Internet, meet Apollo!

Knightley: 1 year 3 months old
Apollo: 7 weeks 3 days old

So, in two weeks times we are embarking on Downunder Assistance Dog: Mark 2. The temperament testing last week went really well. We travelled up to Taree without a hitch and met the lovely breeders and their adult dogs. Then finally, we met the litter. They were so lovely, lively and happy. It was great to see what a lovely area they had been brought up in. I was pretty nervous and worried, because we'd come a fairly long way to find a new assistance dog prospect, and I really wanted to succeed with this litter.

I was also there to help temperament test some of the girl pups for a family with a boy with autism, to make sure we picked one that would fit well with him.

Our puppy on the right.

We set up in the shade because it was a very hot day - especially for us Canberra people!! So, the first dog we started with was a boy, with a green ribbon around his neck. He was extremely curious and affectionate on my lap which was great. He was happy to get attention at my feet. Hubby moved a couple of metres away and called him over and he sprung towards him eagerly - despite the heat. The other puppies were still milling around a bit at this stage, but 'Greenie' focused on us, it was very impressive. We next tried him out with our squeaky toy, which I had got specifically for our new pup. He was very curious, ran around after it eagerly. Then we tried a retrieve test, throwing a mini tennis ball and he brought it back, to my hand, twice... despite all the distractions around. We were very impressed - and the very first pup we tested! He watched the umbrella open suddenly but didn't draw back at all, and couldn't care less at loud sounds. The pinch test was great - about 9-10 seconds, meaning he wasn't particularly physically sensitive. A good thing when a dog is going to be wearing a harness/vest etc. He seemed a very friendly, happy and well balanced puppy.

We tested all the boys after that. They were all pretty good, none of them flinched from the umbrella, they all were interested in the squeaky toy - but only Greenie retrieved.

Meet the Internet, Apollo.

We tested three of the five girls for the breeder. Two of them were very good for bombproof-ness, probably the most important aspect for a pup going to a house with an autistic child - or any average family really lol! One of them actually wanted to investigate the umbrella/loud noises. I thought that was great. The other one was the only other retriever of the litter. If they had been wanting a full on assistance dog, I perhaps would have recommended this one, but the other one 'Dark Pink' was just so bombproof and loving I thought she would be the better match.

So it was obvious to us which puppy we wanted. While the others were pretty good, Greenie retrieved and that is often a big indicator for trainability as an assistance dog. So, he is ours!!! We racked our brains for a name for a few days and eventually (thanks for the suggestion, mum!) came up with the name Apollo, for the Roman god of healing. We pick up Apollo two weeks today.

The litter today, getting fluffier every day!

Knightley is well, we continue to do a reasonable amount of training. I am keeping up a little bit of his public training because I want to use him to train Apollo in what is expected of him in terms of public behaviour. I feel sad when I do take Knightley out as he really is well behaved, and I wish that we had been able to be the team we were meant to be. At least he will now have a best friend to play with - and very soon!! Knightley is currently undergoing treatment for his hips in the form of Zydax injections weekly for four weeks, and he'll get that every six months. It should stop his cartilage degrading too fast from the osteo-arthritis that goes with his hip dysplasia. Now it is warming up we hope to have him swimming regularly soon.

This breeder has been a real find, and it was really exciting to see the litter, and all the adult dogs. Their mother is a gorgeous Golden, quite dark and very delicate looking especially in the face. Although I like having male dogs, a part of me wants to own one of those feminine beauties.

So the pups are growing very well, and Knightley is as well as can be expected. Oz Working Dogs is growing and doing well, and I'm considering buying a new sewing machine. I've been pretty busy with it.

So that's us for the moment. We're up to Sydney next weekend for a wedding, and Knightley will be going to my parent's place again for the weekend. Then the following weekend, it's time to pick up Apollo. Can't wait!!

'Til later, internetland.

Knightley more active, looking forward to testing pups and trying to move!

1 year 1 week 4 days old

It has been a very long time since my last entry, I know. My health has been up and down, and I am still... struggling with Knightley's status change, from assistance dog to be, to medically retired - or 'washed out' as people say in this industry. It was so sudden, when everything had been working out so well. The most recent Assistance Dog Blog Carnival passed recently, and I had initially intended to be a part of it. However I just couldn't bring myself to write anything cogent. Having to wash your dog out for medical reasons is an owner trainer's worst nightmare and to be around people (even virtually!) who had functioning dogs was too much for me. I didn't even read them. :( Maybe when the new pup arrives, whenever that will be, I can go back.

