Temperament Testing: What does it mean and why, as a puppy purchaser, should you care?

Temperament testing in puppies is a valuable tool when your breeder assists you in choosing your puppy from its littermates. It should be used by all breeders to truly evaluate their puppies. Anyone wanting a puppy for a specific job should take it seriously. Temperament testing gives good insight to a puppy's training ease, social tendencies, and so much more.

For me, as a dog behaviorist/trainer and breeder, I use it to help evaluate each puppy to help better match them to their forever homes. I use several methods of temperament testing. I have tested using, combined and tweaked some of the most popular testing styles (including Volhard and some others) and have since settled on the Avidog Puppy Evaluation Test (APET) which reflects my experiences and beliefs and has been highly effective for matching with Standard Poodles. According to Avidog, and we couldn't agree more, they've created a "more inclusive temperament evaluation that would both help match puppies to their new homes but also to provide valuable insights and guidance to each pup’s new owner regarding their initial  training plans for their puppies and what to expect over a lifetime."

I try to administer this test at 7 weeks of age, give or take 3 days. Another important point to remember is that temperament testing should take place with a person who is completely unfamiliar to the puppies and in an area they’ve never been. This can prove tricky as our pups have met at a minimum of 20 strangers by this point, so they rarely see the tester as a scary person, but as a fun new person for love! It is also crucial that the test be administered on a one-on-one basis. This allows for uncertainty from the puppy, showing his/her true personality in foreign situations with a stranger. Of course, being a breeder, when I have my pups evaluated, I can typically guess how each will score. But, sometimes I am surprised. They are comfortable with me and “perform” for me. Whereas with a stranger, they have to really think and react, rather than perform for someone they know well.

We go through several test activities that will give us insight on the puppy's personality. To see the scorecard we use, click here. The test itself is a vocational test of sorts. It helps us better understand what type of home a puppy may be more drawn to excel in- sports, service, therapy, active, semi-active, low-key home, etc. We take many things into consideration during each test. We look at each pup as an individual and really pick apart that pup's natural working ability. The APET is a steppingstone for the whole process and is one of the most crucial components to matching puppy to home. It even helps us to best advise new homes on training plans and ways to make the transition the best it can be. What could be better than that?

Administering the test, comparing pups, and then comparing to previous pairings of parents helps us to better define our goals and move forward bettering the breed and work ability of our puppies. APET helps us examine each litter overall and helps us answer questions for the future such as: Did we get what we wanted or expected from the parent pairing? If we didn't then how do the pups differ from our expectations? What strengths and/or weaknesses did we witness with the litter? Most importantly, if we see a consistent area we were not happy with, is there something we can do in our puppy raising protocol to help curb or address it?

 The APET consists of 23 subcomponents or tests that flow easily from one test to the next. Some parts of the test only take a few seconds and others may take a lot longer, but the flow allows breaks and even fun for the puppy. It evaluates 33 temperament traits too which is really fun to look at! Some of these traits are important for most homes but some may be more specific to certain jobs and even the pup's energy and drive levels. During the test, we look at many things. One of my favorites is the puppy’s social behaviors towards people. Example: Does the puppy shy from strangers, or does it emit confidence and come running up to greet the person? It shows me the level of confidence or lack of confidence when approached or called by a stranger. Another part measures the puppy’s willingness to follow a person when asked. The degree of overall dominance as well as social dominance is also evaluated. We look at the degree of accepting dominance and retrieving willingness. That's only scratching the surface of what all the test looks at.

Often times, people want to come watch the temperament testing. We won't allow it. We actually choose a day when children are gone and household activity is null. The less distractions the better. Now, if a service dog trainer who is actively working with one of our purchasers wants to come, we may allow that as that person should understand the need for quiet and calmness in the home. We realize it is hard not to become emotional when picking a puppy - they are all so cute, soft and cuddly. Remind yourself that this dog is going to be with you for many, many years. Don’t hesitate to step back a little to contemplate your decision. And please, please, please, never pick a puppy based on color alone!

Please note: if you are getting a puppy from us, we will go over the interpretations of each puppy's scores and communicate results with you. If you would like to know more about how the scores are interpreted and what they relate to in a pup's personality, let us know!

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