance aggression. Hard dogs will look for fight and will not back down. They are very confident and will challenge human leadership. Due to their nature, they require only the most experienced, strong handlers. Hard dogs are completely unsuitable as family companions but can make excellent security and guard dogs with proper training and supervision.

Dogs with this type of temperament and a true dominance aggression are extremely rare.

Mostly 2s – medium hard

This pup is dominant and self-assured, with a strong protective instinct. Medium hard dogs are confident, outgoing and often territorial. They can be provoked to bite but will readily respond to firm, consistent leadership and be very trustworthy in the right environment. These dogs are not for indecisive individuals since they will become alphas in such circumstances and will enforce their leadership. With a firm, consistent, and authoritative leader, medium hard dogs become excellent, trustworthy companions and excel in all areas. This is an ideal type of temperament for a confident and experienced handler looking for a serious working prospect.

Mostly 3s – medium

This is a nice fit for most situations. Medium pups are happy, well adjusted, confident, social, stable, and adjust easily to a variety of environments. They still require exercise and obedience training. Even though they are not aggressive by nature, they will defend their loved ones. Medium dogs might be too much to handle for a family with small children or elderly, sedentary owners.

Mostly 4s - medium soft

Medium soft pup is gentle, adaptable, and submissive puppy that looks for leadership and reassurance. These dogs are easy to train with positive methods, good with kids, affectionate. They make ideal, undemanding family companions.

Mostly 5s - soft

This pup is very submissive and lack self-confidence. Such dogs bond very closely with their owners and constantly look for reassurance. They need lots of positive socialization and encouragement to bring out their potential otherwise they can become fearful and fear biters. The best environment for soft dogs is quiet, loving, undemanding household with lots of patience and time, such as retired or elderly owners.

Mostly 6s

This is a very independent puppy that has a very little need for human companionship. As adults, these dogs are not very affectionate and are hard to motivate in training. This is a rarely seen temperament in well socialized pups.

Information on this page provided courtesy of Wendy Volhard.©