Personality Test

I've seen a few of these around but not recently. Thought this one was interesting.

To read the complete article:

http://www.angelfire.com/ky/bestfriendsobedience/drives.html

The Personality Test (a test developed by Wendy Volhard)
Let’s see how your dog’s personality is arranged. Each category in this test has a set of questions. While taking the test for your dog you will need to answer each question honestly. Answer according to what your dog would do if presented with the situation described in each question. If your dog would almost always react this way, score 10 points; for sometimes, score 5 points; or if you believe your dog would hardly ever do what the question says, score 0 points. Points are neither bad nor good. The total score will simply give you the proportions of the three Drives that your dog possesses. Notice that Defense Drive is divided into two categories, so they each get a set of questions.

Canine Personality Test

Always: 10 Sometimes: 5 Hardly ever: 0

Personality / Behavior Questions

Prey Drive. Does your dog:

Sniff the ground or air a lot?______
Get excited by moving object, such as bikes or squirrels?______
Stalk cats, other dogs or things in the grass?______
When excited, bark in a high pitched voice?______
Pounce on his toys?______
Shake and kill its toys?______
Steal food or garbage? ______
Like to carry things?______
Wolf down his food?______
Like to dig and bury things?______

Total for Prey Drive Section:______

Pack Drive. Does your dog:

Get along with other dogs?______
Get along with people?______
Bark when left alone?______
Solicit petting, or like to snuggle with you?______
Like to be groomed?______
Seek eye contact with you?______
Follow you around like a shadow?______
Play a lot with other dogs?______
Jump up to greet people? ______
Show reproductive behaviors, such as courting or mounting other dogs?______

Total of Pack Drive Answers:______

Defense/Fight. Does your dog:

Stand its ground or investigate strange objects or sounds?______
Like to play tug of war games to win?______
Bark or growl in a deep tone?______
Guard its territory? ______
Guard its food or toys?______
Dislike being petted?______
Guard its owner(s)?______
Dislike being groomed or bathed?______
Like to fight other dogs?______
When your dog was young, was he picked on by other dogs?______

Total of Defense/Fight Responses:______

Defense/Flight. Does your dog:

Run away from new situations?______
Hide behind you when he feels he can’t cope?______
Act fearful in unfamiliar situations?______
Tremble or whine when unsure?______
Crawl or turn upside down when reprimanded?______
Reluctant to come close to you when called?______
Have difficulty standing still when groomed?______
Cringe when someone strange bends over him?______
Urinate during greeting behavior?______
Tend to bite when cornered?______

Total of Defense/Flight Responses:______

As you can see by the questions themselves, each category tells a little about your dog’s psychological make up. Pack Drive shows your dog’s willingness to be part of a pack or group which includes you. Prey Drive shows the instincts that helped dogs get food when they lived in the wild. Defense/Fight shows just that, the behaviors of defending with courage your dog’s territory or space. Defense/Flight shows dogs' has concern for their well being and that they would preferably leave during stressful situations if they could, just as you might wish the floor could open up and swallow you at times.

With few exceptions, dogs will have some of each Drive. They need all the Drives to survive in Nature. And even though we now provide their food, they still need Prey Drive to play and retrieve. We secure their safety, but they need Defense/Fight to be able to cope with pressures from hard work, like learning new things. And they need Pack Drive just to live in harmony with us. The need for Defense/Flight is not really evident in a domestic situation, but if a dog has a lot of Defense/Flight it is important to know it, because how we act towards a dog with a lot of Flight Drive will make or break that dog. A dog with high Flight Drive can be easily stressed and might live in constant turmoil if not provided with a consistent and stable environment.

The level of each Drive is what helps you to see into your dog’s personality. Any number above 50 is considered high. Obviously the closer to 100 the higher the Drive. A dog can be high in all the Drives: Prey, Pack and Defense (either Fight or Flight), or a dog can be high in only one, or in none. Lower then 30 is considered low in any Drive.

