OO Litter Police Dog/Narcotics Dog Temperament Test
The OO Litter was tested at 52 Days
Mr. Blue went to Utah for Search and Rescue. Mr. Green stayed close in Wyoming as a pet. Miss Pink went to northwest Wyoming for Search & Rescue. Miss Purple went to the Spokane area for competition in a variety of venues: tracking, nosework, agility, herding and maybe more.
My good friend, Suzan Guilford, usually does the police/narcotics test. Suzan is a former K9 handler and police officer, former police chief, and has taught at the Wyoming Police Academy. She has done my temperament tests for over seventeen years, except for a two year absence while she was working in Florida. Suzan and I over the years have incorporated most of the SAR exercises into her testing so she can include them in case Janet & Bonnie can’t come do the SAR testing.
The main difference I see between the police/narcotics test and the SAR test is the attitude of the tester. In the police test, the tester is very quiet, talking little and using very little body movements. No other people are present and the environment is kept quiet. In the SAR test, the tester (often two do the test together) is somewhat more enthusiastic, uses some verbal praise and body movements to get the pup “up” and gives praise. Other people are sometimes present to watch, though they are asked to be as quiet as possible. This would fit well with the ultimate purpose of the dogs being tested for both types of training. In police work the dog must be able to dig down deep inside himself or herself to find the courage and aggression to confront a criminal and/or to search independently and at great distance from the handler. In SAR the handler is usually closer to the dog and is able to praise and encourage him, especially in extended searches. There is also generally all kinds of activity and distraction at a search scene so the dog must be able to filter out the extraneous activity and focus on her job. Both tests are fascinating to watch as is the difference in the pups’ responses in each test.
Results are listed after the description of each part of the Test. Last year Suzan decided to change her test form. She compared what she was doing with other temperament tests and added what she liked from them. After using it on the MM litter, we thought of improvements we could make. Suzan also added an interpretation statement:
This test was designed for Police dogs and dogs of similar professions. This is a good predictor of a strong, confident dog, but also one that may be more independent and not as willing to work with humans as much as they just want to work. Having scores that are average and minimal in some categories may be just what is needed for the agility, therapy or family dog.
This test uses minimal voice, praise and encouragement.
At the end, test results are listed for Cantor.
Tammy, the SAR person getting a pup from this litter, took notes during the testing. She ended up having to do the SAR test on the following day when a blizzard closed the roads.
OO Litter Test Results
1. Social Attachment The first test involves evaluating the pup’s acceptance of the strange place and its willingness to interact with the stranger. Ideal reaction is eye contact and interest in the stranger but no sign of nervousness in the interaction (we don’t want a “Protect me!” attitude), followed by visual investigation of the surroundings and then a return of attention to the tester.
Possible Ratings/General Description
1 – excellent: Licked face; tail up, bit at hands, face
2 – above average: Licked hands; tail up
3 – Average – good: Came readily, tail up
4 – minimal: Acknowledged tail down
5 – insufficient: Hesitant
6 – unacceptable: Did not acknowledge
Pup/ Rating/ Additional Observations
Blue Male: Above average; “8-10 seconds before acknowledged”
Green Male: Above average
Pink Female: Above average’ “20 seconds before acknowledged”
Purple Female: Average-good; “30 seconds before acknowledged”
Tammy’s notes:
Blue Male He started off just leaning into Suzan’s shoulder hugging, before turning to give kisses. He gave Suzan lots of kisses on the acceptance test and then squirmed a little.
Green Male Of course he started out with immediate kisses all over Suzan’s face. And he talked and talked and talked.
Pink Female Licked She was passive for a bit and then turned to Suzan and began kissing her. That’s so typical of her: you can see her thinking, “Is there a way to get out of this?” then she decides there isn’t, and accepts it and is happy with what’s going on
Purple Female She squirmed after about 30 seconds and never acknowledged Suzan or licked her.
