Puppy Temperament Tests: Guide to Understanding Puppy Testing

Puppy Temperament Tests: Guide to Understanding Puppy Testing

Puppy Temperament Tests: Guide to Understanding Puppy Testing

Many breeders and shelter workers swear by puppy temperament tests--or they swear AT them! Learn what puppy temperament tests offer, and how best you can use them to find the pup of your dreams. If a new puppy figures in your 2022 plans, take a look at what you need to know about puppy temperament tests.

What Are Puppy Temperament Tests?

When Magic was a baby, his breeder conducted a series of puppy temperament tests to better predict his future personality. Many professional breeders do this best match each pup to future owners. We won that lottery, in part because Magic was an opinionated, head-strong, smart-aleck pup with test indications predicting he'd make a great Schutzhund dog. Because we'd had a German Shepherd in the past, and my background in behavior, the breeder figured we'd know how to channel that drive. Even so, Magic still nearly drove us crazy when the normal delinquent behavior began! That's when many dogs lose their homes.

Inappropriate expectations by prospective pet owners are a major risk factor for relinquishment. Owners fall in love with a barking bundle of joy, or a needy shivery stray. They dream of the Lassie-beneath-the-fur, but end up with a headstrong aggressive delinquent, or a clingy anxious pooch that eats through doors. That's where temperament tests can help, not just for professional breeders, but also shelters and rescues.

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