Let’s Improve Temperament

By Mary Jane Anderson

One summer, Amy, my German shepherd dog, and I had the opportunity to participate in temperament testing sponsored by the German Shepherd Club of Greater New Haven. All dogs were welcome, purebred or mixed breed.

The most important quality needed for a “perfect companion dog” is the dog’s temperament. In 1977, the American Temperament Test Society was founded to give recognition to dogs of a sound temperament. The theme was “a sound mind in a sound body.” Fear-biting, shyness, or acute nervousness are temperamental traits that are undesirable in any dog regardless of breed. Today, with many dogs works in nursing homes or therapy dogs helping the disabled and the dogs helping the blind, a dog’s temperament is extremely important for working with all ages of people.

The testing evacuates a dog’s behavioral response to his interaction of the daily environment. The dominant disposition of a dog’s customary mood/attitude makeup distinguished one breed of dog from another, and if the dog has a good temperament.

The tests are designed for a dog 12 months old or older. There are three evaluators. The owner and the dog, with a loose leash, begins to walk in a large circle in an open field. The first test evacuates the dog’s reaction to meeting a stranger in a nonthreatening situation. They determine if the dog is neutral, friendly, or shy and moving away. The owner and their dog move on in the circle to a sound stimuli.

The test measures the dog’s investigative behavior, showing alertness, and curiosity. The first sound is hidden as you approach from the back of a tepee. An assistant rattles a can filled with marbles or pebbles. The dog should investigate. Amy was very alert and anxious to find the sound and check out the assistant. The second test is a gun test. You and your dog pass an assistant and stop. The assistant fires three shots in the air from an extra loud starter pistol. The sound is in back of the dog and most of the dogs turned to find out where the noise came from. A few dogs are concerned with the gun shots.

The next stop is to evaluate the dog’s reaction to a sudden visual stimulus; as the dog approaches, an umbrella is suddenly opened. The test reassures the dog’s investigative power and the startle/recovery time. It was fun to see how most of the dogs reacted; they were very anxious to see what was on the other side of the umbrella! The following test, footing, was a problem many of the dogs. The test was to see the dogs reaction to walking on unusual footing, which was plastic and crating.

The final test is a self-protectiveness/aggressive reaction to show how the dog defends himself and/or his owner in the face of a threat in a positive manner. This was a very interesting test. It did not show any extremes — aggressiveness or panic — but a lot of in-between, such as watching, barking, approaching the stranger. Very few dogs avoided the threatening situation.

The test is an excellent, practical everyday-can-happen way to evaluate our dogs. It highlights a dog’s strengths and weaknesses that we might never know in such an open way. For breeders, the test is an excellent way to better their breed, while owners will be better able to evaluate their dog in their daily living.

As dog owners, we must become aware of the problems we might be facing with our dogs. The participation of temperament testing with Amy was a valuable lesson about her character as well as a fun day watching the testing of other dogs. Amy and I are proud of her new title — Amy of Pine Ridge, TTI — and since Amy was a pet therapy dog in two nursing homes, she was happy for all her congratulations and petting.