2. Following Observing willingness to follow handler, acceptance
Possible Ratings/General Description
1 – excellent: Followed tail up, underfoot, bit at feet
2 – above average: Followed, tail up, underfoot
3 – Average – good: Followed, tail up
4 – minimal: Followed, tail down
5 – insufficient: Followed hesitantly, tail down
6 – unacceptable: Did not follow, went away
Pup/ Rating/ Additional Observations
Blue Male: Excellent
Green Male: Average-good
Pink Female: Average-good
Purple Female: Above average
3. Restraint/Submission The submission test, done for 30 seconds, is designed to give an idea of the pup’s tractability, trust in humans, and willingness to submit to a human’s directives. In the submission test the pup is held firmly on its back for a short period of time. The tester counts the seconds it takes for him to resist, then accept, the restraint. She should not passively accept the restraint, nor should she panic or show avoidance of eye contact. Ideal reaction is to resist, then submit and look the tester in the face. We also look for a willingness to forgive the tester.
Possible Ratings/General Description
1 – excellent: Settled, struggled, settled with some eye contact
2 – above average: Struggled fiercely, flailed
3 – Average – good: Struggled fiercely, bit, flailed
4 – minimal: Struggled, then settled
5 – insufficient: No struggle
6 – unacceptable: No struggle, strained to avoid eye contact
Pup/ Rating/ Additional Observations
Blue Male: Above average; “Eyes”
Green Male: Above average; “@ 5 seconds”
Pink Female: Minimal; “eye contact”
Purple Female: Excellent
Tammy’s notes:
Green Male On the submission test he really fought, squirmed and didn’t give eye contact.
Pink Female Squirmed and whined within 8 sec, and finally gave eye contact.
Purple Female She squirmed and whined.
4. Social Dominance Stroking pup until it reacts
Possible Ratings/General Description
1 – excellent: Cuddled up to tester, licked face
2 – above average: Jumped, pawed
3 – Average – good: Jumped, pawed, bit, growled
4 – minimal: Squirmed, licked at hands
5 – insufficient: Rolled over, licked hands
6 – unacceptable: Went away and stayed away
Pup/ Rating/ Additional Observations
Blue Male: Above average
Green Male: Excellent
Pink Female: Excellent
Purple Female: Above average
5. Confidence/Elevation The confidence part of the test involves holding the pup out at arm’s length for several seconds. Again, the pup should accept the handler putting it in position and remain calm.
Possible Ratings/General Description
1 – excellent: Struggled, settled, struggled, settled
2 – above average: Struggled
3 – Average – good: Struggled, tried to bite
4 – minimal: No struggle, relaxed
5 – insufficient: No struggle, body still
6 – unacceptable: No struggle, body froze
Pup/ Rating/ Additional Observations
Blue Male: Above average; “16 seconds “
Green Male: Above average; “17 seconds”
Pink Female: Above average; “17 seconds”
Purple Female: Minimal; “28 seconds”
Tammy’s notes:
Blue Male He could have cared less on the confidence test – I thought he might go to sleep hanging there in the air.
Green Male He was relaxed on the confidence test with just a little squirming and low whining or talking.
Pink Female She was relaxed at first then began squirming.
Purple Female Confidence test was fine.
6. Retrieve Ball/Toy Next, willingness to retrieve is evaluated using different balls. The tester looks for desire to chase and desire to bring back, noting independence or willingness to work with a human. Ideal reaction is to repeatedly being the toy back to the handler rather than moving off to “possess” it. The type of bite on the toys is evaluated: a full mouth bite shows more confidence and drive than a front-teeth-only bite.
Possible Ratings/General Description
1 – excellent: Chased object, picked it up and returned with it
2 – above average: Chased object, picked it up and returned without it
3 – Average – good: Chased object, stood over it, did not return
4 – minimal: Chased object, picked it up, ran away
5 – insufficient: Started to chase, lost interest
6 – unacceptable: No chase
Pup/ Rating/ Additional Observations
Blue Male: Excellent /Average-good (both checked)
Green Male: Excellent/Average (both checked); “Retrieved 1 time, some chase”
Pink Female: Excellent; “Retrieved 3 times”
Purple Female: Excellent; “”Retrieved 8+ times
Tammy’s notes:
Blue Male He retrieved very well, several times with several toys, including the pine cone.
Green Male Mr. Green carried the pine cone but didn’t take it to Suzan. He carried the balls all around like trophies, rather than retrieve.
Pink Female She did well with the retrieve when she played – which was when she was not exploring. And she pounced on the toys. She retrieved the 4″ ball, quite a mouthful, and wanted to play tug with it.
