Happy Pets

List of temperament Puppy tests

Test One: Place puppy on the ground. Walk away, calling him. If the puppy follows and tries to bite shoes and shoelaces, or hang on to trousers as the breeder walks, he belongs in category number 1. If a puppy follows joyfully, jumps up and doesn’t bite, he belongs in category number 2. If he follows, but a little uncertain with tail down, put him under number 3. If he refuses to come at all, he’s a number 4 puppy.

Test Two: Place puppy on the ground. Sit down on the floor a little way away. Call him, pleasantly, clapping your hands. If he comes and bites hands, he belongs in group number 1. If he comes and licks, wagging his tail, put him under number 2. If he comes uncertainly, he belongs in group number 3. If he refuses to come at all, he’s a number 4. puppy.

Test Three: Make as much noise as possible, perhaps by banging a pan on the floor or clattering two pans together. If puppy rushes to see what the noise is and tries to attack the source, he belongs in group number 1. If he comes to see what’s happening, but doesn’t attack the source, he belongs in group number 2. If he’s a bit wary and stands looking, not quite knowing what to do, he’s a number 3. If he runs away and hides, put him in group number 4.

Test Four: Roll puppy on his back and hold him there. If he fights and bites, he’s a number 1 puppy. If he fights but doesn’t bite, he’s a number 2. If his efforts are a little more feeble then he belongs in group number 3. If he lies there, totally accepting your dominance, he’s in group number 4.

Test Five: Take puppy, with your finger and thumb, by the loose skin on the back of his neck, shake gently and use a slightly reprimanding tone. This is the action his mother will take when she’s telling him off. She takes the flesh between her teeth and probably gives him a nip. There is no need to do that. Just a gentle shake will show well enough which group puppy belongs in. If he turns round to bite, he belongs in group number 1. If he ignores it and continues playing, he belongs in group number 2. If he stands a little unsure of himself and worried, he belongs in group number 3. If he runs away he’s a group 4 dog.

Who is suitable for what?

Below are a few examples of the type of dogs I feel sure will match various families.

Family Number 1: Family Number 1 live in a semi-detached house with an average-sized garden and two children. Both parents have never had a dog before but the unanimous vote is for a larger breed. Both parents are willing and able to exercise a large dog.

Considerations: A breed must be chosen that will be completely reliable with children and easy to train by inexperienced people. Both parents are of a stable and happy nature but the children, of course, are rowdy and bouncy.

If I were choosing a breed of dog for this family, I would give them a choice between an English or Irish setter, golden retriever or Labrador and rough collie. From here, I would ask the parents a few more questions. Are they prepared to take the time to groom a heavy-coated dog such as a rough collie? If not, that would be disqualified from the choice. If, on the other hand, the wife would enjoy grooming a dog, then this breed is the ideal family pet. At the other end of the scale, the Labrador, being smooth-coated, needs the least attention to his coat. A brush once or twice a week is quite adequate.

Having chosen the breed of dog they would prefer from this selection, I would advise this family to pick a dog with 2s and 3s from the temperament test.

Family Number 2: A husband and wife with no children, a large house out in the country and plenty of experience in handling dogs. Their requirements: first and foremost, as a guard and, secondly, as a companion to the wife. The smooth-coated breeds to choose from would be the Doberman and the Rottweiler, both excellent guard dogs. In the rougher-coat variety, the German Shepherd or one of the Belgian sheepdogs. And I would advise a puppy chosen from the 1s or 2s in the temperament test.

Family Number 3: An elderly couple or single elderly person requiring a small dog for companionship. If they are prepared to cope with a coat, a Yorkshire terrier or toy poodle is ideal. If not, then a short-haired dachshund or a Boston terrier. If the dog is required as an alarm—barking when anyone knocks at the door—then I would choose a more dominant puppy, the 1s and 2s. If required as purely a pet by someone who hasn’t much experience, I would go to the 3s and 4s.

Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)
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• Dog Test: Are you Fit to Own a Dog? / Are you ready to Have a Puppy around?
• Where and when to exercise your dog
• Pet Test: Physical Fitness for Dog Ownership, Be honest with yourself!
• Lovely Pet and Perfect Owner, a Comfortable Match: Choosing the Right Puppy
• Car Training continue...
• Car Training
• A word about the Dog collar
• Fast Downs and Send-Aways
• Pet Lover: Feeding Puppy
• Naughty Pet, not again? So Training them around the house

This entry was posted on Saturday, July 5th, 2008 at 2:53 am and is filed under Dogs, Grooming, Puppies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.