Miriam, you opened the door to a great conversation.....?

Question

So now I'm curious...

How many people (who don't show) actually TT their dogs?
Who does the testing and how much does it cost?
What's involved in the testing?
Is this the basic temperament test that shelters do or is it more detailed?
If your dog is a family pet only, why would you TT?

GitEmGang, be nice, you know I have mutts and am not part of "the other dog world".

Well, I think I'll just save myself the money and consider my dogs flunkies. It's the other dog situation that would kill us every time (still struggling with that one).

I wouold love to go, but none of them are near me and traveling is out of the question for us right now due to my son's sports. Oh, well, maybe some day.

I'm sure my Bailey would have a similar reaction to the GSD...when I took her to the emergency vet for her Rimadyl overdose the tech muzzled her, picked her up and walked out of the room. As soon as she lost sight of me she stood up on the techs shoulders (remember, she's 60lbs.) and proceeded to sh*t, p!ss and express her anal glands all over the him! She was so scared! (Although I was trying really hard to conceal my laughter...especially when I learned he had 9 hours left on his shift and no change of clothes! LOL!)

Answer 1

Here's a description of the test.

http://www.atts.org/testdesc.html

The tests are usually given by local clubs under the authority of the American Temperament Test Society.

Around here the cost is usually $30.

I doubt that many "pet only" people take the test. But some do it for fun, some to prove (or determine) that their dog's temperament is okay.

They take into account the dog's breed, age and history. They don't expect a kennel raised shih tzu to react the same way as a home raised, schutzhund trained german shepherd or a basset hound that goes to shows on a regular basis.

Edit: The test description on the site is slightly different than the ones I've done. We only do one type of footing, but we test the dog's reaction to a "crowd" of people.

Answer 2

I saw on the website that the fee is $25, and all dogs can do it (mixed too). The site describes the test...basically how your dog reacts to different things during a walk in the park (like sudden noises, strangers, etc.).

I think my pup would be good at it, actually! But he's not a show dog, just a pet. I'm not sure why'd I'd do it either, so I'm really interested in answers to that part of your question.

EDIT: I really want to do this now! My little pup would be great!

Answer 3

That's great. Have never had any of my yorkies done. Don't know how they'd do at the gun shot stuff though!! :)

Will be looking into it when I get back to Aust next year. It's only just coming in. Here's an excerpt from the Royal NSW Canine Council Website:

The NSW State Government is shortly to introduce compulsory Temperament Testing in NSW for all cross breeds whose Sire or Dam is one of the five restricted breeds. It is anticipated that a number of individuals and organisations will apply to the Government for approval to conduct these temperament tests.

There are a number of bodies in Australia who conduct temperament testing but I anticipate that most will go t othe RNSWCC to do their testing.

I think it's good that the govt is making it compulsory to temperament test all offspring of dogs of restricted breeds. Restricted breeds in NSW include: Pitbull (of course, poor much maligned breed!), Japanese Akita, possibly the shiba inu ... hmmn can't seem to recall the other ones.

Anyway, to actually try to answer the question - in Australia or particularly New South Wales, I honestly hadn't heard much about it - particularly not as part of my mentor group.

For my family pets, no I wouldn't bother. I know what my big mutt is like - he's very protective of me. He's tried to bite a guy who tried to punch me at the dog park once!! Had to restrain him! I believe shelters just do the food agression, getting along with other dogs and pocket pets, if they're going to eat children, if they're going to eat adults, and how they generally respond if someone comes and goes "raaahhh" (think kinda scary lion) at them. :)

Answer 4

I enjoy watching it also!! I have seen MANY "interesting" reactions!!! Including the GIANT GSD that ( 2 years IN A ROW)
CRAPPED himself and everything BEHIND him for about 5 feet.
He didn't like the "bad guy".
I haven't done one of my Newfs in a while....guess I should!!!

Answer 5

I personally don't think it is necessary to TT. Dog types typically carry a certain temperment.