Purple Female She played well with the ball and retrieved happily several times. She retrieved the pinecone.
7. Sensitivity The loose skin over the ribs is gently pinched and the pup’s reaction is noted. Ideal reaction is to notice the pinch but be unconcerned by it. We also look for a willingness to forgive the tester.
Possible Ratings/General Description
1 – excellent: 8 – 10 count for response
2 – above average: 6 – 8 count for response
3 – Average – good: 5 – 6 count for response
4 – minimal: 3 – 5 count for response
5 – insufficient: 2 – 3 count for response
6 – unacceptable: 1 – 2 count for response
Pup/ Rating/ Additional Observations
Blue Male: Above average
Green Male: Excellent
Pink Female: Excellent
Purple Female: Excellent
Tammy’s notes:
Blue Male: He was really good on the pinch, no reaction even though Suzan pinched for a while. He moved to a toy so Suzan went right into the play test and had to do the submission test at the end.
Green Male On the pinch test he was good, he gave a little whine or maybe just talking.
Pink Female Pinch test was really good; Suzan pinched for quite a while before she gave a head turn. She was focused on a toy and not at all bothered by the pinch.
Purple Female She was good on the pinch test, just turning her head as if to ask “What are you doing?”
8. Prey/Perseverance Then perseverance is evaluated by seeing how enthusiastically they will pursue, grab hold, and tug on a rope or sack. They look for chasing, solidness of grip and use of body. Ideal reaction is to pursue enthusiastically, grasp with a full mouth bite, tug and do everything possible to posses the object. If a sack is used, we like to see a pup get its whole body on the sack in an effort to subdue it.
Possible Ratings/General Description
1 – excellent: Chased or tugged continually, full bite, used body on object
2 – above average: Chased, tugged, good bite, used feet.
3 – Average – good: Chased, tugged, bit, may release and re-bite, tail up
4 – minimal: Chased, followed object, bit, released, may tug, tail down
5 – insufficient: Chased, may bite with front-teeth bite, may lose interest
6 – unacceptable: Little or no chase or engagement
Pup/ Rating/ Additional Observations
Blue Male: Above average; “Released once”
Green Male: Above average; “Released”
Pink Female: Above average
Purple Female: Average-good; “Nice”
Tammy’s notes:
Blue Male He had nice bites on the rope tug but didn’t keep hold as long as Mr. Green. He played and tugged well, good head whipping, but he wasn’t as intense on the tug as Mr. Green and happily changed toys.
Green Male Very good tug, especially with the rope toy, And Suzan really worked him on the test. He never gave up and put a lot of body on the tug and head shaking. He had great tugs with eye contact on Suzan as he fought. She could drag him and he wouldn’t let go.
Pink Female She did good with the tug when she played – which was when she was not exploring. She definitely preferred the balls to the gunny sack and ropes. She did have one good tug battle with a rope.
Purple Female Not much on the tug. She preferred to retrieve the rope rather than tug.
9. Sound sensitivity Looking for the pups’ reaction to a loud noise: startle, recovery, investigation. A metal can filled with rocks is dropped behind them from a height of about 2 feet while they are looking away from it. Will the pup hold its ground and then go look at what dropped from nowhere? Excellent reaction is to acknowledge and turn towards the sound and then confidently go see what made the racket. The tester encourages the pup to investigate, if it doesn’t on its own. She notes how much encouragement is needed. I find most of my pups look towards the racket and keep on playing with the toy they had, rather than stopping their play to go investigate.
A battery operated train that moves erratically and whistles was also used, as were two horns.
Possible Ratings/General Description
1 – excellent: Heard, located sound & ran toward it
2 – above average: Heard, located sound, walked toward it
3 – Average – good: Heard, located sound and showed curiosity
4 – minimal: Heard and located sound
5 – insufficient: Cringed, backed off, tried to hide
6 – unacceptable: Ignored sound and showed no curiosity
Pup/ Rating/ Additional Observations
Blue Male: Above average
Green Male: Above average/average
Pink Female: Minimal; “Coaxed to investigate”
Purple Female: Excellent/Above average; “Nice reaction to train & can; picked up horn,”
Tammy’s notes:
Blue Male Very good on the fear can, immediately went up to it and checked it out and put his head WAY down into it. He was the only one, when Suzan dropped the can, to immediately walk to it and put his head in it. Good with the train, horns and siren; showed interest in them. He had a really good reaction to the train, hardly moving away at all when it turned towards it. Tammy & I both thought he was going to grab it, but he didn’t. He liked the noise of both horns but didn’t attempt to pick them up. He was pretty ho hum about the siren.
