Puppy Temperament Testing
By Roxanne Willems Snopek
In order to determine which pup is right for you, you have to take a good look at the pup's personality. Animal behaviorists describe five areas of motivation or "drives" that determine behavior in dogs: Prey Drive, Defense Drive, Food Drive, Fighting Drive and Sex Drive.
Most owners want a dog who will work, play, protect and settle easily into family life, in other words, dogs with moderate drives. If an owner wants a more extreme dog, i.e.: super-hard protection dog or high-level competition dog, he will look for a pup with more extreme drives.
At puppyhood, the prey drive is already well-developed and can reveal a great deal about the inherent temperament of the dog, so this is the focus of testing at this stage. For temperament testing, prey drive is broken down into sub-divisions: Ball drive, rag drive and retrieve drive. Testing these sub-divisions in a puppy can show where training problem may surface later. A pup with low prey drive, for example, may only be able to handle the stress of mild household obedience. It is also wise to observe a puppy's levels of pain tolerance, sound sensitivity and dominance. Here's what to do:
1) Sociability
Observe the puppy in his social group. Is he actively involved in play with the others? Does he exhibit curiosity and excitement at the sight of strangers? The puppy who hangs back or seems fearful or anxious is more likely to develop behavior problems, such as submissive urination and fear biting.
2) Prey Drive
Once you've selected the most outgoing puppy, take a cloth or rag and shake it to get the pup's attention. Drag it on the ground. Hopefully, the pup will chase it and try to grab it. This indicates a strong prey drive and a willingness to play - essential qualities during training to break the stress of learning.
3) Sound Sensitivity
Take your most likely candidates to an area with a hard floor. Have another person stand nearby and, while the puppy isn't watching, drop something noisy (like a metal bowl or a wrench) onto the floor. The puppy's level of surprise will indicate how affected he is by noise. He should recover quickly and come to investigate the source of the noise.
4) Prey Drive and Retrieval Instinct
Roll a tennis ball gently away from the puppy. He should chase the ball to indicate his level of prey drive; bringing the ball back shows retrieval instinct. Retrieving is important in higher level obedience sports.
5) Dominance
Roll the puppy onto his back and hold him gently with your hand on his chest for about one minute. The desired reaction is mild struggling and whining. Extreme reactions either way - either total silent submission or an all-out attack on you - means trouble.
6) Pain Tolerance
Also known as "forgiveness" this test involves - prepare yourself - pinching the puppy. Wait until he's involved in play, then quickly and sharply pinch the flesh between the toes. He should yelp, then quickly recover and allow you to pet him. If he retaliates with aggression or becomes very fearful and nervous, it means trouble. The point of this test is to find out what might occur one day when this dog is big and someone (perhaps a child!) accidentally steps on his foot!
And that's it! Remember, no test is fool-proof. This just gives you a bit more indication of what to expect from the dog as an adult. Do your research, observe carefully, listen to your instincts and good luck!
