Independent Puppy Evaluations

Temperament Testing allows us to make sure each puppy is placed into their perfect homes by matching them based on temperament and personality. 

Far to often puppies are purchased based off of looks, and in the end, the placement fails and the puppy is returned or given away due to a mismatch of temperament, energy level, personality and other factors. When we match our puppies, we are taking our years of experience, our knowledge of the individual puppies and the temperament test into account to make sure you're receiving a puppy you'll be happy with for their lifetime. 

The Volhard Puppy Aptitude Test uses a scoring system from 1-6 and consists of ten tests.  The tests are done consecutively and 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. 

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 are 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.  

During the testing, we make a note of the heart rate of the pup, which is an indication of how it deals with stress, as well as its energy level.  Puppies come with high, medium or low energy levels. Dogs with high energy levels need a great deal of exercise, and will get into mischief if this energy is not channeled in the right direction.

Finally, we look at the overall structure of the puppy.  You see what you get at 49 days old.  If the pup has strong and straight front and back legs, with all four feet pointing in the same direction, it will grow up that way, provided you give it the proper diet and environment in which to grow.  If we notice something out of the ordinary at this age, it will stay with puppy for the rest of its life.  He will not grow out of it. Puppies that have been temperament tested and matched to their ideal home will ensure fewer returns, placed in better suited homes and involve less stress for everyone.

Structural evaluations have three purposes: to determine whether there are structural problems in the litter so they can be avoided in future breedings; to decide which puppy to keep as a potential addition to the breeding program; and to determine the best type of home for each puppy in the litter. It is not to determine which puppies will grow into future champions, but which will enhance a breeding program that will produce puppies that are genetically, temperamentally, and structurally sound. 

When evaluating the structure, or conformation, of a puppy, we are looking at specific parts of the body, how they are constructed individually and how they fit together as a whole. When we look at the puppy as a whole, we want to see balance from their top line, mid line and bottom line, as well as front to back. 

The pieces that are assessed are as follows:

General Appearance (looking at the puppy as a whole. What condition is the puppy in, is it appropriate size, does the puppy have good overall substance and proportion)

Head (skull and muzzle, expression, eyes, ears, nose, pigment and teeth)

Neck, Topline (back, croup, tail)

Body (Forechest, chest, ribs loin, tuckup)

Forequarters (shoulders, upper arm, elbows, legs, pasterns, feet)

Hindquarters (thighs, second thighs, hocks, rear pasterns, feet)

Coat and Color (texture, undercoat, length, feathering, color)

Gail, coordination (side view, front & rear views)

Temperament

Overall impression (breed type, character, balance, fitness for purpose)

Each piece is scored from 1 to 10, with a maximum of 100 points.

When evaluating each litter for their interest and instinct on stock, we generally start on 3 sheep who are very familiar with working dogs.  During the  evaluations, we are looking for specific pieces of behavior:

1) Does pup try to control the movement of the animals? – Does the pup want to stop the animals from running, keep them from getting away and keep them together in an area?

2) Does the pup notice and attempt to fix splits or runaways? – Does the pup see an animal thinking about running and stop it early, or does it notice as the animal leaves the flock, or does it notice once the animal has left the flock and come to rest somewhere else, or does it simply not even know it is missing one? (These are listed in order of what is preferred to see.)

3) Does the pup attempt to regroup if the flock is loosely grouped? – Does the pup go out and around, tightening the group, covering to prevent strays?

4) How well does the pup direct a stray single animal back towards the flock? – Is the pup capable of planning and orienting the livestock back towards the group or is it stuck in a corner and needs help at a distance?

5) Does the pup attempt to bring them to handler or to their owner? – Were looking for elements of returning, as well as desire to involve the handler.

6) Does the pup attempt to grab the animal, and if so, where? – This is as much a value of confidence of the pup and desire, as it is head/heel indication and possible prey indication.