Hunter's Heart Brittanys - Puppy Temperament Testing

The following is an excerpt from the book “How to Raise a Puppy You Can Live With”, 2^nd Edition; pages 161 to 168; by Clarice Rutherford and David H. Neil (MRCVS); ISBN #0-931866-57-X.

NOTE BY RUTHERFORD AND NEIL

To put puppy testing in proper perspective, it is important to note that it is only one of the tools to use in evaluating a puppy's temperament. The other tools are the breeder's continuing observation of each puppy's behavior throughout the first seven weeks not only in the litter, but also when separated and spending time with a person; and third, a knowledge of the behavioral factors in that particular breed and in those particular bloodlines The puppy buyer should not get hung up on the scoring at testing time but realize it's an indication of the pup's socialization needs in the pup’s new home. Dominance, shyness, and over excitability are readily identifiable and are general traits that need special place- meant in homes that are willing to work with these personalities.

A Few Simple Tests

It's easy and fun to administer puppy tests, but it's also easy to form snap judgments as a result of the tests. Don't turn puppy testing into more than it is. It's an indication of the puppy's natural attitude toward people and a relative measure of the pup's submissiveness and aggressiveness. As such, it's a guide to what type of home and what kind of training will work best. It's not a permanent labeling of the pup's adult personality. One reason for this is that environment can play such a large part in the development of a dog’s Personality.

William E. Campbell developed a series of puppy tests which have become quite popular and which give a consistent overall picture of a puppy's basic emotional behavior. He discusses them in his excellent book. Behavior Problems in Dogs, and they are the tests outlined in this chapter.

The score sheet is one we have used for quite some time and lists the reactions we have found to be fairly common. The analysis sheet is a guide to interpreting the results of the testing and incorporates our interpretations of scoring based on observations of the testing we have done. Someday, we hope a controlled study will be conducted on puppy testing and its relevance to the dog’s mature personality. Until that time, breeders who use puppy testing tend to develop a sharp eye from experience. They become familiar with the behavior tendencies of their bloodlines and with how certain reactions will develop later in adult dogs They also can see certain behavior qualities that are not testable such as that extra spark of smarts or charisma. Some puppies will have a reaction not listed on the score sheet. A pup will not be shy but will be content to observe and quietly do what is indicated but in his own time. This is probably an indication of a slightly more than average independence, or possibly an easy-going, quiet disposition.

The pup should be retested another day to make sure the pup wasn't simply just too tired.

The test should be administered by a person who hasn’t spent much time with the pups or who is a complete stranger and should be conducted in a room or area that is new to the puppy. These two factors are the means of introducing a puppy's reaction to a stranger and to a new environment into the testing.

Some breeders like to have the prospective buyers of the puppies administer the test when each comes to observe the litter, but other breeders prefer to conduct the test themselves first scoring each pup in a litter while another person does the actual testing.

This gives the breeder an overall view of the behavior of the litter and this information can be helpful when discussing selection with potential new owners.

The breeder might be surprised to discover that a puppy’s test score can be quite different from what his litter behavior indicated.

A puppy who is very quiet, even to the extent of being picked on by the others, can score as an outgoing people-oriented pup. The reverse can be true also. An assertive pup in the litter might hesitate in associating with a person. Observation of the litter behavior with the other pups can sometimes give a false impression of the pup’s innate desire to please and to adjust to people, so it’s always advisable for a breeder to puppy-test a litter even though it sometimes might seem unnecessary.

GUIDELINES

There are a few simple guidelines: The puppies should be awake at the time you go to get them for testing. If you wake a sleeping puppy the test might not give you a true picture of his reactions. Its also best not to give the test immediately after the pups have eaten. If for any reason you're not sure you got a reliable reaction from any pup, repeat the test the next day.

Testing a puppy isn't a rigid routine that must be followed in an exact pattern. Puppies won't let it be that way. It's simply taking a pup away from its littermates to an area with as few distractions as possible and doing the tests in whatever order seems to work best for each pup.

EXAMPLE TEST ROUTINE

Here is an example of the way in which a testing routine might be conducted.

Come Test

Give the pup a few seconds to get oriented to the test area then call the pup to you by kneeling down and moving your hands in a silent clapping motion. Be sure the pup sees you. If not, move and try again. (Refer to the chart in this Appendix for scoring methods.) After the pup has come running to you, do the stroking test.

Stroking Test

Pet the pup from head to tail for thirty seconds. If he bites your hand, he scores an A; if he just mouths your hand and is happily excited, he scores a B.

Notice that the difference between scoring an A and a B is biting. An A score applies to the very aggressive pup. All puppies have needle-sharp teeth and go bounding around with their mouths open, but the pup that scores an A actually nips you. That's his intention, though he may not be mean or vicious about it; that's his way of telling you what he thinks.

The Restraint Test

Next, do the restraint test by rolling the puppy on his back and holding him down with your hand on his tummy and between his front legs.

The Following Test

At some point during these few minutes, walk past the pup within a foot or two. If he doesn't follow, walk past again. Be sure he sees you.

If you have trouble getting the pup's attention for the Come or the Following test, do one of the other tests and try again a little later. The important thing is to get a definite reaction from the pup even if it takes several attempts. If you can't get a reaction, that in itself should be recorded as a reaction. Give the pup every opportunity with the few minutes that he is in the test area.

