Why Puppy test | 4jacresfarm

Why Give a Puppy Aptitude Test?

The following is from the book The Art of Raising A Puppy by The Monks of New Skete

"Puppy evaluation was first begun in a systematic and objective way with the Fortunate Fields project in Switzerland in the 1920s and 1930s. This philanthropic organization developed an elaborate system for evaluating German Shepherd dogs for various tasks, most notably guiding the blind, and then used these results to develop a successful breeding program.

Important advances occurred later with the research project of Drs. John Fuller and John Paul Scott in Bar Harbor, Maine....their research into canine behavior, especially the formulation of "critical periods," has a profound impact on the way puppies are raised and evaluated. The practical consequences of this work are most clearly set forth in Larence Pfaffenbergers' book.

Pfaffenberger stresses the importance of understanding genetics (breeding only dogs of proven working ability and health) as well as implementing early socialization techniques and puppy evaluations. His testing evaluated puppy responses to such things as new experiences, encounters with stranger, and body sensitivity, as well as their overall problem-solving ability. His work was a significant breakthrough for better breeding because he showed that temperment could be reliably evaluated at a very early age; puppy reactions at 8-12 weeks of age could predict adult potential.

For the general public, the first standardized test for puppies was the Puppy Behavior Test of William Campbell. In our experience, the most successful of these recent tests has been the Puppy Aptitude Test developed by Joachim and Wendy Volhard. The result is a puppy evaluation that reliabley measures individual temperment as well as obedience and working potential at week 7."

It is for this reason, I do not sale by color. But instead prefer to help each family pick the kind of pup they want at 6-7weeks.