| TEST
|
PURPOSE |
SCORE |
|
Social Attraction:
Place the puppy in test area.
From a few feet away the testor coaxes the pup to her/him by
clapping hands gently and kneeling down. Testor must coax in a
direction away from the point where it entered the testing area.
|
Degree of social
attraction, confidence or dependence. |
1. Came readily, tail up, jumped, bit at
hands
2.
Came readily, tail up, pawed, liked at hands.
3. Came readily, tail up.
4. Came readily, tail down.
5. Came hesitantly, tail down.
6. Did not come at all. |
|
Following:
Stand up and walk away from the
pup in a normal manner. Make sure the pup sees you walk away.
|
Degree of following
attraction. Not following indicates independence. |
1. Followed readily, tail up, got
underfoot, bit at feet.
2. Followed readily, tail up, got
underfoot.
3. Followed readily, tail up.
4. Followed readily, tail down.
5. Followed hesitantly, tail down.
6. No following, or went away.
|
|
Restraint:
Crouch down and gently roll the
pup on his back and hold it with one hand for a full 30 seconds.
|
Degree of dominant
or submissive tendency. How it accepts stress when socially
and/or physically dominated. |
1. Struggled fiercely, flailed, bit.
2. Struggled fiercely, flailed.
3. Settled, struggled, settled with
some eye contact.
4. Struggled, then settled.
5. No struggle.
6. No struggle, straining to avoid eye
contact. |
|
Social Dominance:
Let pup stand up and gently
stroke him from the head to back while you crouch beside him.
Continue stroking until a recognizable behavior is established.
|
Degree of
acceptance of social dominance pup may try to dominate by
jumping and nipping or it is independent and walks away. |
1. Jumped, pawed, bit growled.
2. Jumped, pawed.
3. Cuddles up to testor and tries to
lick face.
4. Squirmed, licked at hands.
5. Rolled over, licked at hands.
6. Went away and stayed away.
|
|
Elevation Dominance:
Bend over and cradle the pup
under its belly, fingers interlaced, palms up and elevate just
off the ground. Hold it there for 30 seconds.
|
Degree of accepting
dominance while in position of no control. |
1. Struggled fiercely, bit growled.
2. Struggled fiercely.
3. No struggle, relaxed.
4. Struggled, settled, licked.
5. No struggled, licked at hands.
6. No struggle, froze. |
|
TEST
|
PURPOSE
|
SCORE
|
|
Retrieving:
Crouch beside pup and
attract its attention with crumpled up paper ball. When the
pup shows interest and is watching, toss the object 1 to 2
meters in front of pup.
|
Degree of willingness to
work with a human. High correlation between ability to
retrieve and successful guide dogs, obedience dogs, field
trial dogs. |
1.
Chases object, picks up object and runs away.
2. Chases object, stands over object,
does not return.
3. Chases object and returns with
object to testor.
4. Chases object and returns without
object to testor.
5. Starts to chase object, loses
interest.
6.
Does not chase object. |
|
Touch
Sensitivity:
Take puppy’s webbing of one
front foot and press between finger and thumb lightly, then
more firmly till you get a response, while you count slowly
to 10. Stop as soon as puppy pulls away or shows discomfort.
|
Degree of sensitivity to
touch. |
1. 8 -
10 seconds before response.
2. 6 - 7 seconds before response.
3. 5 - 6 seconds before response.
4. 3- 4 seconds before response.
5. 1 - 2 seconds before response.
|
|
Sound
Sensitivity:
Place pup in centre of area.
Testor of assistant makes a sharp noise a few feet from the
puppy. A large metal spoon struck sharply on a metal pan
twice works well.
|
Degree of sensitivity to
sound (also a rudimentary test for deafness). |
1.
Listens, locates sound, walks towards it barking.
2. Listens, locates sound, barks.
3. Listens, locates sound, and walks
there curiously.
4. Listens, locates sound.
5. Cringes, backs off, hides.
6. Ignores sound, shows no curiosity.
|
|
Sight
Sensitivity:
Place pup in centre of room.
Tie a string around a large towel and jerk it across the
floor a few feet away from the puppy.
|
Degree of intelligent
response to strange object. |
1.
Looks, attacks and bites.
2. Looks, barks and tail up.
3. Looks curiously, attempts to
investigate.