Anyway. Knightley is now getting a raw egg nightly (!!) mixed with a joint supplement, fish oil, coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil and kelp. Eggs are acceptable for dogs on a raw diet, and it's a great way to get supplements to your dog. I also add a small drop of 'puppy milk'... lactose free milk for dogs, just to liquefy the mixture a bit more - and the extra calcium and other vitamins don't hurt. As regular readers will probably remember, Knightley has never been a fast runner, and we've never had much of a problem with him jumping up on us. With this in mind, I think I have seen some improvements in his running speed and willingness to jump and lie down. I have him on a high quality joint supplement, and I do think that it, and the other junk I'm feeding him, are actually doing something. On the other hand, I never used to hear his hips crack, and recently I've been hearing them a lot. He sounds a bit like me really! I've noticed other things now too, his left foot points slightly outwards (which is the side with the much worse hip dysplasia) and twists even further outwards as he steps. There is also a slight bulge on his left 'haunch' that isn't on his right, which I actually think is partly his hip ball. It freaks me out when I think about it, but the ball sits outside the socket and it is his muscles, tendons and ligaments that keep his hip in place and moving pretty well.

Speaking of muscles, recently I found out that I have problems with a few of the muscles in my hip region. My right hip is much more painful than my left, and originally the diagnosis was tendinitis - and it still is to an extent. However, I had an appointment to discuss the results from the ultrasound which my hip injections were done under (about 7 weeks ago now) and it seems I have two muscles which are so inflamed and surrounded by fluid my musculo-skeletal specialist said that they almost may as well have been torn. Another muscle is almost atrophied to nothing. He also spied arthritic changes in a bone scan I had done a while ago that no one had previously noticed, in addition to the changes in my large joints. Nothing much to be done really though, I have some exercises to help and I stick to my muscle meds. I wonder why individual muscles are playing up like that.

Anyway. Onto happier things other than canine and human hip problems! If all goes well, hubby and I are going up to Sydney (unfortunately the far north of Sydney, when I live to the south) in about a week and a half to temperament test this new litter of puppies. I'm guessing it will take 3 to 3 1/2 hours to get there, if we drive without much of a break. Much better than the 7 1/2 hours it took to Knightley's litter!! I've been revising the post I made a while back about how to temperament test puppies for assistance/therapy etc jobs. I think I've done a good job with that temperament test, with a little revising of how I used it with Knightley. Knightley has sure turned out well, so I know it works! It'd be 3 1/2 weeks from now until we brought home the furry bundle, as hubby and I are going up to the snow with his work on the very weekend the pup will be 8 weeks old and available to go home. Annoying. I would happily not go, but after all the organising that has gone into it, I guess I have to put on an appearance.

Temperament testing again I will be looking for the same things, but with so much more knowledge now to back it up. Knightley was a natural retriever (or perhaps I should say fetch) at age 7 weeks, and I will be looking closely for that, as well as willingness to be recalled, curiosity, problem solving and sociability. He'll also have to be completely unmoved by loud noises, people making strange movements and sounds, and strange objects appearing suddenly like umbrellas. It is quite possible that with a litter of 6 males we won't find a prospect, as Knightley was the only satisfactory puppy out of 6 males, although there were another two males already taken. I am rather dreading going through puppyhood again, but at least we know what to expect from a golden puppy now... and I am counting on Knightley tiring the pup out!

As for names we really don't have a clue. We've had a couple of ideas but nothing solid. Hubby's come up with some silly ones, but has vetoed Darcy (named after Mr Darcy from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, as Knightley is named for Mr Knightley in Austen's Emma). However, I think that is because Colin Firth played Mr Darcy in the very well known BBC adaption of the book, and hubby is not a fan of him at all.... unlike me. ;) So I think we may just have to get the pup and see. I am expecting his colour to be darker than Knightley. For English style goldens, the breeder has bred some quite dark ones, although she has a real mixture. The litter is apparently is a mixture too, but obviously colour is the last thing I would choose for!! Perhaps colour may give us a name.... I wonder what 'gold' is in a few other languages for instance...

