Dietrich vom Covey Run
Volhard Test Results
| TEST |
PURPOSE
|
SCORE |
#
|
|
SOCIAL ATTRACTION
Place puppy in test area about four feet from the tester. Tester kneels, leans backwards and coaxes the pup to her/him by clapping hands gently. |
Degree of social attraction to people, confidence, or dependence.
|
||
|
Came readily, tail up.
|
3
|
||
|
FOLLOWING The tester stands up and slowly walks away encouraging the puppy to follow. Make sure the pup sees you walk away. Coax puppy to follow by talking to it and attracting its attention. |
Willingness to follow a person. Pack Drive. |
||
|
Followed readily, tail up.
|
3
|
||
|
RESTRAINT The tester crouches down and gently rolls the pup on its back and holds it down with light pressure with one hand for 30 seconds. |
Degree of dominance or submissive tendency, and ease of handling in difficult situations. Fight or Flight Drive. |
||
|
Struggled then settled.
|
4
|
||
|
SOCIAL DOMINANCE Puppy sits or stands on crouching tester's left side and tester gently strokes it from the head to back. Continue stroking until a recognizable behavior is established. |
Degree of acceptance of social dominance by a person. Pack Drive. |
||
|
Squirmed, licked at hands.
|
4
|
||
|
ELEVATION DOMINANCE The tester cradles the pup under its chest, with both hands, fingers interlaced, palms up and gently lifts it two feet off the ground, and holds it there for 30 seconds. |
Degree of accepting dominance while in position of no control. Fight or Flight Drive. |
||
|
Struggle, relaxed, struggle, relaxed with some eye
contact.
|
3
|
||
|
RETRIEVING The tester crouches beside the pup and attracts its attention with a crumpled up piece of paper. When the pup shows some interest, the tester tosses the paper no more than four feet in front of the pup, encouraging it to retrieve the paper. |
Degree of willingness to do something for you. Together with social
attraction and following, a key indicator for ease or difficulty in
training.
Prey Drive. |
||
|
Chased object, stood over it, did not return.
|
2
|
||
|
TOUCH SENSITIVITY The tester locates the webbing of one of the puppy's front paws and presses it lightly between his index finger and thumb. The tester gradually increases pressure while counting to 10 and stops the pressure when the puppy pulls away or shows discomfort. * Do not use your fingernail when performing this test. Press between the finger and thumb lightly then more firmly until you get a response. |
Degree of sensitivity to touch and a key indicator to the type of training
equipment required.
|
||
|
5-6 counts before response.
|
3
|
||
|
SOUND SENSITIVITY The puppy is placed in the center of the testing area and an assistant stationed at the perimeter makes a sharp noise, such as banging a metal spoon on the bottom of a metal pan. |
Degree of sensitivity to sound. |
||
|
Listened, located the sound.
|
4
|
||
|
SIGHT SENSITIVITY The puppy is placed in the center of the testing area. The tester ties a string around a bath towel and jerks it across the floor two feet away from puppy. |
Degree of response to a moving object, such as chasing bicycles, children or squirrels.
|
||
|
Looked, barked and tail up.
|
2
|
||
|
STABILITY An umbrella is opened about five feet from the puppy and gently placed on the ground. |
Degree of startle response to a strange object.
Fight and Flight Drive. |
||
|
Sat and looked, but did not move toward the umbrella.
|
4
|
||
|
STRUCTURE The puppy is gently set and held in a natural stance and evaluated for structure in the following categories:
(see diagram below) |
Degree of structural soundness. Good structure is necessary. |
The puppy is correct in structure.
|
good |
INTERPRETATION OF SCORES Mostly 1's:
This dog is extremely dominant and has aggressive tendencies. It is quick to
bite and is generally considered not good with children or the elderly. When
combined with a 1 or 2 in touch sensitivity, will be a difficult dog to train.
Not a dog for the inexperienced handler; takes a competent trainer to establish
leadership.
Mostly 2's:
This dog is dominant and can be provoked to bite. Responds well to firm,
consistent, fair handling in an adult household, and is likely to be a loyal pet
once it respects its human leader. Often has bouncy, outgoing temperament: may
be too active for elderly, and too dominant for small children.
Mostly 3's:
This dog accepts human leaders easily. Is best prospect for the average owner,
adapts well to new situations and generally good with children and elderly,
although it may be inclined to be active. Makes a good obedience prospect and
usually has a common sense approach to life.
Mostly 4's:
This dog is submissive and will adapt to most households. May be slightly less
outgoing and active than a dog scoring mostly 3's. Gets along well with children
in general and trains well.
Mostly 5's:
This dog is extremely submissive and needs special handling to build confidence
and bring him out of his shell. Does not adapt well to change and confusion and
needs a very regular, structured environment. Usually safe around children and
bites only when severely stressed. Not a good choice for a beginner since it
frightens easily, and takes a long time to get used to new experiences.
Mostly 6's:
This dog is independent. He is not affectionate and may dislike petting and
cuddling. It is difficult to establish a relationship with him for working or as
a pet. Not recommended for children who may force attention on him; he is not a
beginner's dog.
a) When combined with 1's (especially in restraint); the independent dog is likely to bite under stress.
b) When combined with 5's the independent dog is likely to hide from people, or freeze when approached by a stranger.
No clear patterns (several 1's, 2's and 5's):
This dog may not be feeling well. Perhaps just ate or was recently wormed. Wait
two days and re-test. If the test still shows wide variations (lots of 1's and
5's), it is probably unpredictable and unlikely to be a good pet or obedience
dog.
SCORING TIPS 3 in Social Attraction and Social Dominance:
The socially attracted dog is more easily taught to come and is more cuddly and
friendly. Its interest in people can be a useful tool in training, despite other
scores.
1 in Restraint and 1 in Touch Sensitivity:
The dominant aggressive dog, insensitive to touch, will be a handful to train
and extremely difficult for anyone other than an exceptionally competent
handler.
5 in Stability:
This is likely to be a “spooky” dog which is never desirable. It requires a
great deal of extra work to get a spooky dog adapted to new situations and they
generally cannot be depended upon in a crisis.
5 in Touch and Sound Sensitivity:
May also be very “spooky” and needs delicate handling to prevent the dog from
becoming frightened.
Developed by Joachim and Wendy Volhard
© Wendy Volhard 2003