Green Male He howled when Suzan turned on the siren. On the fear test he did really good, startled, then put his head in. He wanted nothing to do with the train, moved off a bit and watched it and didn’t go look it when coaxed. He was fine with both horns. He startled on the umbrella but investigated when Suzan coaxed him.
Pink Female Fear test startled her, then kept exploring, never looked at the can. She had her nose down, sniffing, the entire time and Suzan kept interrupting the sniffing to do the testing. She was curious with the train; she was good with the sirens and horns. When Suzan dropped the can, Miss Pink just put her head down and wandered off, sniffing. She took off sniffing several times and Suzan would have to get her to reengage. She stayed real close to the train, watching it. She checked out the siren. She grabbed the pink horn and took off with it.
Purple Female Fear test, startled at first and was coaxed to look at it and put her head in the bucket. With the train, she was fine until it seemed to chase her and backed off, but never left it. She liked the two horns, and actually chewed the pink one. She was fine with the siren, looked at it and cocked like her mother does all the time, surprise test she startled but with coaxing she went in to look at it, tail wagging. She was the most curious about both horns, listening intently then running forward to get them and eventually retrieving the pink one. She picked up the silver one but took off with it. She went up to and checked out the siren.
10. Surprise/Stability The last test involves getting the pup to follow you (or a toy) towards a place with a hidden person, from behind which an umbrella is opened suddenly and then lowered to the ground, still open. The pups are evaluated on how they recover from being startled and if they’ll go investigate. Ideal reaction is for the pup to startle but hold its ground, then move right up to check out the umbrella. A super excellent reaction is to go up and bite it and/or walk all over it. The tester encourages the pup to investigate after the umbrella is on the top step, if it doesn’t on its own. She notes how much encouragement is needed.
Possible Ratings/General Description
1 – excellent: Looked, ran to umbrella, attacked/bit
2 – above average: Looked, walked to umbrella, smelled
3 – Average – good: Looked, went to investigate
4 – minimal: Sat and looked, did not investigate
5 – insufficient: Showed little or no interest
6 – unacceptable: Ran away from umbrella
Pup/ Rating/ Additional Observations
Blue Male: Above average
Green Male: Minimal; “When encouraged, he checked it out.”
Pink Female: Average-good; “Investigated after encouragement.”
Purple Female: Average-good
Tammy’s notes:
Blue Male Did the best of all on the umbrella, super nice reaction. He startled but went right up to it, tail wagging, needing no coaxing. He didn’t even step back. He just watched, and went forward to investigate it when it was lowered to the ground. He’s the only one who found Dusty, who was operating the umbrella and was standing in the blind just behind the umbrella. Suzan was having so much fun with this pup that she continued playing with him after the test, first a tug game with him and the long foam “noodle”, and then getting him to climb and pose on the agility pause box where she finally let him win and possess the noodle and then a couple of stacked platforms, plus rolling a big 2′ diameter rolling FitPaws ball and the 12″ ball together.
Green Male The only distance he moved away was to circle behind Suzan and then go back to investigate.
Pink Female Umbrella startled her and she went back to the pile of toys but went back and looked at the umbrella when coaxed.
Purple Female no comments
Tester Comments: Good group of puppies… all very willing. Let me know who goes where… they will all do well. Love their color and their size as well!
Blue male: Very happy & social; liked everything but didn’t engage for a long time
Purple female: Liked hearing voice & encouragement
After we did these notes, Tammy and I were having a debate. I thought at the end that Suzan said Mr. Blue was the most versatile (would do very well in all venues), but Tammy remembered she said Mr. Green was the best. We emailed Suzan and asked her to please write down her thoughts about the two while they were fresh. She said: “Mr. Green liked to play the tug of war and did that with other distractions happening around him. When I was playing tug with him and tossed a ball or tried to distract him, he stayed with the tug. He will be stronger in a specific area (such as for Search & Rescue), and today he seemed to like the tug. Longer attention span on that item.”
