As people, we are looking for the magic way to end up with that perfect companion for our life so we and the dog are fulfilled simply by being part of each other's life.
We've all see the movie where the person picks up a puppy, the puppy is the perfect companion and tears ensue when *spoiler alert* the canine protagonist's life comes to an end all to early.
So how the question is, how do we ensure that magical match occurs for puppy and for person? Temperament testing!
Temperament testing is working a puppy through a set of items that are new to the pup and seeing how it reacts and problems solves throughout the test. Although testing doesn't guarantee your puppy will always be a certain way, it is a great way to get an insight into your puppy's personality before it goes home setting you both up for a more seamless transition!
When I first started out on the dog breeding journey, I went and trained under Jeanette Forrey, of 4E Kennels, (the breeder that created the puppy temperament test we use) to learn how to watch a puppy move through the test and notice behaviors and patterns that help me understand the psychology that is going on within the puppy's brain that give me clues into the aptitude, abilities, and personality of the pup.
From Jeanette, I learned to intentionally set up our testing area in a neutral location in our home so that the puppy is experiencing everything for the first time. In the testing area we have various items that are used to evaluate the puppy's: Confidence, Assertiveness, Energy Level, Motivation level, Resiliency, touch tolerance, sight sensitivity, sound sensitivity, prey drive, human focus, tenderheartedness, and dog friendliness.
SEE OUR SET UP HERE! https://youtu.be/Kifci7Ru1Rw
We work our puppies through each of the items, film it all, create a scorecard for each pup that puts what we are seeing into a more comprehendible document, and send them all to each family on our waitlist for the specific litter we tested.
This empowers our puppy families to meet their new puppy where it is and hit the ground running with its training and socialization once it goes home.
It has been absolutely amazing to be able to give our puppies a voice through the temperament testing AND give our puppy families that ability to pick a darling pup that also has the temperament they need for their current circumstance. All while honoring the puppy and ensuring it is also fulfilled by their person's lifestyle.
Temperament testings helps us to create the cinematic moment where human meets dog, dog meets human and both lives are better for it!