Westie Puppy temperament testing
Description
The puppy temperament testing is a standard procedure used to provide an accurate and objective evaluation of the behavioural tendencies of a puppy. In the past, it was mainly used by some organisations, such as those who train dogs for the blind, the physically handicapped or deaf persons, to pinpoint tendencies in very young puppies before they are influenced by the environment. This helped to select the best prospect and obtain the best results with less efforts and less time. Nowadays, behaviorists, trainers and serious breeders of all breeds recommend more and more objective testing as a helpful tool in the screening process.
Use of a temperament test for a Westie breeder
or a future Westie owner
Unfortunately, many dogs are destroyed, given away or abandoned because they exhibit undesirable behavior, e.g. a behavior unsuitable in a particular environment with a particular person. Even if a Westie is not a guide dog or a working dog, it is important to know as much as possible the puppy's temperament to match both puppy and owner. All owners want the perfect Westie but the perfect Westie for Mr. X, a young man living in a farm, may well be a little devil for Mrs Y. living with 3 noisy and boisterous children.
• To help select puppies for show or obedience
The breeder wants as show prospect a puppy who is not only superior in conformation but also one who is not sound sensitive and who displays boldness and assurance. Depending on the method he wishes to use, the obedience trainer might look for special traits: trainers using positive methods and clicker training look for boldness and an outgoing attitude. On the other hand the trainer who wishes to work with the traditional obedience method with choke collars, especially one interested in competition, looks for a submissive puppy, one who forgives easily and is very willing to please. A puppy who is very intelligent might also be a real challenge because it gets bored easily and the trainer will always have to find new ways to interest it. A very strong chase instinct might also pose a problem because this puppy will have more difficulty to concentrate outside in the company of singing birds or running squirrels or in an inside ring in an all-breed show full of squeaking toys.
The term submissiveness mentioned above is often poorly understood. It doesn't mean shyness. A shy dog is afraid of new places and people, has to be reassured constantly. Furthermore, a shy dog that has also an active defence reflex has a tendency to retreat from a situation which he perceives as threatening and can be provoked to bite when corrected. On the other hand, a shy dog with passive defence reflex tends to freeze, stiffen and even tremble in the same situation.
In contrast to shyness, being submissive only means that the dog doesn't want to be dominant or in control with his human pack (which is of course desirable). It will accept human leadership easily, won't growl when his bowl of food is touched while he is eating, or when we move him away from the bed or the couch. The ideal Westie combines the qualities of self-assurance and some submissiveness to his human master.
• To place puppies in the homes that are most appropriate to them
The dominant puppy usually requires a more experienced owner and if it is combative, would be unsuitable as a pet in a home with children. A more timid dog will bloom with special handling, perhaps in a home with a quiet, elderly person but would do poorly as a show dog in a noisy environment, particularly in indoor shows.
Apartment dwellers would be ill advised to select the noisier puppy, one who reacts by barking or crying when placed in a situation which it finds stressful, such as being left alone for some time. This puppy would be best suited in a home where people want the dog to be an alarm dog. If the matches are correct, the chances are better that puppies will live long and happy lives in their families without running the risk of being put away in the garage, abandoned, euthanized or given away.
• To determine the tools needed to help the puppies to grow into well balanced individuals
The puppy who has a tendency to be sound sensitive can become past his adolescence sound shy, afraid of thunder or neurotic. To avoid this, it is important to desensitise him to noise throughout all his puppyhood by exposing him gradually to as various noises and as many different environments as possible. Enrolling this particular kind of puppy in a puppy kindergarten class would help his owners to cope with his sensitivities without worsening the problem.
Some common objections to temperament testing
Some people don't see the use of temperament tests. The main objections are:
• "There is no need to test Westies because all of them have good temperaments. It is the standard of the breed."
Tests don't give the results in terms of bad/good. They rather try to determine what are the principal characteristics of each puppy's character. Everyone who has bred even one litter soon realises that each puppy is different. Some are noisier; others bolder, and others are more dominant. If there are differences within the same litter, one can expect even more differences within the breed. It is also possible that a particular mating produces less than desirable traits. The test can be used as another tool by the conscientious breeder who strains to breed the perfect Westie with a temperament in conformity to the standard.
• "What if some puppies don't pass the test?"
Temperament tests are not designed to be passed or failed. They just indicate the behavioral tendencies of the puppy. As such, there are no good or bad results, no good or bad dogs, but different dogs with different strengths and weaknesses. These diversities in temperament explain why certain dogs are better suited than others to a particular environment.
• "The standard states that Westies must be alert, gay, courageous and self-reliant but friendly."
It is reasonable to expect that the scores shown by the tests of most Westie puppies should display these characteristics. Westie puppies are usually very active, outgoing, bold and demonstrate a strong chase instinct. But some will deviate from the norm. Unfortunately, some Westies turn into tyrants, growling and biting everybody. This can happen even to the most conscientious breeder if the home selected for the puppy is not suited to his temperament. A judicious evaluation and selection of both the puppies and the owners could help prevent these problems.
• "I know my puppies. I don't need tests to tell me how they react."
It is a fact that while observant breeders do know their puppies, they have generally seen them in a particular context, with their mother and littermates, usually in a place the puppies already know. Moreover, the puppies know their breeder who feeds them and plays with them and they have already learned to trust him. Finally, the breeder might also have his perception altered subconsciously by his own preferences and dislikes.
But what happens if the puppy is alone, in a strange environment, with new people? How will it react? What if it feels threatened, with or without reason? That is what we want to know. The procedure is designed to be objective by revealing the raw temperament of the puppy before it has been subjected to outside influences (other people, dogs and animals, other places, different times...).
• "Tests are not trustworthy: they cannot predict how a puppy will develop."
Temperament testing is a valuable tool in the screening process but it is not infallible. It helps in identifying some behavioral tendencies which are not always evident in young pups, but which can be very important later on. The conscientious owner will use environment to help the puppy to better develop his talents or diminish his less desirable traits to a point of extinction of near extinction. That is why as such test never can predict the future. Environment will alter the development and should hopefully do it in the desired situation.
How to do the tests
Read our article to see the tests in detail.
Author: Monique Courtois
Gailuron Kennel