How to Temperament Test Puppies! •Service Dog Prospect Tips Included• 

According to the instructions they should be tested on day #49 for the most accurate results.‘breeder here.

Would 12 weeks be okay? Also, is it okay if I test and score myself as I don’t have someone else to help me?

​@@The_Service_DoodlesIf you don't have a second person for scoring, either film the test for later scoring by yourself, or record the test voice only and just say what you see, for example: "test x / sound, puppy startled, runs over tail up to investigate".

I dislike the paw pinch test, because it can prime a puppy to not want it's paws checked or nails cut later in life. That's why I also just touch the puppy everywhere like a vet or a judge in a ring would do it also.

I've never used this particular test just kind of went off my experience with dogs and puppies. I just received a new replacement puppy for my current service dog. The breederer picked it out and gave it to me. She made a excellent choice and I couldn't be happier. I called the breeder up told her what I was looking for and what his purpose would be as my mobility assist service dog. She just said, how about I give you a puppy 🥰🐕‍🦺 I was a little disconcerned with the toe pinching also, I just look for being able to touch and handle and move the dog around easily.

I have a well bred standard poodle service dog who passed this test with flying colors but gets very nervous out in public so I just use her at home. This test really doesn't prove much.

We have a Labrador we chose for obedience and agility that tested 2s & 3s as a 7 week old puppy, but she's great with our kids. She does take proper introductions with other people, but is more relaxed with kids than adults. Go figure🤷‍♀️

​@@fre58050-80% of dogs fail as service dogs. Being out in public and inaide of stores is a very hard task for most dogs, so even if they have the perfect temperament, they can still fail. I just picked up my standard poodle pup, he will be my prospect. He is the smallest and smartest of his litter! We are actually on our way home right now and he has been asleep the whole time. I haven't heard him make any noises, I've never seen such a calm puppy before. I hope he will be calm tonight for crate training..

That’s amazing, good luck! 😊

Out of curiosity, how's your 3 girl doing one year out?

Gg

@jalexoneschanel1356 how is your therapy dog doing

Hi! Thanks for your comment! The toe-pinch test can be done by anyone who is comfortable with doing it, my dog’s breeder and I just didn’t want to do it. When it comes to service dogs, (dogs who are task-trained to aid their handler with their one or more disabilities), high pain tolerance is not usually on many handlers’ top list of required traits. Some service dogs are just not going to have a high pain tolerance, but will still be amazing service dogs. High pain tolerance doesn’t always equal a great service dog candidate. Service dogs are still dogs, if they get hurt by something you can’t expect them to not yelp. They not machines. Biting is a whole other issue that no service dog should have (because then they cannot be a service dog as long as that problem exists), no matter what pain tolerance the dog has. The source I linked in the description tells the reader how to do the pinch test, and I would assume that anyone doing the Volhard Test would read the source since it has all the info I talked about and much more. The amount of times that someone wants to do the tests are somewhat subjective. From what I’ve read, the issue with doing the trials multiple times on the same pup is this: when a sudden, unfamiliar, and uncomfortable situation is introduced, the puppy’s first reaction is most likely the one they will display they next time something unfamiliar and unexpected happens. If you do the trial again, it is no longer as unexpected or unfamiliar. The pup will (once again, usually) have a different reaction since they already experienced the trial. I hope that makes sense. Many service dog handlers value the first reaction to the trials since they are organic reactions. But people can certainly modify the test rules for themselves as they see fit. Lastly, I’m glad to hear that your dog (love rotties!) excelled with everything you taught him! You sound like you’ve owned dogs before, which is most likely why you were able to do well with your, as you put it, aloof/stubborn pup. But for first or second-time owners, that type of dog will be hard for them to work with. It’s not the dog’s fault, it’s the inexperience of the owner/handler. I noticed that you said your breeder chose your dog for you, and that worked out for you, which is great! But when looking for a service dog prospect, I strongly recommend to any and all future or current handlers that they go and see the pups in person if they can. Anyway, as I’ve said, the test is not a 100% guarantee of anything, it is just a guide. You can follow every single rule to a T, or you can modify it. It really depends on the person’s experience and research. I hope you’re staying healthy during these crazy times, and thank you for your well-wishes!

Thank you so much, you are so kind!

The temperament test isn't 100% accurate for dogs in shelters. There is a huge difference between staying in a loud cage in the shelter, and staying in your house. It can take a few years for your shelter doggo to get used to your home too.