4. Looks, barks, tail-tuck.
5. Runs away, hides. |
|
Structure:
The puppy is gently set in a
natural stance and evaluated for structure in the following
categories:
|
Degree of structural
soundness. Good structure is necessary. |
Good:
The puppy is correct in structure.
Fair: The puppy has a slight fault or
deviation.
Poor: The puppy has an extreme fault of deviation. |
Puppy Aptitude Test Test Chart
|
Social Attraction
|
Following |
Restraint |
Social Dominance
|
Elevation |
| 1 |
. |
. |
. |
. |
. |
| 2 |
. |
. |
. |
. |
. |
| 3 |
. |
. |
. |
. |
. |
| 4 |
. |
. |
. |
. |
. |
| 5 |
. |
. |
. |
. |
. |
| 6 |
. |
. |
. |
. |
. |
|
Retrieving |
Touch Sensitivity |
Sound Sensitivity |
Stability |
| 1 |
. |
. |
. |
. |
| 2 |
. |
. |
. |
. |
| 3 |
. |
. |
. |
. |
| 4 |
. |
. |
. |
. |
| 5 |
. |
. |
. |
. |
|
Straight Front |
Shoulder Angulation |
Shoulder Layback |
Croup Angulation |
Straight Rear |
Rear Angulation |
| Good |
. |
. |
. |
. |
. |
. |
| Fair |
. |
. |
. |
. |
. |
. |
| Poor |
. |
. |
. |
. |
. |
. |
Dog’s name:
___________________________________
Breed:
________________________________________
Age:
__________________________________________
Sex:
__________________________________________
Markings:
______________________________________
Testing Date:
___________________________________
Further Comments:
______________________________________________________________
INTERPRETATION
OF SCORES
Mostly 1’s:
This dog is extremely dominant and has
aggressive tendencies. It is quick to bite and is generally considered
not good with children or the elderly. When combined with a 1 or 2 in
touch sensitivity, will be a difficult dog to train. Not a dog for the
in experienced handler; takes a competent trainer to establish
leadership.
Mostly 2’s:
This dog is dominant and can be provoked
to bite. Responds well to firm, consistent, fair handling in an adult
household, and is likely to be a loyal pet once it respects its human
leader. Often has bouncy, outgoing temperament: may be too active for
elderly, and too dominant for small children.
Mostly 3’s:
This dog accepts human leaders easily.
Is best prospect for the average owner, adapts well to new situations
and generally good with children and elderly, although it may be
inclined to be active. Makes a good obedience prospect and usually has a
common sense approach to life.
Mostly 4’s:
This dog is submissive and will adapt to
most households. May be slightly less outgoing and active than a dog
scoring mostly 3’s. Gets along well with children in general and trains
well.
Mostly 5’s:
This dog is extremely submissive and
needs special handling to build confidence and bring him out of his
shell. Does not adapt well to change and confusion and needs a very
regular, structured environment. Usually safe around children and bites
only when severely stressed. Not a good choice for a beginner since it
frightens easily, and takes a long time to get used to new experiences.
Mostly 6’s:
This dog is independent. He is not
affectionate and may dislike petting and cuddling. It is difficult to
establish a relationship with him for working or as a pet. Not
recommended for children who may force attention on him; he is not a
beginner’s dog.
a) When combined with 1’s (especially in
restraint); the independent dog is likely to bite under stress.
b) When combined with 5’s the
independent dog is likely to hide from people, or freeze when approached
by a stranger.
No clear patterns (several 1’s, 2’s and
5’s):
This dog may not be feeling well.
Perhaps just ate or was recently wormed. Wait two days and re-test. If
the test still shows wide variations (lots of 1’s and 5’s), it is
probably unpredictable and unlikely to be a good pet or obedience dog.
SCORING TIPS
3 in Social Attraction and Social
Dominance:
The socially attracted dog is more
easily taught to come and is more cuddly and friendly. Its interest in
people can be a useful tool in training, despite other scores.
1 in Restraint and 1 in Touch
Sensitivity:
The dominant aggressive dog, insensitive
to touch, will be a handful to train and extremely difficult for anyone
other than an exceptionally competent handler.
5 in Stability:
This is likely to be a “spooky” dog
which is never desirable. It requires a great deal of extra work to get
a spooky dog adapted to new situations and they generally cannot be
depended upon in a crisis.
5 in Touch and Sound Sensitivity:
May also be very “spooky” and needs
delicate handling to prevent the dog from becoming frightened.
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