Tammy’s notes:
Blue Male He was the only who showed any interest in the 12″ ball that Suzan brought, but he lost interest when it made noise as it rolled. He chewed on the pine cone.
Summary
Note that all pups do not have all six possible rating lines, only the ratings they received are listed.
Pup/ Rating/Tests
Blue Male:
Excellent: Following, Retrieve ball/toy (two marks given for this)
Above average: Social attachment, Restraint/submission, Social Dominance, Confidence/elevation, Retrieve ball/toy, Sensitivity, Prey/perseverance, Sound Sensitivity, Surprise/stability
Green Male:
Excellent: Social Dominance, Retrieve ball/toy (two marks given for this), Sensitivity
Above average: Social attachment, Restraint/submission, Confidence/elevation, Retrieve ball/toy, Prey/perseverance, Sound Sensitivity (two marks given for this),
Average-good: Following, Sound Sensitivity (two marks given for this)
Minimal: Surprise/stability
Pink Female:
Excellent: Social Dominance, Retrieve ball/toy, Sensitivity
Above average: Social attachment, Confidence/elevation
Average-good: Following, Prey/perseverance, Surprise/stability
Minimal: Restraint/submission, Sound Sensitivity
Purple Female:
Excellent: Restraint/submission, Retrieve ball/toy, Sensitivity, Sound Sensitivity (train)
Above average: Following, Social Dominance, Sound Sensitivity (can)
Average-good: Social attachment, Prey/perseverance, Surprise/stability
Minimal: Confidence/elevation
Comparison
Social Attachment
Above average: Blue, Green, Pink
Average-good: Purple
Following
Excellent: Blue
Above average: Purple
Average-good: Green, Pink
Restraint/Submission
Excellent: Purple
Above average: Blue, Green
Minimal: Pink
Social Dominance
Excellent: Green, Pink
Above average: Blue, Purple
Confidence/Elevation
Above average: Blue, Green, Pink
Minimal: Purple
Retrieve ball/toy
Excellent: Blue, Green, Pink Purple
Above average: Blue, Green
Sensitivity (pinch)
Excellent: Green, Pink, Purple
Above average: Blue
Prey/Perseverance
Above average: Blue, Green
Average-good: Pink, Purple
Sound Sensitivity (train)
Excellent: Purple
Above average: Blue, Green
Average-good: Green
Minimal: Pink
Sound Sensitivity (can)
Above average: Blue, Purple
Average-good: Green
Minimal: Pink
Surprise (umbrella)
Above average: Blue
Average-good: Pink, Purple
Minimal: Green
For interest, I include the puppies’ father’s temperament test results below. Cantor was tested in Minnesota by his breeder. Hesed’s breeder did not do temperament testing and I was unable to schedule Suzan to do hers after she arrived here.
Cantor’s Puppy Aptitude Test (father of this litter)
The puppy aptitude test that was used on Cantor is different from ours. It was originally created by Joachim and Wendy Volhard as a way to test behavioral tendencies and predict what a puppy will be like as an adult. During the test, various exercises are done with the puppy to determine the following:
• Social Attraction: how well the puppy connects to people and whether he’s confident or dependent on others
• Following: his willingness to follow a person
• Restraint: whether the puppy is more dominant or submissive and how well he can be handled in difficult situations such as vet exams
• Social Dominance: how the puppy reacts to being dominated socially, whether he tries to dominate or if he’s independent and walks away
• Elevation: how well he accepts dominance when he’s in a position of no control
• Retrieving: how willing the puppy is to do something for you
• Touch Sensitivity: how sensitive he is to being handled, which can help determine the type of training equipment you’ll need
• Sound Sensitivity: how sensitive he is to loud noises as well as being a rudimentary test for deafness
• Sight Sensitivity: how the puppy responds to moving objects, which can reveal any tendencies to chase cars or the mailman
• Stability: how startled the puppy may be when confronted with a strange object
• Structure: This is a measure of how well-formed and proportioned the puppy is physically. A puppy with a solid build will generally be healthier than one that has issues with bone alignment.