I actually felt quite well this morning, and Knightley and I had a good romp outside - playing in his birthday sand pit, his paddling pool (water is filmed with ice but he doesn't care!), and chucking sticks back and forward. However, sigh, as I usually do when I feel better than usual, I totally over did it today. Knightley spent a couple of hours on my lap (well, part of him was) in the evening as I tried to not dive head first into a migraine. I actually pulled out our Nintendo Wii. Before hubby and I went to England to get married I was quite well comparatively and used to exercise almost daily with the Wii, but when we came back to Australia I had a real dip in health - and then we got Knightley and I haven't got back to it. It is perfect exercise for those with a disability as you can do small movements or big movements to get similar results, there are many exercises you can do sitting down, and since you've not gone anywhere you can just stop if there is too much pain or stiffness. I played some tennis for a while, as well as doing some hula hoop - really good exercise for someone as unfit as I am now. The tennis is what did me in though and I'm on the edge of a migraine now, sigh. The funny part was watching Knightley's reaction. He accepted me doing the hula hoop ok, but when I started waving my arms around, he found he had to come and investigate. It took a lot of zen, and me having to repeat 'leave it' quite a few times before he realised the idea of the game actually wasn't to eat mummy's hand whenever it came within reach. I wish I could blame my continuous losing whilst playing tennis to the dogface, but he just made my score worse but I still would have lost! It was a bit disconcerting trying to play when every time my hand reached Knightley's head level I got the feeling of a tongue, or a cold nose... or even gentle teeth!! Still, very amusing. I am trying to hurry my weight loss a bit you see - it is very hard to lose the weight I need to in order to keep the obstetrician happy without any exercise to speak of.

We continue to do a bit of training every day although it isn't hugely focused. In many ways I am simply enjoying my time off with a quite adult dog who has pretty good home manners before the whirlwind of a new puppy hits. Knightley is by and large well behaved, and we certainly get along well together. He spends a lot of time as a lap warmer. There will be no more sleeping in once a fuzzball arrives home, so I am trying to enjoy however many weeks of relative freedom I have left.

So that is more or less what has been going on, in the shortened version. I also have some new products up on Oz Working Dogs, although my checkout system has some problems at the moment so if you want anything you'll need to contact me for an invoice (my contact page on OWD is probably best).

I hope everyone is well out in internet land, and that all our wonderful furry friends are well too.

Picking a puppy from a litter for assistance/service or therapy work

8 months 2 days old

Updated 13th June 2013

This is the third post in a series where I answer some of the common search queries I receive. I speak only reflecting my own experience, in this case temperament testing three litters - two to find Knightley and only one to find Apollo.

While this temperament test is intended for assistance/service puppy prospects, it would work perfectly well for testing a pet, a therapy dog, or a different type of working dog. You certainly wouldn't need to do all the parts of the tests if you were just looking for a pet, and I would only look for a puppy who scored at about the middle of the range - having a super smart dog as a pet can get you into trouble! Feel free to ask questions about adapting the test for pets or other working dogs.

Please note: This test can be used on adult dogs with a few small changes. You may have to skip the first test if the dog is large, you shouldn't clap for the recall test as adult dogs shouldn't need to be attracted like that, the food drive test is even more important as it also tests mouth inhibition (does the adult dog know not to use its teeth on your flesh?), and you'd have to do the webbing test with larger dogs on the ground. Often older dogs are quite touchy with their feet, but it may help to get down on the ground with them. Whether or not they are touchy with their feet shows how much work the previous owner has put into physical desensitisation and grooming.

You may also wish to add to the test a couple of commands - just to place the obedience/training level of the dog. Sit and down would be appropriate, and you could also test how the dog walks on a lead. When choosing an adult dog, having one that has had at least a little training bodes well for its other history.
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It was about three and half years ago I became interested in the idea of an assistance dog (we call service dogs assistance dogs here in Australia), but it took me much longer to research the practicalities of whether it would be feasible for me to have one. I eventually decided I would self train, but then it once again took me a long time to find a breeder, and then a litter and puppy I was happy with. Unfortunately Knightley (my first dog) was found to have severe hip dysplasia, so I had to go through the process all over again to find my second dog, Apollo.

Knightley, happy to lie at my feet and play with toys and get
lots of attention on the day we tested him when he was
7 weeks old. He did extremely well on the temperament test
that day, and the test has been borne out in his behaviour
since.