I'm so glad, thank you for watching!

Thank you so much!

Thank you, good luck! 😊

Thank you!

Thank you! Good luck with your training, it’ll be a lot of work but a whole lot of payoff and bonding 😊 I may make a video in the future about what made me decide to owner train, but the short synopsis is I wasn’t willing (or able) to pay $45,000 upfront and wait 4-5 years that it would take for an organization to train a service dog for me. So, I decided to take the route of owner training because I knew that though it would be really hard work, it would definitely help me with my disabilities (and it was more affordable). :)

Thank you so much!

Good luck with training! 😊

Good luck!!

They can change as they age. Puppies are like clay, you can mould them but you can't change what they are made out of, you can add different ingredients to the clay though. You can train them, socalize them, and work on things they are scared of. All puppies will have their own personalities but you can't change that.

I hope it goes well for you!!

I think a puppy who scores 3s and and 4s could absolutely make a great service dog in general (for any other future sd handlers also reading this), and if you learn about how to train the pup for obedience and the tasks you’d like it to do (if you’re owner-training) then you would have a good chance for success. Also, reaching out to independent sd trainers is always a good idea! Success isn’t 100% guaranteed unfortunately, and that’s the risk that we take when owner-training. I would recommend looking on Instagram for sd teams who specify that their dog is trained for assistance with autism and anxiety, and ask them for advice on what to look for in your future pup. They’ll know more about what your looking for in a dog, and be more helpful with that than I am lol. I did this when looking for my sd, and I found that many handlers were happy to share their experience. If you’re getting your sd from an organization, they will chose a puppy that they think is best suited to your needs. I wish you the best of luck with your future sd! 😊

Oh, also watching RU-vid and Instagram videos about sd obedience and task-training helps a lot! There’s no guide on how to owner-train, so a lot of the before-you-get-a-puppy-process is gathering as much info as possible available on the internet about what sd raising and training involves.

Thank you! 😄

I’m so sorry to hear about the trauma your current SD went through, I really hope she doesn’t wash🤞 when I was looking for my prospect pup, the breeder posted temperament testing results on FB that they got when they tested. I looked through those and had an idea of the pups I wanted to test first, but to my surprise my choice #3 became #1 after I tested him! So I would say just test all of the pups that you can. I tested only male pups since I knew I needed a male for the future mobility work that he will be trained to do. I tested about 6, and though it was tiring, having someone film for me so I could review it after really really helped. So I would suggest bringing along someone to score and film for you, just make sure the breeder isn’t the one scoring :) I hope this answered your question, please ask more if you have any! 😊

@@goldenirishsd8319 Can I ask why specifically a male for mobility work? I plan to eventually get and train a dog primarily for medical alert and response but also with some light mobility work (stabilizing me when I get wobbly, helping me get up from chairs, guiding me when I'm disoriented) and would like to know why you specifically looked for a male for mobility work.

@@indigosky1002 it could be because males are generally larger on average? but i'm not the video maker so i can't be sure

It’s actually health and temperament first Gender and color last

I’d say it still works!

Is there a way to contact you ? 🙏🏼

I did find a link to the test n have downloaded it - Tried a few times to provide the link here, but that port keeps getting deleted. Am sure others find the link without much difficulty as I did.

@@jaivora423 So sorry that my reply is late! I’m working on a response to your questions right now :) if you ever want to contact me you can dm me @golden_irish_sd on Instagram!

