How do you measure the personality of your potential puppy?
While a puppy is still very young, five to seven weeks in fact, you can take the Campbell Puppy Test as a means of estimating his personality type. The pups range from extremely submissive to extremely dominant. If you’re a first-time puppy owner, you’ll probably be better off acquiring a puppy that is closer to the middle of that range. And even if he chooses to veer a bit to either side of the spectrum, knowing her personality will help him when it comes time to train her.
Let’s not fall into the trap of thinking that this test will allow you to choose the perfect puppy. There is no such thing as a perfect puppy, just as there is no such thing as a perfect human. (As an aside, though, I’ll comment that I’ve personally come as close as humanly possible to being a perfect goofball, just ask my ex-wife.) Perfect Pup gives you a pretty good idea of the puppy personality traits you might be dealing with if you select this pup.
Before performing the test
There are a few things you need to arrange before taking the pup to the testing site. First, find an appropriate testing site (room) that the pup is unfamiliar with. And make sure it’s a quiet room with no movement or outside activity that might distract the pup’s attention. And the test should be done by someone the pup hasn’t previously met. As noted above, the appropriate age to perform this test is 5-7 weeks.
While the Campbell Puppy Test is not the only such test available, it is widely regarded as a way to assess a puppy’s personality type very accurately.
Carrying out the test
The test focuses on evaluating the puppy’s personality in five areas:
- social attraction
- Response to Obligation
- social dominance
- easy to follow
- Acceptance to be lifted
Social attraction can be tested by simply laying down several shots of the pup and watching how he reacts. Does she follow the fitting room? If so, what does her body language indicate? Does she have her tail high or low? Does she run away? Do you examine/investigate the evidence room?
To get an idea of the puppy’s response to the command, the evaluator should place it on its back and support it with the palm of the hand. Watch how the puppy reacts. Does she show anger by squirming or try to bite the hand that is holding her? Does he whine and fight at first and then calm down after a while? Is she passive throughout the procedure or does she try to lick the hand that is holding her?
The issue of social dominance can be tested by having the evaluator sit with the puppy and pet it. Do you notice if he tries to run away or if he rolls onto his back? Is she licking the tester’s hands or trying to bite them? Does she get on the changing room?
His ease of following can be observed when the tester puts the puppy close to him and then walks a few meters away. Does the puppy follow the fitting room or go to another part of the room? Does he enthusiastically follow him, possibly jumping on the changing room or even nipping at his heels? Does he follow Her closely or does he distance himself but follow anyway?
Finally, you will want to observe the puppy’s acceptance of being picked up. The examiner should pick the puppy up, off himself, hold him by the chest, and make sure the puppy cannot see him. In reaction to being picked up in this way, does the puppy remain calm and accepting, perhaps trying to lick the hands that hold it? Does he fight, show anxiety, or try to bite his hands? Does he struggle and squirm at first, but then calm down after a period of time?
These simple, even seemingly haphazard tests should give you a general idea of whether the pup tends to the dominant side of the scale, the passive side, or falls somewhere near the middle of this spectrum. If he’s a first-time dog owner, or hasn’t had a dog in many years, it’s probably wise to choose a dog closer to the middle of the range. Dogs that are overly aggressive or overly submissive may present problems in the areas of training or discipline that require advanced intervention by a trainer familiar with these traits.