My experience that was finding the right breeder was important for finding the right puppy. You don't really want a breeder who is themselves quite timid and rarely goes anywhere, who mostly keeps to themselves on their property, as it seems from my experience that they can pass it onto their puppies. Find a breeder who has the puppies inside at least some of the time so from a young age they can get used to different surfaces. Also, it is important that they have people over to socialise with the pups, preferably children and men as even fully trained assistance dogs can be challenged interacting with them. Find a breeder who is likely to produce confident puppies so that you won't waste a trip going to see a timid litter

I have put together my own temperament test, which is a bit of a mixture of the Volhard test (which I see as quite outdated), the PAWS Working dog test and of my own devising, and all given a specific slant for public access work, which I've rather immodestly labeled as the DAD temperament test (downunder assistance dog). I ran it all past some very experienced assistance dog trainers who thought it was right on the mark, and I used it to select both my boys, who have both turned out to have wonderful temperaments, perfectly conjusive to acting as a working dog. You can read about my experience with the first litter I tested here, three puppies all of which I rejected. I wanted a male, and apparently *one* of the females in the litter had a confident, outgoing temperament, but that was not a good outcome for a litter of 6. They were extremely timid pups compared with the second litter of 11 puppies I looked at, 8 of which were male. The final litter I tested (from which Apollo came) was even more outgoing. The breeders put a lot of effort into raising those puppies and it really showed in the temperament test. Apollo was kept with his litter and mother until he was nearly 10 weeks old, and this turned out to be a very good thing. He learnt excellent bite inhibition and didn't ever nip us as a puppy, and learnt to get on with the other adult dogs the breeder owned. However, if the breeder isn't particularly proactive in their socialisation of the litter, it may be worth still bringing the pup home at 8 weeks so you can start the socialisation process. In Apollo's case he was better off remaining with the breeder for an extra couple of weeks.

Knightley doing the retrieve test with the breeder (after I had
done it too), very nicely I might add!

Anyway, here is the temperament test I used. I found sometimes you didn't need to go further than the second or third test with some puppies, because it was completely obvious that the puppy was unsuitable. A very experienced trainer once told me that the purpose of temperament testing was really to discount the puppies you didn't want, rather than the puppies you wanted. I found it quickly became very obvious when a puppy wasn't suitable. Deciding if a puppy was quite good enough is then up to you really, and that's where the scoring can come in handy, especially when comparing two puppies.

If possible do this test when the puppy is 7 weeks old, and get the puppy when it is wide awake as it will give a better performance. Try not to tire it out - if you are keen on it and want to do all the tests you may need to come back on another day. Little puppies need lots of rest!Taking a helper with you is recommended. You will want to prepare a temperament testing kit (see what to take further down the page).

DAD (Downunder Assistance Dog) Temperament Test

1. Lap Test

Lift the puppy onto your lap and simply stroke it. Note its posture and other body language carefully. Does it relax confidently on your lap and enjoy the stroking? Or does it crouch nervously and just shiver? This tests sociability. It is particularly important for Psych Assistance Dogs and therapy dogs.

Great ----- Relaxes on your lap, gives eye contact, curious OR climbs up towards your face to investigate and solicit attention 3 points
Good ----- Relaxes on your lap 2 points 
OK -------- Stands on your lap, loose and unafraid 1 point
Poor ------ Crouches on your lap, may tremble OR struggles to get down 0 points

2. At foot Test

Lift the puppy down to floor level at your feet. Make sure you are in a secure room or in a puppy pen for this one. Continue to pat the puppy as it is by your feet. Once again, watch its body language carefully. This tests sociability, independence and confidence. Once again this test is particularly important for Psych Assistance Dogs and Therapy dogs.

Great ----- Stays by your feet, enjoys the interaction, body loose 3 points
Good ----- Stays by your feet for a while, explores but comes back 2 points
OK -------- Stays briefly, off to explore showing independence 1 point
Poor ------ Moves away from you and cowers in a corner OR stays cowering against you, doesn't enjoy the stroking, body tight, possibly shivering 0 points

3. Recall/Come Test

Get your assistant to move the pup two or three metres (6 to 10 feet) away from you and call it to you - if the breeder is with you, ask what they use to call them for food time. You can clap or do anything else to help get the pup to you.