Being low in a Drive is not necessarily bad. Being high is not necessarily good. The numbers are simply teaching you about your dog. True, some Drives are more desirable for certain tasks. High Fight Drive is needed for a task requiring lots of confidence to work alone, like a guard dog or a guide dog. High Pack Drive would be desirable for a family pet or a therapy dog. High Prey Drive is needed for a good herding dog.

But as already mentioned, high is over 50 and too much of a good thing may not be so desirable either. A high Prey Drive dog may not be able to concentrate on the job at hand if the leaves in the trees are rustling. Learn your dog so you can be prepared for any situation that you are putting your dog into. Know what to expect from your dog so you won’t be surprised or disappointed when your dog acts a certain way. Learn to anticipate how your dog will react by knowing your dog’s Personality Profile.

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Permalink Reply by Joanne ~ Spud* on August 3, 2012 at 4:43pm

I know the Volhard is a famous test used by many breeders to select the right family.

Seems to me, you could take this test many times throughout the pups life and the results would be different depending on training, age, etc

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Permalink Reply by Lisa, Daisy & Dexter on August 3, 2012 at 5:07pm

Oh goody fun, here are Daisy's answers:

Prey Drive. Does your dog:

Sniff the ground or air a lot? 10
Get excited by moving object, such as bikes or squirrels 5
Stalk cats, other dogs or things in the grass? 0
When excited, bark in a high pitched voice? 0
Pounce on his toys? 5
Shake and kill its toys? 5
Steal food or garbage? 0
Like to carry things? 0 (with the exception of her chuck it ball, but don't think that's what they mean)
Wolf down his food? 0
Like to dig and bury things? 0
Total for Prey Drive Section: 25

Pack Drive. Does your dog:

Get along with other dogs? 5
Get along with people? 10
Bark when left alone? 0
Like to be groomed? 5
Solicit petting, or like to snuggle with you? 0
Seek eye contact with you? 10
Follow you around like a shadow? 5
Play a lot with other dogs? 0
Jump up to greet people? 5
Show reproductive behaviors, such as courting or mounting other dogs? 0
Total of Pack Drive Answers: 40

Defense/Fight. Does your dog:
1. Stand its ground or investigate strange objects or sounds? 5
2. Like to play tug of war games to win? 5
3. Bark or growl in a deep tone? 5
4. Guard its food or toys? 5
5. Dislike being petted? 5
6. Guard its owner(s)? 0
7. Dislike being groomed or bathed? 0
8. Like to fight other dogs? 0
9. When your dog was young, was he picked on by other dogs? 0
Total of Defense/Fight Responses: 25

Defense/Flight. Does your dog:
1. Run away from new situations? 5
2. Hide behind you when he feels he can’t cope? 0
3. Act fearful in unfamiliar situations? 10
4. Tremble or whine when unsure? 0
5. Crawl or turn upside down when reprimanded? 0 (LOL I really don't think she's ever been reprimanded)
6. Reluctant to come close to you when called? 0
7. Have difficulty standing still when groomed? 0
8. Cringe when someone strange bends over him? 5
9. Urinate during greeting behavior? 0
10. Tend to bite when cornered? 0
Total of Defense/Flight Responses: 20

I agree with this assessment for the most part especially what I call the Fight or Flight (last category) she is definitely a FLIGHT dog.

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Permalink Reply by Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle on August 3, 2012 at 6:22pm

Daisy seems very well-balanced to me.

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Permalink Reply by Ricki and Tara (doodle) on August 3, 2012 at 8:20pm

Tara got a 10 on seeking eye contact too. Seems to be a doodle thing! Daisy does seem quite balanced! :)

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Permalink Reply by Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle on August 3, 2012 at 5:10pm

Oh, is this test for puppies, too? I didn't read the link. This is not at all the Volhard puppy temperament test with which I'm familiar, the one where you handle the puppy in various ways, open an umbrella, etc. This one appears to me to be a test for adult dog personalities, I can't imagine how you would know some of this information about a young puppy who hasn't even been placed in a home yet.

At any rate, JD scored very low on all 4 drives, under 30 on all of them. His highest scores were 25 in the Pack Drive and Flight Drive. He only got a 10 in the other two.