The test done on Cantor has been revised from the original Volhard test, eliminating the structure evaluation and substituting a test of energy level. It also has only five scoring options on some tests. At the end of the test I include the Volhard’s suggestions of how to evaluate the scores.
1. Social Attraction
Purpose: Degree of attraction to people
Method: Place pup in testing area 4 feet from tester, who coaxes puppy to her/him
Possible Ratings/General Description
1: Comes readily, tail up, jumps, bites at hands
2: Comes readily, tail up, paws, licks at hands
3: Comes readily, tail up
4: Comes readily; tail down
5: Comes hesitantly, tail down
6: Does not come at all
Cantor’s Score: Nothing circled
Comments: Looked at sheet (covering boundaries so watchers invisible), came tail wagging
2. Following
Purpose: Degree of willingness to follow human leadership
Method: Stand up and walk away from puppy, encouraging verbally
Possible Ratings/General Description
1: Follows readily, tail up, gets underfoot, bites at feet
2: Follows readily, tail up, gets underfoot
3: Follows readily, tail up
4: Follows readily, tail down
5: Follows hesitantly, tail down
6: No follow or went away
Cantor’s Score: 3
Comments: Whined, followed tester with tail wagging
3. Restraint
Purpose: Degree of dominance or submission. Response to social/physical dominance.
Method: Gently roll the pup on his back and hold it for 30 seconds. Continue holding until it no longer struggles.
Possible Ratings/General Description
1: Struggles fiercely, flails, bites
2: Struggles fiercely, flails
3: Settles, struggles, settles with eye contact
4: Slight struggle, then settles
5: No struggle, tail tucked
6: No struggle, strains to avoid eye contact
Cantor’s Score: Nothing circled
Comments: Struggled, whined whole time, eye contact at end
4. Social Dominance
Purpose: Degree of acceptance of human social dominance. How “forgiving” the pup is.
Method: Pup sits facing tester at a 45 degree angle. Tester strokes pups and puts his/her face close to pup.
Possible Ratings/General Description
1: Jumps, paws, bites, growls
2: Jumps, paws, licks
3: Cuddles up to tester, tries to lick face
4: Sits quietly, accepts petting, nudges/licks hands
5: Rolls over, no eye contact
6: Goes away and stays away
Cantor’s Score: 3
Comments: Licked, wagged tail
5. Elevation Dominance
Purpose: Degree of accepting dominance while in position of no control
Method: Cradle the pup under its belly, fingers interlaced, and elevate just off the ground for 30 seconds
Possible Ratings/General Description
1: Struggles fiercely, bites
2: Struggles
3: No struggle, relaxed, tail wags
4: No struggle, relaxed
5: No struggle
6: No struggle, froze, tail/rear legs tense
Cantor’s Score: Nothing circled
Comments: Whined whole time, relaxed
6. Retrieving (Obedience & Aptitude)
Purpose: Degree of willingness to work with humans. High correlation between ability to retrieve and successful guide dogs, obedience dogs and field trial dogs.
Method: Attract pup’s attention with crumpled paper ball. When he is watching, toss paper 4′ away. When pup goes after it, back up two feet and encourage him to come back.
Possible Ratings/General Description
1: Chases object, picks it up and runs away
2: Chases object, stands over it, does not return
3: Chases object, picks it up and returns to tester
4: Chases object, returns without object to tester
5: Starts to chase, loses interest
6: Does not chase
Cantor’s Score: 3
Comments: Went out right away, came back to tester
7. Touch Sensitivity
Purpose: Degree of sensitivity to touch
Method: Take webbing of one front foot and press between finger and thumb lightly, gradually increasing pressure on a scale from 1 – 10. Stop as soon as the puppy shows discomfort.
Possible Ratings/General Description
1: 9 – 10 counts before response
2: 7 – 8 counts before response
3: 5 – 6 counts before response
4: 3 – 4 counts before response
5: 1 – 2 counts before response
Cantor’s Score: 3
No comments
8. Sound sensitivity
Purpose: Degree of sensitivity to sound
Method: Place pup in center of testing area and make a sharp noise a few feet away. A large metal spoon struck sharply on a metal pan twice works well.
