# Temperament testing



## Havmama (Jun 28, 2010)

I have heard several breeders refer to doing this with puppies at around 7 weeks. I have no idea what it entails or how formal it is. Could someone enlighten me?


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## Sheri (Oct 11, 2008)

Hello! I did a search for that and found several threads. Here's one of them:

http://www.havaneseforum.com/showthread.php?t=11924&highlight=temperament+testing


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## CacheHavs (Aug 2, 2007)

Here is a link to the Volhard Puppy Aptitude Test that I use. It is a good tool for us breeders to determine a puppy's temperament and what the best possible home would be.

http://landofpuregold.com/puptest.htm


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## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

Mamajama, if a breeder says they use it, ask a few questions to even see if they are doing it right. It needs to be done by a stranger in a totally new location. The whole point of it is that it is done by someone unfamiliar in an unfamiliar setting.


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## Havmama (Jun 28, 2010)

Thanks, everyone . 

For those who have done it, do you get substantially different results than what you had learned from just caring for the pup? Or does it generally seem to support what your impression of the pup already was?


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## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

This test shows indicators for things you don't necessarily see yet. The tests are specifically designed to show aspects of the inborne traits that aren't necessarily apparent at that young age. Also, the test doesn't work when they are older because they may have been exposed to a lot of the items within the test. The whole purpose is to see how the dog responds instinctively to these carefully chosen _new_ situations.

Personality is obvious from watching the puppies. The temperament comes out through the tests and is much more indicative of how the pup's natural responses are and which areas are stronger than average and where you may want to focus more when it comes to training.


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## Havmama (Jun 28, 2010)

OK, that makes sense. Thanks again .


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## Tom King (Aug 2, 2006)

mamajama said:


> Thanks, everyone .
> 
> For those who have done it, do you get substantially different results than what you had learned from just caring for the pup? Or does it generally seem to support what your impression of the pup already was?


Not substantially different, but some individual scores may be different from one day to the next for individuals. It's not a substitute for an experienced breeder who has lived with the pups since they were born.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

I had temperament testing done on Kodi's litter. (call me obsessive, but with a husband who was only marginally accepting of the whole dog idea, I couldn't afford to make ANY mistakes on our "first dog")

Besides the very good information that Kimberley has given you, there are some other things to be taken into consideration.

Particularly with a "soft" companion breed like the Havanese, most well bred puppies are going to score in the 3's and 4's. A few might be 2's or 5's and I think the 1's and 6's would be rare in the extreme. So the numbers alone might not mean much when you are trying to find the best match for your family.

Besides the person being a stranger, and taking the puppies (one at a time) to a strange location, the person REALLY should be very experienced in temperament testing, and able to give a nuanced interpretation of the puppy's responses. The trainer who went with me to test the puppies was great about explaining what she saw, and what that might mean in terms of how best to work with each of the puppies. It wasn't like one was "better" or "worse" but that the slight variations in temperament (and personality) would predispose each puppy to learning best in a slightly different way.

P.S., my not-sure-about-dogs husband has fallen head over heels in love with Kodi.<g>

One of the puppies (we called him the "explorer pup") had a VERY high play drive, was very bold, and was extremely interested in exploring EVERYTHING in his environment. (though he was also plenty people-oriented) Both Pam and the trainer thought he would make an excellent agility prospect. Another puppy, we called the "ADD puppy" because he was very easily distracted by things around him. But from a training perspective, what he had going for him was that he was EXTREMELY food motivated... much more so than the other puppies. Then there was Kodi. He wasn't quite as bold as the "explorer pup" but he was by far the most people-oriented of the 3, and he certainly wasn't what you would consider timid. Although he was happy to wander and play with his brothers, you could call him away from them easily, and he would immediately come and climb into your lap for a cuddle. The trainer pointed out that a pup with this type of temperament and personality might need a more careful introduction to equipment, but was often very trainable just because they wanted so much to work for/with their "person".

I think, for someone like Amanda or Leeann, who are both experienced dog people and who have already trained agility dogs, they might very well have choses the "explorer pup". Even though I knew I wanted to do agility with the dog I got, I was also VERY aware that I as a first-time dog owner, AND that I needed to get a dog who was not going to be overwhelming to other members of our previously dog-less household.

After discussing it at length with the trainer and with the Kings, we all decided that Kodi was the best fit for me and my family. But, if you'd just looked at a chart from the Volhard testing, there would have been VERY little to differentiate between the three puppies. They were all VERY nice dogs who would be great pets for their families.