Great ----- Comes to you with little hesitation 3 points
Good ----- Takes a lot of encouragement, but comes 2 points
OK ------- Watches you, starts towards you, doesn't come whole way 1 point
Poor ------ Completely ignores you 0 points

4. Towel game Test

This is partly as a sight test, partly to test willingness to play which has been linked to trainability. You'll want to put aside or acquire a couple of ratty towels for use on your dog, so use one of these for the test. I tied some wool yarn around one corner of the towel and used the wool to drag and twitch the towel. The idea is to have the puppy in the middle of the floor, and then put the towel in front of him, making it twitch and dart back and forward. This is really testing something called prey drive, how much a dog wants to go after little creatures and toys that resemble creatures in the way they move or how they look. For an assistance dog you don't want a dog with a particularly strong prey drive, but you do want one that is curious.

Great ----- Is curious, immediately grabs it, holds on and tugs 3 points
Good ----- Watches, eventually interacts with encouragement, may hold on 2 points
OK -------- Watches, is at least interested, may want to play 1 point
Poor ------ Is particularly aggressive towards it OR is scared of it, cowering, trembling OR ignores it 0 point

5. Paper ball/small ball retrieve Test

For me, this was an incredibly important test, as one of the main tasks I wanted both Knightley and Apollo to do for me was assistance retrieves. The test seems to have worked - both were pretty good at doing a trained assistance retrieve at the age of only 9 months. For this test I simply get an A4 sheet of paper and screw it up into a ball, then throw it just a short distance directly in front of the puppy. Assuming he goes after it, I then call him, and really encourage him back to me with the ball. If he makes it, I gently take hold of the ball in his mouth and give it a gentle tug, keep up the praise and if he gives it to me I hold a praise party! For the second litter I tested I also had a small nylon ball to use, as well as the paper ball. That worked well too.

The early ability to retrieve has been very strongly linked to successful assistance dogs of all types, as well as retrieve being a necessary skill for most mobility assistance dogs.

Great ----- Will pick up ball, bring it back and let you have it 3 points
Good ----- Will pick up ball but drop it on way back OR will pick up ball but not return to you 2 points
OK ------- Will chase ball but not pick it up 1 point
Poor ------ Watches ball but won't chase OR ignores ball 0 points

6. Squeaky toy interest Test

This test looks at curiosity and is a basic hearing test as well. A dog that is curious is often a good learner. I bought a little puppy toy specifically for this test that was a rope circle, but stuffed with a squeaker inside. It stood the test of time, even after the stuffing and squeaker were gone it remained a favourite toy for a long long time! I would have the pup on the ground and wait until it was looking in another direction then suddenly squeak the toy. Once the pup has reacted, squeak it again. If you are looking for a detection dog, or a police dog, these 'play' tests are very important.

Great ----- Immediately turns, on next squeak comes to investigate 3 points
Good ----- Immediately turns, but takes lots of squeaks to investigate 2 points
OK ------- Turns, upon more squeaks is curious, but doesn't come 1 point
Poor ------ Ignores the squeaking for whatever reason 0 points

7. Tug interest Test

This can be an important test for those wanting to train a mobility assistance work who will need to do lots of tugging (opening doors etc). While there is a lot of difference between a play tug and a controlled trained tug, this will at least give you an idea of the pups willingness to have things inside its mouth and pull at the same time. For this test I used the squeaky toy that was half rope and just right for a little puppy to tug. Very important for detection/police dogs.

Great -----  Immediately interested in playing, will latch on and tug 3 points
Good ----- Pup will hold on, will tug a bit but lets go quickly 2 points
OK ------- Interested in playing but doesn't know quite what to do 1 point
Poor ------ Not interested, ignores it 0 points

8. Hearing sensitivity/audio startle recovery Test

For this test I use two soda cans, and hit the two ends together pretty firmly and loudly. Have the pup on the ground in front of me, and wait until its head turns away from you, then bang the cans together. You are watching firstly to make sure the puppy easily heard the sound, and secondly whether it was afraid and how quickly it recovered from being startled. It's ok if it jumps a bit if it recovers quickly.

Great ----- Turns interestedly, may jump, comes to investigate 3 points
Good ----- Jumps a lot, recovers quickly, returns to what it was doing OR turns briefly (enough that you know the pup heard it), then ignores it 2 points
OK ------- Jumps at noise, slowly recovers, returns to what it was doing 1 point
Poor ------ Jumps at noise, may whimper or hide OR jumps at noise and may have aggressive reaction 0 points

9. Food drive Test

I am sort of assuming your dog is going to be clicker or at least positively trained by putting this test in here. Clicker training is the most common way these days to train complicated behaviour chains for assistance tasks, and it is very useful if the dog is quite food driven! For this test I would recommend using something like a small chunk of raw meat or a soft commercial liver treat - something that is going to be particularly tasty for the little puppy. Hold the treat between two fingers, so the puppy can't get it but can taste it.

