Personality Test

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

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:

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

Total for Prey Drive Section:______

Pack Drive. Does your dog:

1. Get along with other dogs?______
2. Get along with people?______
3. Bark when left alone?______
4. Solicit petting, or like to snuggle with you?______
5. Like to be groomed?______
6. Seek eye contact with you?______
7. Follow you around like a shadow?______
8. Play a lot with other dogs?______
9. Jump up to greet people? ______
10. Show reproductive behaviors, such as courting or mounting other dogs?______

Total of Pack Drive Answers:______

Defense/Fight. Does your dog:

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

Total of Defense/Fight Responses:______

Defense/Flight. Does your dog:

1. Run away from new situations?______
2. Hide behind you when he feels he can’t cope?______
3. Act fearful in unfamiliar situations?______
4. Tremble or whine when unsure?______
5. Crawl or turn upside down when reprimanded?______
6. Reluctant to come close to you when called?______
7. Have difficulty standing still when groomed?______
8. Cringe when someone strange bends over him?______
9. Urinate during greeting behavior?______
10. 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.

[Christine & Camus]

I thought this was going to be a personality test for us. :)  However, in scoring Camus the Prey drive category is 45, Pack drive 40, Defense/Fight 25, and Defense/Flight 15. Approximately 6-8 months ago his scores would have been much higher.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

JD would have scored much higher in Flight a few years ago.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

So far no doodle has scored super high in any one category. Camus too!  Although I'm waiting to see how Fudge scores in the Prey Drive section! LOL!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I copied it out and retook it, what I posted above was the reverse in the fight/flight drives.

Prey Drive 10

Pack Drive: 25

Defense/Fight Drive: 25

Defense/Flight Drive :10

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Do you think Jack's illness has affected his personality?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Oh, definitely. More the drugs than the illness itself, I think.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

                                                                  Ned                      Clancy

Total for Prey Drive Section:                    30                         20

Total of Pack Drive Section:                     45                         50

Total of Defense/Fight Responses:         10                           5

Total of Defense/Fight Responses:         10                           5

At first I thought Ned and Clancy's scores were similar, but when I evaluated them, I can see why Ned is alpha. I had trouble with the Prey Drive Section. Okay,  Ned is a big trash digger, but Clancy doesn't shake his toys but he certainly guts them.  They do sniff some but not like our Springer (boy would his scores be different). I used the almost quite liberally because in their time with me both have done some of the no-score things once or twice, yet not never.  In the Defense/Fight Responses, both, on occasion, will sit very close to me and be reluctant to enter (like the vet or groomer) and Ned will sometimes duck his head as someone reaches down to pet him.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

I had some problems also Nancy. Spud loves a bath and often it is a fight to keep him from coming in and laying in the shower. If he is bathed outside, he falls asleep in total relaxation with a look of bliss even standing up ( grooming category question)

Brushing, shearing, and scissor cutting he gets impatient. I can breeze by on the head, ears,  and trunk but it can be a real argument to have his face,  legs, and tail done ( grooming category question)

And, it is getting better now with his older age. 

Still, l gave him the highest score

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

And Ned give a high, annoying bark when excited by someone or something passing by or through our yard, but he doesn't bark incessantly.  And growls at things only he can hear - usually at night.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Tara:

Prey Drive: 25

Pack Drive 45

Defense/Flight 10

Defense/Flight 30

I agree that the answers would have been different 2 years ago and will probably be different 2 years from now.  No real strong personality traits though for now. Where's the test for the Sweetness Drive?

 

 

[Christine & Camus]

Good category! :)

[Elizabeth, Bailey & Bruin]

This is how Bailey did: 

 

Total for Prey Drive Section: 40

Total of Pack Drive Answers: 70

Total of Defense/Fight Responses: 15

Total of Defense/Flight Responses: 15