Possible Ratings/General Description
1: Locates sound & walks toward it
2: Locates sound, barks
3: Locates sound, shows curiosity, walks toward it
4: Locates sound
5: Cringes, backs, hides
6: Ignores sound, shows no curiosity
Cantor’s Score: 4
Comments: Turned and barked
9. Chase Instinct
Purpose: Degree of response to moving object: chase instinct
Method: Tie a string around a towel and drag it in front of the puppy from left to right.
Possible Ratings/General Description
1: Looks, attacks, bites
2: Looks, barks, tail up
3: Looks curiously, attempts to investigate
4: Looks, does not go forward, tail down
5: Runs away, hides
6: Ignores, shows no curiosity
Cantor’s Score: 3
Comments: Showed interest. Went away then came back.
10. Stability
Purpose: Degree of intelligent response to strange object
Method: Place pup in center of testing area. Closed umbrella is held 4′ away and pointed perpendicular to the direction the pup faces. The umbrella is opened and set down so the pup can investigate.
Possible Ratings/General Description
1: Walks forward, tail up, bites
2: Walks forward, tail up, mouths
3: Walks forward, attempts to investigate
4: Goes away, tail down, hides
5: Ignores, shows no curiosity
Cantor’s Score: Nothing circled
Comments: Backed away, walked to object, stopped at 1′, came back to tester
11. Energy Level
Purpose: Degree of physical energy
Method: Observe pup on the other tests and score according to the most frequent activity observed. Check with breeder for confirmation.
Possible Ratings/General Description
High: Continually runs, pounces, wiggles, paws
Medium: Mostly trots, occasionally runs, pounces, wiggles
Low: Walks slowly, sits quietly, remains in position usually
Stressed: Stands rigidly, eyes roll, tail down, ears back
Cantor’s Score: high
Overall Comments: More submissive, vocal puppy, curious, fairly confident, impulsive
“How to score the test
After you’ve administered each test and recorded the results, add up the number of one’s, two’s, three’s, etc.
Mostly One’s: This puppy has aggressive tendencies and is very dominant. He would not be a good match for families with children or elderly owners since he may be quick to bite. He would likely be a difficult dog to train and would require an experienced handler.
Mostly Two’s: This puppy is dominant. He would fit well in an adult household with an owner that can be firm and consistent in handling. Once the owner has gained his respect, he can be a very good companion. However, he may be too dominant for a household with children, or too energetic for an elderly owner.
Mostly Three’s: This puppy fits best with the average owner, accepts human leadership readily and can be good with children and elderly owners. He would likely be a good dog for obedience training, although he may be fairly active.
Mostly Four’s: This puppy is submissive and would fit with most owners, getting along well with children and elderly owners. He would train well, but may be somewhat less outgoing and energetic than a puppy that scores mostly three’s.
Mostly Five’s: This puppy is very submissive. He would not be the best choice for a first-time owner because he scares easily and needs to be taught how to be more outgoing. He would need a very regimented lifestyle to feel comfortable and open up. He’s generally safe for children, but could bite out of fear if overly stressed. Training him would take a lot of patience.
Mostly Six’s: This puppy is very independent and would be difficult to work with. He’s not very people-friendly and would require an experienced handler. He shouldn’t be matched with households with children. If you also recorded several one’s with this puppy, he may be likely to bite if stressed. This is particularly true if he scores a one in restraint.
If you find that after administering the puppy aptitude test a puppy has a few of every number, you should retest him in a few days. He may not feel well. Upon retesting, if the puppy still doesn’t show a pattern in scoring, he’s likely to have erratic behavior and may not make a good pet.”
What the scores mean for you
If you’re a first-time owner, you should look for a puppy that scores mostly three’s and four’s. One with this personality should be easy to train and family-friendly. This is particularly true if he scores a three in both social attraction and social dominance. This doesn’t mean that a puppy with other scores isn’t fit to be a pet, just that he may be better suited for owners that have more training experience. The test doesn’t pick good puppies. It only points out general personality traits a puppy will have as he grows. The puppy aptitude test should only be used as a gauge for a puppy’s temperament. It’s up to each person to make his or her own decision as to the personality they would like their puppy to have and choose based on this knowledge.”
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