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How We Raise Puppies
Policy -Puppy Deposit & Reservation
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For Sale -Dogs & Puppies
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Volhard's Puppy Aptitude Test
Dog Training For Dummies by Jack & Wendy Volhard
(IDG Books, 2001)
© Wendy Volhard 2003, Revised January 2003
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TEST
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Purpose
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Score
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SOCIAL ATTRACTION
Place puppy in test area about four feet from the tester.
Tester kneels, leans backwards and coaxes the pup to her/him
by clapping hands gently.
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Degree of social attraction to people, confidence, or
dependence.
Pack Drive.
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Came readily, tail up, jumped, bit at hands.
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1
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Came readily, tail up, pawed, licked at hands.
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2
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Came readily, tail up.
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3
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Came readily, tail down
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4
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Came hesitantly, tail down.
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5
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Didn't come at all.
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6
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FOLLOWING
The tester stands up and slowly walks away encouraging the
puppy to follow. Make sure the pup sees you walk away. Coax
puppy to follow by talking to it and attracting its
attention.
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Willingness to follow a person.
Pack Drive.
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Followed readily, tail up, got underfoot, bit at
feet.
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1
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Followed readily, tail up, got underfoot.
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2
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Followed readily, tail up
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3
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Followed readily, tail down.
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4
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Followed hesitantly, tail down.
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5
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Did not follow or went away.
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6
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RESTRAINT
The tester crouches down and gently rolls the pup on its
back and holds it down with light pressure with one hand for
30 seconds.
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Degree of dominance or submissive tendency, and ease of
handling in difficult situations.
Fight or Flight Drive.
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Struggled fiercely, flailed, bit.
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1
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Struggled fiercely, flailed.
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2
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Settled, struggled, settled with some eye contact.
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3
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Struggled then settled.
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4
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No struggle, no eye contact.
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5
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No struggle, straining to avoid eye contact.
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6
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SOCIAL DOMINANCE
Puppy sits or stands on crouching tester's left side and
tester gently strokes it from the head to back. Continue
stroking until a recognizable behavior is established.
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Degree of acceptance of social dominance by a person.
Pack Drive.
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Jumped, pawed, bit, growled.
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1
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Jumped, pawded.
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2
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Cuddled up to tester and tried to lick face.
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3
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Squirmed, licked at hands.
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4
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Rolled over, licked at hands.
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5
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Went away and stayed away.
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6
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ELEVATION DOMINANCE
The tester cradles the pup under its chest, with both hands,
fingers interlaced, palms up and gently lifts it two feet
off the ground, and holds it there for 30 seconds.
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Degree of accepting dominance while in position of no
control.
Fight or Flight Drive.
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Struggled fiercely, tried to bite.
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1
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Struggled fiercely.
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2
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Struggled, settled, struggled, settled.
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3
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No struggle, relaxed.
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4
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No struggle, body stiff.
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5
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No struggle, froze.
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6
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RETRIEVING
The tester crouches beside the pup and attracts its
attention with a crumpled up piece of paper. When the pup
shows some interest, the tester tosses the paper no more
than four feet in front of the pup, encouraging it to
retrieve the paper.
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Degree of willingness to do something for you. Together with
social attraction and following, a key indicator for ease or
difficulty in training.
Prey Drive.
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Chased object, picked it up and ran away.
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1
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Chased object, stood over it, did not return.
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2
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Chased object, picked it up and returned with it to
tester.
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3
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Chased object and returned without it to tester.
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4
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Started to chase object, lost interest.
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5
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Did not chase object.
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6
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TOUCH SENSITIVITY
The tester locates the webbing of one of the puppy's front
paws and presses it lightly between his index finger and
thumb. The tester gradually increases pressure while
counting to 10 and stops the pressure when the puppy pulls
away or shows discomfort.
* Do not use your fingernail when performing this
test. Press between the finger and thumb lightly then more
firmly until you get a response.
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Degree of sensitivity to touch and a key indicator to the
type of training equipment required.
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8-10 counts before response.
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1
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6-7 counts before response.
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2
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5-6 counts before response.
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3
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2-4 counts before response.
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4
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2-3 counts before response.
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5
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SOUND SENSITIVITY
The puppy is placed in the center of the testing area and an
assistant stationed at the perimeter makes a sharp noise,
such as banging a metal spoon on the bottom of a metal pan.
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Degree of sensitivity to sound.
(Also a rudimentary test
for deafness.)
Prey Drive.
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Listened, located sound, walked toward it barking.
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1
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Listened, located sound, barked.
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2
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Listened, located sound, showed curiosity and walked
toward sound.
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3
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Listened, located the sound.
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4
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Cringed, backed off, hid.
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5
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Ignored sound, showed no curiosity.
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6
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SIGHT SENSITIVITY
The puppy is placed in the center of the testing area. The
tester ties a string around a bath towel and jerks it across
the floor two feet away from puppy.
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Degree of response to a moving object, such as chasing
bicycles, children or squirrels.
Prey Drive.
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Looked, attacked and bit.
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1
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Looked, barked and tail up.
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2
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Looked curiously, attempted to investigate.
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3
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Looked, barked, tail-tuck.
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4
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Ran away, hid.
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5
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STABILITY
An umbrella is opened about five feet from the puppy and
gently placed on the ground.
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Degree of startle response to a strange object.
Fight and Flight Drive.
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Looked and ran to the umbrella, mouthing or biting
it.
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1
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Looked and walked to the umbrella, smelling it
cautiously.
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2
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Looked and went to investigate.
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3
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Sat and looked, but did not move toward the
umbrella.
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4
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Ran away from the umbrella.
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5
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Showed no interest.
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6
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STRUCTURE
The puppy is gently set and held in a natural stance and
evaluated for structure in the following categories:
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Straight front
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Straight rear
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Shoulder lay back
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Front angulation
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Croup angulation
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Rear angulation
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Degree of structural soundness.
Good structure is necessary.
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The puppy is correct in structure.
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good
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The puppy has a slight fault or deviation.
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fair
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The puppy has an extreme fault or deviation.
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poor
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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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