Great -----  Anxious to get food, works at it with tongue for a while 3 points
Good ----- Keen to get food, licks but gives up fairly quickly 2 points
OK ------- Notices food, may sniff and lick a bit but not too bothered 1 points
Poor ------ Not interested 0 points

10. Clicker Test

This is partly assuming once again that you may be using a clicker, but it is really just checking aversion to strange noises. The clicker makes a rather high frequency clicking noise that some more sensitive dogs have problems with. Obviously a dog doing public access work has to be ok with all sorts of sounds, so this makes sure that the dog is ok with a sound that it may be hearing a lot of in the future, but also tests acceptance of new strange noises. Hold the clicker behind your back (clickers are very cheap, but if you don't have a clicker, try to find something that will make a fairly loud high pitched noise to test the pups) and click it several times in a row.

Great ----- Pup turns, tries to find where noise is from, not bothered 3 points
Good ----- Looks up, but returns to what it was doing 2 points
OK ------- Ignores the sound (only ok if pup passed the other hearing tests) 1 points
Poor ------ Flinches from the sound, is uncomfortable in some way 0 points

11. 'Weird' public behaviour Test

In the course of their working lives, assistance dogs, therapy dogs and other types of working dogs will come across many different types of people. You will want your assistant to simulate a member of public being upset and getting loud and physical. So get them to throw their arms around a bit and yell, standing in front of the puppy. Watch for its response. This tests reactions to a loud voice, and reactions to strange physical movements.

Great ----- Is interested in what assistant is doing, wags tail 3 points
Good ----- Isn't bothered, may watch a bit 2 points
OK ------- May be a little put off, but once it stops recovers quickly 1 points
Poor ------ Is scared or anxious, flinches from the loud voice or waving arms 0 points

12. Umbrella/visual startle recovery Test

This is once again something that a dog will come across in public a lot, and tests the puppies ability to recover from being visually startled. It is the visual equivalent of banging the soda cans together. It is fine for a puppy to be scared of something, what is important is how quickly the puppy recovers from its fright. Have your assistant stand at the distance of maybe 4 - 5 metres (12 - 15 feet or so) away from the pup (think of them walking towards you on a street, about to open an umbrella), and then very suddenly open the umbrella towards you and the pup. Try to not use an umbrella with a spike on the end anywhere around little puppies - it just isn't very safe. Watch the puppies response when the umbrella is opened.

Great ----- Pup little startled, recovers quickly, wants to inspect umbrella 3 points
Good ----- Pup very startled, recovers quickly OR pup isn't much bothered 2 points-
OK ------- Pup very startled, takes a while to recover 1 points
Poor ------ Pup scared OR pup has aggressive reaction, perhaps barking 0 points

13. Gentle webbing pinch Test

This can be an important test for dogs that are going to be mobility assistance dog, as they are likely to spend a fair bit of time in harness, doing all sorts of tasks that dogs definitely weren't born to do. Some of them may at first be a little uncomfortable for the dog until it gets used to the task, so it helps if the dog isn't particularly sensitive. This is also important for therapy dogs, who may have to be ok with clumsy, uncomfortable or even painful touching from older persons and children. Have the pup on your lap and gently hold one paw in your hand. You may need to be gently persistent as dogs don't like their feet being held. Gently separate two toes and hold the webbing between the toes (like we have at the base of two of our fingers) between thumb and forefinger. Start with just gentle pressure and slowly increase the pressure. You should practice on yourself first until you do it the same every time so that you an accurately compare puppies. Stop as soon as the pup squirms away. Important test for therapy dogs.

Great ----- 7 - 9+ count before puppy squirms/responds to pressure 3 points
Good ----- 5 - 7 count before puppy squirms/responds to pressure  2 points
OK ------- 3 - 5 count before puppy squirms/responds to pressure  1 points
Poor ------ 1 - 3 count before puppy squirms/responds to pressure  0 points

14. Concealed food Test

By ending with this test, you end with something positive and associate yourself with food in the puppies mind! If you do stop the testing at any stage as you think you have enough information on the individual puppy, try not to end it on a more 'negative' test. With this test you want to bring along a clear tupperware type lid, or a very low lying container that the pup will still be able to see through - but make sure it is completely clear so that the pup can see right through it. The idea is to put a hunk of food underneath the lid. Give the pup several pieces of food before very obviously putting a piece on the floor, then putting the lid on top. Then let the puppy do what it wants. This tests persistence and intelligence.