Here are my responses to your questions, which are based off of credible published literature I’ve read on the subject (I am not a professional on the subject of Volhard temperament testing, I’ve just researched it and conducted it). These answers are the general consensus: 1.) The results of the Volhard test when you perform it on a puppy vs the same pup when it is an adult will vary because of its life experiences once it goes into the world. For example, lets say you do the test on a pup born with a slightly anxious temperament. It will most likely develop fearfulness shaped by later environments and experiences, and will require a lot of positive reinforcement and training to be confident in new situations. Or, you could test a pup and see that it has a generally confident demeanor. If that dog is attacked by a dog or multiple dogs later on, then re-testing it as an adult will most likely reflect its experiences and fear (from trauma). But there is the possibility that the effects from lasting trauma in the dog wouldn’t be reflected in the test, because nothing is absolute. So, puppies are best to test [between 7-10 weeks of age] because they are usually ‘blank slates’ (unless they are in a horrible living situation and develop fears, which would most likely be reflected in the test). The limiting factor here is you can’t conduct every trial as intended on all adult dogs, because it would be very hard to lift a big dog in the proper way without hurting it or yourself. There are definitely trials you can conduct on adult dogs, discussed in the website I linked. The inherent qualities that you see in a puppy certainly can be displayed through its life experiences, but I don’t think there’s a way to know if its qualities will supersede any life experiences. For example, my puppy tested as quite a confident pup. If I didn’t take him to puppy class to expose him to many different types of floorings and smells, he would be very hesitant to walk on any floor that is different than the ones we have at home. But since I did, he has no problem walking on concrete floors, tile, rugs, cold floors, bumpy floors, plastic wrap, foam floors, sand, grass, rocks, etc. and this is made easier for him by his natural confidence. I hope that makes sense, basically what I’m trying to say is there’s no guarantee if a dog’s qualities will supersede life experiences as it grows up because experiences that dogs have are so broad. Proper and careful training will make a huge difference for how dogs act later as adults. 2.) If a puppy is feeling unwell, unrested, or if it just ate, then it should not be tested until it is feeling better or is hungry for its next meal. The reason that puppies shouldn’t be tested after they just ate is because they will feel more sluggish and sleepy (we know the feeling, after a nice meal you don’t wanna go be active, you wanna go take a nap lol). So puppies experiencing any of these issues should be tested at a later date or time. I ran into this issue when testing my pup’s brothers. One of them had hurts its leg when it was bumbling around, so I didn’t test him at all (I had already found my match so that helped, but if I didn’t I would have waited however many days the vet recommended and then conducted the test). As for best times to test the pups, there are generally 2 restrictions: not super super early in the morning when they should be sleeping or super late in the evening when they should be sleeping, and not just after the puppies have eaten. You would have to communicate with the breeder, foster home, or shelter to coordinate this time with them and be specific about the pups not eating right before you test them. 3.) Temperament tests are typically conducted on puppies between seven and ten weeks of age. As I mentioned before, they are usually ‘blank slates’ at this time. But, a number of behaviors of personality might not emerge until the puppy matures. Like an example aforementioned, a pup born with a slightly anxious temperament can develop fearfulness shaped by environments and experiences. I personally wouldn’t test a puppy before eight weeks old, or when the puppy is typically weaned from its mother. Most of this temperament test can be conducted on adult dogs, but usually not every trial. It would be hard to turn a full grown husky or Great Dane on its back for that trial, or do the elevation dominance trial on big dogs. The website I linked discusses this a little bit more in-depth. Again, my answers provided above are a reflection of the hours of research I’ve done (and double-checking my sources today to make sure I’m providing the most accurate information I can), but if you find something that contradicts it, of course explore it and just make sure it comes from credible and ethical sources, and has been ethically tested! I’m not an expert on this, I didn’t study it in a formal setting, and I definitely don’t want to misrepresent myself as such. I just have experience with researching and conducting this test many times over. :) Finally, make sure to remember that this test will only give a surface level snapshot of how the puppy will act later on; the test isn’t meant to 100% guarantee anything, but rather to be a help in predicting what general characteristics the puppy will display as it grows up. I really hope this helped, sorry again for the delay!

No worries about the delay in replying - I SINCERELY appreciate the answers you have provided and they are pretty much what I had considered them to be but wanted to double check based on your experience and expertise. A BIG thank you for taking the time to research and reply

If you mean tell the breeder that you’d like to perform this test on the puppies you are looking into, I would just call or email them and explain what you want to do. If you mean ask the breeder to do the test for you, I would strongly recommend against this unless absolutely necessary. Puppies should always be tested by a ‘stranger’ to them, not someone they’ve come in contact with before. If you need them to help you perform the test (i.e. drop keys into a bucket) then I would email them the link I have in the description of this video and ask them to familiarize themselves with the test so they can help you. Or you could send them this video if you wanted! If you’re looking for a service dog prospect, I would Google the heck out of how other handlers chose their dog, and what they looked for, as many have made blog posts and RU-vid videos about it. Also try to look for trainers who have worked with service dogs, because that will really really help you in the process. I did a ton of research for about a year and a half before even finding a breeder to get a puppy from. Take your time and don’t try to rush it :) There’s a lot of self-teaching involved since, unfortunately, there isn’t a guide on how to owner-train service dogs. Good luck, I hope this helped!