There are two other tests for puppies that are listed but not scored on the score sheet. These can give additional information on the pup's basic behavior tendencies. One is the toe pinch. The other is retrieving.

Pinch Test

The pup that doesn't feel the pinch will need forceful training. The non-forgiver is not going to be a good obedience trial prospect.

The pup that feels the pinch, yipes, and then forgives (licking, tail wagging, asking for attention) has a disposition that will be a joy to work with.

Retrieving

Retrieving a knotted sock is an indication of concentration and desire to please. Get the pup's attention by touching his lips with the sock and waving it in his face. Toss it about three feet away. If he goes out to it, he demonstrates he can pay attention to an object. If he brings it back to you, he has a strong desire to please. Some pups might have trouble concentrating at six weeks of age but should be able to by seven weeks. This test isn't for retrievers only. It's a good one to include for many of the working breeds.

notes and observations

Notes can be as important as the test scores. We can attest to the vital role of note taking. One author was looking for an assertive pup that could take a lot of hard work and training but that also had a strong desire to please. Her pick-of-the-litter selection had been narrowed down to two puppies with identical scores on the puppy test. However, her notes told her that puppy one had come to her on the first Come test even though it was distracted by a frayed rug corner. Puppy two needed three "comes." Her early records showed puppy one was the only puppy that didn't cry when removed from the litter and put on a cement floor at three and a half weeks of age and that was the most investigative pup with a rapidly wagging tail. This cinched the selection, but she never would have remembered if she hadn't written notes.

The puppy-testing session is an excellent opportunity for making general observations under conditions that are the same for all the puppies. What is each pup's reaction to you and to the surroundings? Is he generally very curious and active, or is he hesitant? Does he whine a lot? Is he easily frightened by a noise or strange object? Write down all the observations. It's amazing how easy it is to forget the little details when observing several puppies.

This type of general observation is a good way of acquainting potential owners with the pups in a litter who might otherwise not be interested in conducting the puppy test themselves. For these people, the breeder can point out the more cautious pups from the more aggressive ones and can also casually incorporate

the Follow test and the Come test into the observation. In the final analysis, the selection of a puppy is probably more emotional than logical. However, it's best to try to place the pup in the home that his natural personality fits best. Many future problems can be prevented this way. A very assertive person will quickly lose patience with a quiet puppy that scores C’s and D’s (see scoring chart) and a shy person will probably never be able to become the pack leader of a very aggressive dog.

SCORE SHEET FOR PUPPY BEHAVIOR TEST

(Circle one score for each test)

COME TEST (Attraction to people)

Response	Puppy’s score
Comes rapidly, nipping at hand	A
Comes happily, may lick hand, jump in lap	B
Comes slowly but willingly	C
Comes very hesitantly, or shyly sits and watches	D
Doesn't come, may look at you and go his own way	E

STROKING TEST (Attitude toward social activities)

Response	Puppy’s Score
Very excited, bites, growls	A
Jumps and paws, happily	B
Squirms and licks	C
Rolls over or slinks away	D
Walks away and stays away	E

FOLLOWING TEST (Desire to stay in a social environment)

Response	Puppy’s Score
Pounces on feet, bites pant leg, underfoot	A
Follows happily, underfoot	B
Follows slowly but willingly	C
Doesn't follow, slinks away or sits shyly	D
Doesn't follow, more interested in going elsewhere	E

RESTRAINT TEST (Acceptance of human dominance)

Response	Puppy’s Score
Struggles fiercely, bites, growls	A
Struggles then settles, or wiggles the whole time	B
Settles, then struggles	C
No struggle	D
Wiggles occasionally	E

RETRIEVING (Concentration and desire to please)

PINCH TEST (Pain tolerance and forgiveness)

* E in the score indicates a degree of independence. Three E's is a very independent puppy. (Puppy should be retested.) Doesn't require a lot of human companionship. Has very little desire to please. Training requires much repetition and patience from owner.

* Note: The tests are not always the whole story. There's always the puppy that doesn't fit into any one of the scoring categories. All one can do is score the pup as best he can and then use observations to round out the analysis.

Analysis of the Puppy’s Results

EXTREMELY SHY

STRONG DESIRE TO PLEASE IN THIS RANGE

3 or more exaggerated “D” responses

3 or more “D” responses

3 or more “C” responses

with one “D”

3 or more “C” responses

with one “B”

3 “B” responses with 1 “C”

4 “B” responses

Shies away for no reason. Retest 2 times to verify. This pup is virtually untrainable.

NB. 2 or 3 “D” responses with 1 or 2 “A’s” is a potential fear biter.

Highly submissive. Will not socialize easily. Needs much gentle but firm training and confidence building over long period of time. Not good for young children.

Needs much praise and confidence building. Not good for an impatient person. Good with elderly and handicapped.

Good with children. Good for the inexperienced trainer, will let you make a lot of mistakes.

Outgoing & fairly dominant. Fits in most homes. Very people oriented. Very eager to please but needs a firm hand or will make a pest of himself.

Learns quickly and needs firm, consistent training but not harsh physical training.

EXTREMELY AGGRESSIVE
3 “B” responses with “A’s”	4 exaggerated “A” responses
Contests for pack leadership. Makes a good watchdog. Can be trained into a faithful family dog with consistent repetition in training and minimum of physical punishment.	Will not socialize. Not good with children. Untrustworthy around strangers. Needs special training with very experienced dominant trainer.