I guess I'm just reiterating what Kimberley has alluded to... Temperament testing can be a useful tool, IF it is done right, and interpreted carefully. Even then, it should be just one piece of data that goes into your decision balanced with the knowledge the breeder has of her puppies and everything else that goes into choosing a good dog.

I suspect that temperament test would be MOST useful if you felt uneasy about the puppy's breeding. That might help you weed out those 2+5, and especially 1+6 puppies. But it doesn't tell you ANYTHING about what the breeder is doing to make the most of their puppies' temperaments, and environment can make a HUGE difference. More important, if you are uneasy about the puppy's breeding, are you sure you want to buy from that breeder at all?

As I said in the beginning, looking back, maybe I was overly cautious, especially now that I know the Kings, and have a better feel for both them and some of the other breeders on this forum. But I had read enough about other people's mistakes BEFORE I bought a puppy that I wanted to be very sure I didn't make any of the same ones, if there was any way to avoid it. I don't regret my decision to take the trainer with me... this was not only a large monetary investment, but also an investment of the next, potentially, 15 years of my life.

In the future, I would happily get a puppy from the Kings again, without feeling the need to take the trainer with me. And I know there are a number of other breeders represented on this forum who are just as capable of matching the right puppy with the right owner. But for my first puppy experience, this was the right course of action for me.


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## MopTop Havanese (Sep 25, 2006)

Yes, the Volhard Temperment test is the one I use also-
I just did my puppies this weekend. They tested as I suspected, with a couple puppies reacting to different situations differently than they normally do, which I know is ok.
I spend hours with them every day and watch how they act/react to new situations and people. I am confident with the placement of my puppies and how they will fit and and adjust to their new families-


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## ls-indy (Apr 10, 2008)

Beau and Daisy's breeder also does the same temperment testing and I think it was fairly accurate. She must also do the The Rule of 7's because I remember her talking about 7 surfaces, 7 toys and meeting new people: 

The Rule of 7's: By the time a puppy is seven weeks old he/she should have: 

Been on 7 different types of surfaces: carpet, concrete, wood, vinyl, grass, dirt, gravel, wood chips

Played with 7 different types of objects: big balls, small balls, soft fabric toys, fuzzy toys, squeaky toys, paper of cardboard items, metal items, sticks or hose pieces

Been in 7 different locations: front yard, back yard, basement, kitchen, car, garage, laundry room, bathroom

Met and played with 7 new people: include children and older adults, someone walking with a cane or stick, someone in a wheelchair or walker

Been exposed to 7 challenges: climb on a box, climb off a box, go through a tunnel, climb steps, go down steps, climb over obstacles, play hide and seek, in and out of a doorway with a step up or down, run around a fence

Eaten from 7 different containers; metal, plastic, cardboard, paper, china, pie plate, frying pan

Eaten in 7 different locations: crate, yard, kitchen, basement, laundry room, living room, bathroom

I think it made them much more confident since they'd experienced so much as very little puppies...

BEST OF ALL: She also makes a point of massaging each toe of each puppies' paw every day so they are very used to having their paws handled. We've always cut Daisy's and Beau's nails ourselves because they just don't have an issue with our handling their paws!


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## katkoota (Feb 25, 2010)

I find this thread (especially topic) so interesting. It is the first time I learn about temperament testing; I think that for a person who is like me (a dog's temperament and personality ranks number 1 in my list of importance when getting a pup - of course health tops it, but I mean other factors such as looks/color...etc. ) this testing is so important. 
Thanks for the info guys. 
Kat


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## Flynn Gentry-Taylor (Jan 17, 2008)

katkoota said:


> I find this thread (especially topic) so interesting. It is the first time I learn about temperament testing; I think that for a person who is like me (a dog's temperament and personality ranks number 1 in my list of importance when getting a pup - of course health tops it, but I mean other factors such as looks/color...etc. ) this testing is so important.
> Thanks for the info guys.
> Kat


Hi Kat! Isn't this group wonderful? I need to print out the whole thing...great information.


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## katkoota (Feb 25, 2010)

Flynn Gentry-Taylor said:


> Hi Kat! Isn't this group wonderful? .


Hi Flynn, sure is  
Generally speaking, what amazes me is that everyday I discover that there is yet again something that I didn't know about. Just wondering when does learning end lol


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