# Experienced people, temperament test results



## Blacryan (Feb 11, 2009)

So these are the results of my puppys temperament testing... School me on the art of temperament testing.

Social Attraction: 2 Following: 2 Restraint: 2

Social Dominance: 2 Elevation Dominance: 3 

Retrieving: 4 Touch Sensitivity: 1 

Sound Sensitivity: 3 Sight Sensitivity: 3


I read about what they all mean. But in reality are these testings pretty accuarate as to what the puppy will be? How effective is temperament testing? What do these results above really tell me about my pup?


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## Amaruq (Aug 29, 2001)

There are several methods used to test a dog and some will rate opposite of others. For example Person 1 grades 1 as minimal reaction 5 as maximum while person 2 grades 5 for minimum and 1 as maximum. Kind of like a basketball vs a golfer keeping score. 

I would rather see a written assessment in addition to a number to see WHY they rated the pup with that specific number. But that is just me.


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## Amaruq (Aug 29, 2001)

To further answer your question, as with any test it can only be as accurate as the person doing the test. Did your breeder do the test themselves or have a 3rd party do it? 

Hmmm how is that for a non-answer. 

I was in the room when Tika was temperament tested at 7 weeks. Basically we drove with a litter of pups over 4 hours away (first major road trip); stayed in a hotel (first night away from "home"); took them the next morning to the testers kennel (tester were the owners of the sire of the litter and their first time to see the litter). We had three people who were around the litter from birth had all tested them kind of on their "home turf" but in a new area and ALL of the tests were about even. 

Tika tested pretty much right down the middle. But like the perfect little angel that she still is......she did as her "human to be" requested and totally blew one test. No way I wanted them to pick her so I asked her to cheat for me. She did!







Took her three tries before she actually tried to follow the ball much less retrieve it.







Before we left we had the pups all out and she went running over to the ball, grabbed it and ran back to me.







She is a retrieving fool now, 9 years later. Tough girl, handler sensitive, very social (nearly to a fault), mid range on dominance, not sound sensitive and high prey drive. Except for the retrieving test she is exactly what her test said she would be.


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## Blacryan (Feb 11, 2009)

That's a great answer lol. I am assuming the breeder did the test themselves. I will have to ask. But then the thign thatm akes me question this is that 6 of the 8 pups had 1 touch and 1 sight sensitivty. all but 1 had a 3 for sound sensitivity ALL of the pups have a 2 for social dominance and a 3 for elevation dominance. So it makes me think


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## angelaw (Dec 14, 2001)

The temperament tests are to be done by someone who has not been around the puppies and had interaction with them. If that's not the case, they aren't really accurate.


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## BlackGSD (Jan 4, 2005)

> Originally Posted By: Blac.... 6 of the 8 pups had 1 touch and 1 sight sensitivty. all but 1 had a 3 for sound sensitivity ALL of the pups have a 2 for social dominance and a 3 for elevation dominance. So it makes me think


What does a "1" mean. They were good or bad?


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## JeanKBBMMMAAN (May 11, 2005)

Guessing this: http://www.puppyclass.cc/PuppyAptitude.htm
There are probably other good resources on the Volhard page. 

I agree having a good tester, who has never interacted with the puppies before, and who can interpret the results in their totality can be a very good predictor. 

The lady that did the rescue ones, where I got to help as the scribe and with intepretations-it was fun to watch/learn, hers were quite accurate.


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## Chris Wild (Dec 14, 2001)

The other problem with formal puppy tests is that they only provide a snapshot in time, and pups can act completely different from one moment to the next. For this reason I don't think any sort of selection should be based on temperament test results alone. They are only a (very small) piece of the puzzle with regards to evaluating puppy temperament. The best evaluation comes from just watching and interacting with the pups day in, day out over an extended period of time. That is the only accurate way to really get a read on each one's individual personality and behavioral patters.

While we do temperament testing with our pups, we don't put a lot of weight in it and basically use it for the purposes of seeing if the behaviors we are used to seeing in the pups at home, in familiar surroundings and with familiar people hold true when the pup is placed on his own in a strange environment with a strange person.

I also think the Volhard test (if that's what was used, and it sounds like it is) is only so-so with regards to correctly testing certain traits, and interpreting the results.

Blac, with regards to the results, what sort of puppy are you looking for? What are your goals for this dog?


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## Amaruq (Aug 29, 2001)

It does seem odd that so many pups had the same score.


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## Chris Wild (Dec 14, 2001)

> Originally Posted By: AmaruqIt does seem odd that so many pups had the same score.


Not necessarily. The Volhard test is so universal and bare bones basic with regards to what it shows about temperament that to see a whole litter scoring similiarly isn't surprising. It takes a very broad, simplistic approach to testing and doesn't test enough variety of behaviors to really uncover where the majority of differences in personality amongst pups will occur. And since it only tests very basic, overt aspects of personality, most pups from any litter (or any breed for that matter) should score in a similar range if they have basically sound nerves. 

If you read the descriptions of the tests and how behaviors are scored, most of what we'd consider normal, acceptable puppy behavior falls within a narrow range on most of their exercises. And thus, most normal pups are going to score within that range as well. The only time you're going to see widely varying scores on most of the exercises in this test is a litter with extreme variance and some really squirrely, questionable temperaments.


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## Blacryan (Feb 11, 2009)

> Originally Posted By: Chris WildThe other problem with formal puppy tests is that they only provide a snapshot in time, and pups can act completely different from one moment to the next. For this reason I don't think any sort of selection should be based on temperament test results alone. They are only a (very small) piece of the puzzle with regards to evaluating puppy temperament. The best evaluation comes from just watching and interacting with the pups day in, day out over an extended period of time. That is the only accurate way to really get a read on each one's individual personality and behavioral patters.
> 
> While we do temperament testing with our pups, we don't put a lot of weight in it and basically use it for the purposes of seeing if the behaviors we are used to seeing in the pups at home, in familiar surroundings and with familiar people hold true when the pup is placed on his own in a strange environment with a strange person.
> 
> ...


Chris, as well as everybody else, thank you for the responses.

I am looking for just a pet. He wont be doing SCH, Agility, show or anything. But I definitely want a dog that can be active and protective. He will be the only dog in the household. Besides that I dont really have any huge requirements... My goals are that I am currently self employed and have all the time in the world daily for the dog and playing. I have plenty of time and plan on playing with him and just having him with me all the time. I have just recently moved out and living alone. 

I do believe that is prob the test they used. My only thought is, with a little pup you could throw a ball and 3 of the 6 times they may bring it back to you and drop it and the other 3 they may pick it up and not bring it back to you. How can these be that accurate?


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