What is the puppy aptitude test?

The puppy aptitude test was created by Joachim and Wendy Volhard as a way to test behavioral tendencies and predict what a puppy will be like as an adult. During the test, various exercises are done with the puppy to determine the following:

• Social Attraction: how well the puppy connects to people and whether he's confident or dependent on others
• Following: his willingness to follow a person
• Restraint: whether the puppy is more dominant or submissive and how well he can be handled in difficult situations such as vet exams
• Social Dominance: how the puppy reacts to being dominated socially, whether he tries to dominate or if he's independent and walks away
• Elevation: how well he accepts dominance when he's in a position of no control
• Retrieving: how willing the puppy is to do something for you
• Touch Sensitivity: how sensitive he is to being handled, which can help determine the type of training equipment you'll need
• Sound Sensitivity: how sensitive he is to loud noises as well as being a rudimentary test for deafness
• Sight Sensitivity: how the puppy responds to moving objects, which can reveal any tendencies to chase cars or the mailman
• Stability: how startled the puppy may be when confronted with a strange object
• Structure: This is a measure of how well-formed and proportioned the puppy is physically. A puppy with a solid build will generally be healthier than one that has issues with bone alignment.

HOW TO TEST

Here are the ground rules for performing the test:

•    The testing is done in a location unfamiliar to the puppies. This does not mean they have to taken away from  home.  A 10-foot square area is perfectly adequate,   such as a room in the house where the puppies have not been.
•    The puppies are tested one at a time.
•    There are no other dogs or people, except the scorer and the tester, in the testing area
•    The puppies do not know the tester.
•    The scorer is a disinterested third party and not the person interested in selling you a puppy.
•    The scorer is unobtrusive and positions him or herself so he or she can observe the puppies’ responses without having to move.  
•    The puppies are tested before they are fed. 
•    The puppies are tested when they are at their liveliest. 
•    Do not try to test a puppy that is not feeling well. 
•    Puppies should not be tested the day of or the day after being vaccinated.
•    Only the first response counts!

WHAT DO THE SCORES MEAN?

The scores are interpreted as follows:

Mostly 1’s -

Strong desire to be pack leader and is not shy about bucking for a promotion
Has a predisposition to be aggressive to people and other dogs and will bite
Should only be placed into a very experienced home where the dog will be trained and worked on a regular basis

Top Dog Tips: Stay away from the puppy with a lot of 1’s or 2’s.  It has lots of leadership aspirations and may be difficult to manage.  This puppy needs an experienced home.  Not good with children. 

Mostly 2’s -
   
Also has leadership aspirations 
May be hard to manage and has the capacity to bite 
Has lots of self-confidence
Should not be placed into an inexperienced home 
Too unruly to be good with children and elderly people, or other animals 
Needs strict schedule, loads of exercise and lots of training 
Has the potential to be a great show dog with someone who understands dog behavior 

Mostly 3’s     -

Can be a high-energy dog and may need lots of exercise
Good with people and other animals
Can be a bit of a handful to live with 
Needs training, does very well at it and learns quickly 
Great dog for second time owner.

Mostly 4’s     -

The kind of dog that makes the perfect pet
Best choice for the first time owner.  
Rarely will buck for a promotion in the family 
Easy to train, and rather quiet. 
Good with elderly people, children, although may need protection from the children
Choose this pup, take it to obedience classes, and you’ll be the star, without having to do too much work!

Tidbits: The puppy with mostly 3’s and 4’s can be quite a handful, but should be good with children and does well with training.  Energy needs to be dispersed with plenty of exercise. 

Mostly 5’s     -

Fearful, shy and needs special handling 
Will run away at the slightest stress in its life 
Strange people, strange places, different floor or ground surfaces may upset it 
Often afraid of loud noises and terrified of thunder storms. When you greet it upon your return, may submissively urinate.  Needs a very special home where the environment doesn’t change too much and where there are no children 
Best for a quiet, elderly couple 
If cornered and cannot get away, has a tendency to bite

Top Dog Tips: Avoid the puppy with several 6’s.  It is so independent it doesn’t need you or anyone.  He is his own person and unlikely to bond to you. 

Mostly 6’s     -

So independent that he doesn’t need you or other people 
Doesn’t care if he is trained or not - he is his own person  Unlikely to bond to you, since he doesn’t need you. 
A great guard dog for gas stations!  
Do not take this puppy and think you can change him into a lovable bundle - you can’t, so leave well enough alone

INTERPRETING THE SCORES

Few puppies will test with all 2’s or all 3’s - there will be a mixture of scores. 

For that first time, wonderfully easy to train, potential star, look for a puppy that scores with mostly 4’s and 3’s.  Don’t worry about the score on Touch Sensitivity - you can compensate for that with the right training equipment.

Tidbits: It’s hard not to become emotional when picking a puppy - they are all so cute, soft and cuddly.  Remind yourself that this dog is going to be with you for 8 to 16 years.  Don’t hesitate to step back a little to contemplate your decision.  Sleep on it and review it in the light of day. 

Avoid the puppy with a score of 1 on the Restraint and Elevation tests.  This puppy will be too much for the first time owner. 

It’s a lot more fun to have a good dog, one that is easy to train, one you can live with and one you can be proud of, than one that is a constant struggle.