Puppy testing is complete! I was so blessed to have a good friend volunteer a long afternoon to help me test the puppies this past weekend while our boys played outside in the snow. If you've never heard of puppy testing, it's a great tool to help determine the best placement for each puppy. Is this puppy going to be a great family dog? Good on a farm? Excellent for a service position? It is one of the best ways to ensure success for the puppy and the owner. It's not completely foolproof - dogs change a lot as they mature - and there are certainly going to be things that change that were not foreseen. But testing gives a great baseline to show the prospective owner what they will have to work with starting on day one in their home.
Some of these tests were developed as long ago as the l930’s for dogs bred to become Guide Dogs. Then in the 1950’s, studies on puppies were done to determine how quickly they learned. Later on, in the early 60’s more tests were developed to determine if pups could be tested for dominance and submission. These tests determined that it was indeed possible to predict future behavioral traits of adult dogs by testing puppies at 49 days of age. 49 days of age is the ideal age to test because the puppy is neurologically complete and it has the brain of an adult dog. With each passing day after the 49th day the responses will be tainted by prior learning. Testing before or after that age affected the accuracy of the test, depending on the time before or after the 49th day.
These tests were put together what is now known as the Volhard Puppy Aptitude Test, or PAT. PAT uses a scoring system from 1-6 and consists of ten tests. The tests are done consecutively in the order listed. Each test is scored separately, and interpreted on its own merits. The scores are not averaged, and there are no winners or losers. The entire purpose is to select the right puppy for the right home. We include a few other tests to determine additional characteristics. The tests are as follows: 1. Social Attraction - degree of social attraction to people, confidence or dependence. 2. Following - willingness to follow a person. 3. Restraint - degree of dominant or submissive tendency, and ease of handling in difficult situations. 4. Social Dominance - degree of acceptance of social dominance by a person. 5. Elevation - degree of accepting dominance while in a position of no control, such as at the veterinarian or groomer. 6. Retrieving - degree of willingness to do something for you. Together with Social Attraction and Following a key indicator for ease or difficulty in training. 7. Touch Sensitivity - degree of sensitivity to touch and a key indicator to the type of training equipment required. 8. Sound Sensitivity - degree of sensitivity to sound, such as loud noises or thunderstorms. 9. Sight Sensitivity - degree of response to a moving object, such as chasing bicycles, children or squirrels. 10. Stability - degree of startle response to a strange object.
And our additions:
Dog Friendliness: How assertive or submissive a puppy is towards another dog.
Assertiveness (human): How assertive the puppy is when approaching the a new person and new space.
Confidence: Belief in his own abilities and approach to a new situation.
Motivation (workability): Intrinsic desire to work for and with a human.
Energy Level: Level of desire to keep moving and how quickly throughout test
Human Focus: Level of focus on the person and desire to listen and follow
Once testing is complete we provide results and a description of each puppy to each buyer so they can make a choice based on temperament and not just appearance. We want our puppies to have a great start and both puppy and owner to feel successful. Here's an example of what a test looks like for our puppies with Tumnus:
And now selections are being made! Peter (now Sherlock) has been chosen to be a service dog in central NC and will go home early this week.
Susan went home to a farm/family placement in Arkansas this weekend!
Aravis will be heading to SC with a sweet family with small children.
Polly will be going home as a companion in central NC.
And selections are continuing! We were also excited to discover that Lilly has tested completely clear as a genetic carrier, making her an excellent choice to breed and propagate her mama's genes!
As always if you have any questions please email me at bramblymountainfarm@gmail.com
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