Puppy Temperament Test

We perform a temperament test for young puppies to determine if they are a good prospect for service work. If they pass, our program will take them on regardless of level of obedience; we will walk you through the process from start to finish.

This test verifies that your puppy is a good prospect; however, if any behaviors arise (specifically during adolesence) that disqualifies them, we may ask that you take a break from training service dog behaviors to address these new behaviors. Reactivity, especially out of fear, will cause us to recommend you pull your dog from training for a period to address the behavior. True offensive aggression or behaviors like biting or nipping at triggers may cause us to wash your dog.

Novel Objects

For this section, we will show your puppy a novel object such as a statue, statue of a dog, Halloween decorations, etc. Your dog may be unsure at this age, but we are looking for curiosity.

Other Dogs

We are looking for their reaction to another dog in this section. Ideally, we would like to see a neutral or interested dog that is overall friendly. If your dog experiences excitement reactivity at this age, we may ask that you address this behavior before starting service work. Fear or aggression is a disqualifier from our program.

Noise Sensitivity

We are looking to see how your pup reacts to loud or otherwise unexpected noises. They are allowed to be startled; we are looking to see that they can bounce back quickly. Fear that inhibits their ability to move on is a disqualifier from our program.

Handler Sensitivity

For this, you are not prompted to do anything; we simply notate how your pup reacts to you for the entirety of the session.

New Environments

In this portion of the temperament test, we are ensuring your dog is comfortable/curious in new environments. Fear or anxiety could cause issue with service work as you are going to new places regularly.

Underfootings

We are looking for your dog’s reaction to abnormal floorings in this section. How do they respond to tile or sewer grating? Are they okay in the grass? It is important they are able to at least be encouraged over these items even if unsure.

Strange Humans

We are looking for interest and overall friendliness in this section. They do not have to be perfectly behaved; however they cannot show reactivity or otherwise fear/aggression. Human reactivity or aggression is a disqualifier from our program.

Trainability

Here, we are looking to see how trainable your dog is. We will ask you to prompt a cue they already know without a correction. It’s okay if they don’t know any cues yet; we will simply just ask you to get your pup’s attention and note how easily it orients to you.

Reaction to pet attempt

Here, someone will walk by and reach out to pet your dog. They typically do not complete the action for safety purposes, but we are looking to see how quickly your dog can bounce back from direct attention. Any aggression or moderate-severe fear responses will disqualify your dog.