Great ----- Paws and licks at lid, tries to flip it, if gets food is excellent 3 points
Good ----- Briefly paws or mouths at the lid but gives up quickly 2 points
OK ------- Understands food is underneath but doesn't know what to do 1 points
Poor ------ Not interested at all 0 points 

Scoring

As you may not do every test with every dog, what I do is add up the points for the tests you have done for each dog, and then divide by the number of tests you did do, so that you get that puppies average score across the tests.

0 - 0.99 This is definitely not a puppy you want to try training as an assistance/service dog. Even as a pet it would take a lot of work to make it a happy functioning member of your household.

1 - 1.99 This puppy has significant potential and would likely make a good pet. It is probably quite submissive in nature, and would need some work to bring it out of its shell. If its average is in the high 1s, then it may be ok as an assistance dog if you were not planning on doing a great deal of public access work with it - and if it did well on the retrieve and tug type tests. A puppy in the high 1s would make a good therapy dog too.

 2 - 3 This is your target range for the type of puppy you want to train as an assistance/service dog. I would aim for as high as possible, but you also want to make sure that the pup scores highly on the tests that predict trainability as an assistance dog. These dogs would also make a good therapy dog.

To give you an idea, my Knightley scored a 2.7 on his test, and Apollo scored 2.8. Both dogs did/are going very well as ADs, although Apollo is so smart he gets into all sorts of very creative mischief. There were anothers in both Knightley's and Apollo's litters that got somewhere around a 2.5, and indeed in Apollo's litter every single puppy could have become assistance dogs.... they were such sociable and cheerful pups. Knightley's litter tended to score lower. In any litter you test there will likely be a few standouts. However, in the first litter I tested, none tested over 2, and one was below 1. In a case like that you just have to keep searching for the right dog. I would recommend not picking a dog that gets below a 2.0, but that is my personal opinion on the matter.

Summary of what to take

These are just all the bits and pieces I listed in the temperament test:

• Towel with yarn attached to one corner
• Two empty soda cans
• Umbrella
• Meat or puppy treats
• A clicker or something else to make a high pitched short sharp noise
• A squeaky toy
• A toy for tug
• Some pieces of paper to roll up to make paper balls and/or puppy sized ball
• Clear plastic lid/flat container

Keeping track

Knightley after we had chosen him. He was so very tiny!

You are going to want to keep some record of how the pups did, especially if it's a big litter! I didn't bother to start recording unless the pups did well on the first couple of tests, because if they were getting zeros and ones on those first tests they definitely wouldn't be doing well on the later ones. Try to get your assistant to do the keeping track as otherwise it's a lot to do!!

By the time I had tested the seven boys in Knightley's litter my head was spinning.... but Knightley was the last one, and it was clear from the outset that Knightley was going to be the puppy for us, without having to add up scores or anything. This was the same with Apollo, he was the clear standout of the boys, although there was a girl who was even more confident and trainable. I had never tested any girls before, and did for the breeder who had been asked to supply a suitable girl for a family with an autistic child. The one I recommended was a real darling.

Final points to consider

• Start with the right breeder, look at health clearances, try to view the sire and dam, make sure the puppies are well socialised from a young age as that will make a huge difference throughout their whole life. The more effort the breeder puts into those puppies, the less work you will have to do
• Try to find lines which have had dogs as assistance/hearing/guide/therapy dogs, or at least have participated in obedience
• Don't let your heart decide which puppy to go for, it may well mean rehoming when it grows up to be an unsuitable dog. There is no such thing as 'close enough' when choosing a potential AD or even a family pet
• While temperament testing is a very valuable tool for choosing a puppy, remember you are primarily trying to weed out the puppies that are not suitable. After then it is your choice
• Even though a temperament test means you start out with the best puppy possible, it is no guarantee that it will make it as an assistance dog. Dogs go through two main personality changes throughout their lives, so you can never be sure how a puppy will turn out. Testing just makes sure you start with the best source material possible.

If you have any questions, feel free to comment or contact me on my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/DownunderAssistanceDog