Temperament

Temperament Poodles

The American Kennel Club, the United Kennel Club, and the Canadian Kennel Club all have programs designed to recognize responsible pet ownership and well behaved dogs.  Many municipalities recognize dogs that have earned these titles as valued members of the community.

To earn the Canine Good Citizen title, dogs must pass a 10 part test assessing their behavior around new people and dogs.  Many training centers offer classes designed to prepare dogs and their handlers for this test.  There are also the advanced title, the CGCA, and an Urban Canine Good Citizen test, the CGCU, done on city streets.  Additionally, the S.T.A.R. Puppy enrolls passing puppies up to one year of age that complete a basic training class taught by an AKC CGC evaluator.  The UKC has a similar program called SPOT (Socialized Pet Obedience Test) and the advanced SPOT-ON.  The CKC test is the CGN (Canine-Good-Neighbour-Program).

The Farm Dog Certified test is designed to assess the overall conduct of a dog in a typical farm environment. Its requirements are similar to the CGC.  The dog must demonstrate self-control and obedience when exposed to livestock and other unique sights, sounds, and scents. The Farm Dog Certification is not intended to address herding capability.

The American Temperament Test Society, Inc. (ATTS) motto is “A sound mind in a sound body.”  The test focuses on the dog’s behavior when encountering neutral, friendly, and threatening situations.  It examines the dog’s stability, shyness, aggressiveness, and friendliness as well as instinct for protectiveness.  The test is designed to take into consideration each breed’s inherent tendencies based on the breed standard, and evaluate dogs accordingly.

The ATTS intends the test to simulate a walk through a park.  During the walk, the dog experiences specific stimuli including friendly and threatening strangers, sudden noises, and unusual footing such as plastic and an unfolded metal exercise pen.  The tester looks for the dog’s ability to distinguish between non-threatening situations and those that call for a watchful reaction, and evaluates the dog’s recovery from new and potentially startling experiences.