Volhard Temperament Test
Puppy Aptitude Testing
Our Process
When the puppies are six/seven weeks old we have two dog trainers come to perform the evaluation. The testing is performed in a room of the house the puppies have never been in before and conducted by two individuals that the puppies have never met (not even in the neonatal stage). The results are then compiled onto a spreadsheet and presented to prospective owners families to aid in their determination process.
What is the test?
The Puppy Aptitude Test is designed to evaluation the puppy's NATURAL abilities before intensive training and/or bad behaviors begin to influence the puppy.
The test is performed in a new place, by new people as a way to most accurately evaluate the puppy's behaviors, free from the influence of bias or preconceived ideas.
There are ten areas of study involved with the test
Social Attraction - is this puppy confident? Overly dependent? People Oriented?
Following - does this puppy look to a person for engagement? Or make their own way?
Restraint - is this a dominant pup? Submissive pup? How does this pup handle difficult situations?
Social Dominance- willingness to acceptance social dominance by a person.
Elevation - elevates how the puppy responds to being in a position outside their own control. Similar to situations that might be encountered at a groomer or veterinarian office.
Retrieving - Does this puppy desire to perform actions to please you?
Touch Sensitivity - how sensitive is this puppy? Useful for determining the type of training tools like might be required.
Sound Sensitivity - degree of sound sensitivity. Also useful to detect deafness
Sight Sensitivity - prey drive and willingness to give chase
Stability - generic ability to experience a new and unusual situation and how the pup recovers.