I wish I could help you and give some advice but unfortunately I don’t know enough about taking care of puppies who have been weaned too young to give advice on the subject. The most I can say is do a lot of research about how to accommodate a puppy who is weaned too young and learn as much as you can about it. Also, call the vet that you will take the puppy to and ask them if they have advice and/or supplies to help you out. I hope everything turns out well for you, I’m sorry I can’t be of more help!

@@goldenirishsd8319 That's alright! Thank you.

@@goldenirishsd8319 6 wks is too young to be taken away, but if the owner/breeder chooses to separate, there isn't much one can do other than not opt to purchase. I also work with guide dogs as well, but under an organization. Service pups do not leave mom under 8 wks. I would rather be out a deposit on the pup than take a pup knowing possible problems down the road.

I’m not sure I understand your question, but I will try to answer to the best of my ability. If you are testing a litter of puppies that you are raising, the test results will be inaccurate because the tester must be a complete stranger. If you have a complete stranger test the puppies and you are out of the testing area, the results should be as accurate as they can be depending on the stranger’s testing ability. Ethically speaking, you should not be the scorer if you are selling the puppies. A neutral third-party (neither the seller or the tester) should be acting as scorer.

It can absolutely be modified based on preference, but remember that very young puppies need lots of sleep. Feel free to look into it if you’d like, it’s a guide created by a well-known professional dog behavioralist and trainer.The important thing to note is that there isn’t one set-in-stone, tried and true way to raise or train a puppy, which is why I say that the info in this video is meant to *guide* dog owners, not for them to follow everything to a T. 😊

Golden Irish SD Thank you! Makes sense and much appreciated.

Hi, thanks for watching! My channel name is ‘Golden Irish SD’ because the breed of my service dog (the pup in the vid) is a Golden Retriever and Irish Setter mix, called a Golden Irish. The SD part stands for service dog. 😊 We don’t live in Ireland, though I’d love to go there!

@@goldenirishsd8319 hii🤗oh really that is great my sdit is a Irish setter x poodle .yes I live in Ireland it is a great country

A golden retriever + Irish setter mix :)

He's a Golden Retriever x Irish Setter mix.

Thanks for that info! Should I just see how the pup acts in general?

a stranger so the puppies don't know the person conducting and act differently to, say, how they act to a new family or other person

@@555sanjana You are correct, a stranger should be the one to conduct it :) @brooke ashley the person conducting it is supposed to be someone the puppies never met, so not the owner, breeder, caretaker, or foster family. It should usually be the person interested in adopting/buying a puppy, who the pups have never met, so it should be done on your first visit with the pups. If you planned to visit the hypothetical litter of pups before they are 8 weeks old but also want to temperament test them, you must wait until they’re at the optimal age of at least 8 weeks. The best (and most ethical) age for the puppies to be in order to do this test is between 8-10 weeks.

A middle score is more desirable :) check out the links in the description for more info

Absolutely! If you click on the link to the Volhard Temperament Test website in the description, it is listed there. You may just need to scroll down a lot to get to it haha.

Are you a service dog handler/trainer, or saying that as a pet owner? Asking because the tests are actually a positive thing - service dogs are in a league of their own and have to be ready for work. Pets don't so yeah, this test for just a pet wouldn't be needed.

@@skippiijoy21 I am a trainer. The tests aren't positive if they give the illusion of accuracy.

@@elizabethgivens1968 gotcha. :) Well, no test is perfect or fool proof, so I guess it comes down to personal preference. Personally, I will definitely use a lot of these when vetting my next prospect.

@@skippiijoy21 it's not just imperfect. It's worthless. Where are the studies that back up evidence-based conclusions? I could make up a test that sounds good like "Count how many whiskers the dog has as a puppy. The ones with an even number of whiskers make the best service dogs". There are some people who would actually think that's a real thing. I would hardly call it "vetting" if your standard is (shrug) "not perfect"! The dogs and owners they help deserve better.

@@elizabethgivens1968 easy, no need to get defensive. :) Instead of being against the tests used (which I saw are used a lot with other people), how about offering something constructive, like tests that have all the "evidence" backing that you disregard these for not having. The lovely lady in this channel did the tests, and she now has a lovely service dog. I call that evidence. Again, you don't agree with it - okay. Doesn't mean anyone else has to see it your way because you are offering no evidence why you're against them, just saying how horrible. That is not persuasive enough to say if it is or is not.