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.

[Camilla and Darwin]

Total for Prey Drive Section 40
Total of Pack Drive Answers 50
Total of Defense/Fight Responses 10
Total of Defense/Flight Responses 5

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Another long but interesting interpretation of this test

PRACTICAL APPLICATION
    By looking at your dog's profile, you will know which training techniques work best and are in harmony with your dog's drives.  You now have the tools to tailor your training program for your dog. 
    Defense (fight) - more than sixty, and Defense (flight) less than sixty.  Your dog will not be bothered too much by a firm hand. 
    Body posture is not critical, although incongruent postures on your part will slow down the training.  Tone of voice should be firm, but pleasant and non-threatening. 
    Defense(flight) – 40 or more more. Correct body posture and quiet, pleasant tone of voice are critical.  Avoid using a harsh tone of voice and any hovering, leaning over or toward your dog.  There is a premium on congruent body postures and gentle handling. 
    Prey - more than sixty.  Your dog will respond well to use of treats or a toy during the teaching phase.  May need a firm hand, depending on strength of Defense drive (fight), to suppress Prey drive when in high gear, such as when chasing a cat or spotting a squirrel.  Easily motivated, but also easily distracted by motion or moving objects. 
    Signals will mean more to this dog than verbal commands.  Premium on using body, hands and leash correctly so as not to confuse the dog. 
    Prey - less than sixty.  Your dog is probably not easily motivated by food or other objects, but is also not easily distracted by moving objects. 
    Pack - more than sixty.  Responds readily to praise and touch.  Your dog likes to be with you and will respond with little guidance. 
    Pack - less than sixty.  Start praying.  Felix probably does not care whether he is with you or not.  He likes to do his own thing and is not easily motivated.  Your only hope is to rely on Prey drive in training.  Usually breed specific for dogs bred to work independently of man. 
    Following are a  few examples of different profiles:
    Low prey, low pack, low defense – the dog will be difficult to motivate and probably does not require any training.  Needs extra patience in case training is attempted since there are few behaviors with which to work.  On the plus side, this dog is unlikely to get into trouble, will not disturb anyone, will make a good family pet and does not mind being left alone for considerable periods of time. 
    High prey, low pack, low defense – this dog will give the appearance of having an extremely short attention span, but is perfectly capable of concentrating on what he finds interesting.  Training will require the channeling of his energy to get him to do what you want.  You will need lots of patience because the dog will have to be taught mainly through prey drive.
    High in prey, low in pack, high in defense (fight) – this dog is independent and not easy to live with as a pet and companion.  Highly excitable by movement and may attack anything that comes within its range.  Does not care much about people or other dogs and will do well as a guard dog.  Pack exercises such as heeling need to be built up through prey.  A real challenge.
Important hint:   if Felix is high in defense (fight), you need to work especially dilligently on -- and frequently review --  your leadership exercises described in Chapter 1.  If your dog is high in prey, you also need to work on these exercises, not necessarily because your dog wants to become pack leader, but to control him around door ways and moving objects.  If your dog is high in both prey and fight, you may need professional help. 
     High prey, low pack, high defense (flight) – a dog that is easily startled and/or frightened.  He needs quiet and reassuring handling.  Not a good choice for children. 
    Low prey, high pack and low defense – this is a real charmer. He will follow you around all day and it is doubtful that he will get into trouble.  Likes to be with you and is not interested in chasing. 
    Medium (50-75) prey, pack and defense (fight) – a dog that is easy to train and motivate.  Mistakes on your part are not critical. 
        By now you have gathered that the easiest dogs are those that are balanced among all drives.  No matter what you do, the dog seems to be able to figure out you want.  If you are lucky enough to have a dog like that, take good care of him.  By applying the principles of drives, he will do well by you. 

http://www.volhard.com/pages/canine-personality-profile.php

 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Except that none of our dogs scored in the 60s or above on anything. Her numbers seem high.

"Pack - less than sixty.  Start praying.  Felix probably does not care whether he is with you or not.  He likes to do his own thing and is not easily motivated.  Your only hope is to rely on Prey drive in training.  Usually breed specific for dogs bred to work independently of man."

That doesn't describe any of our dogs, I don't think, and they certainly do care if they are with us or not, lol.  

I think the problem is that many of the questions don't really apply.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

That one caught my eye too. Maybe she hasn't worked with doodles before. They are in class of their own and they may require a Personality Test tailored to their uniqueness! :)

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Ned is NOT food oriented, but he loves treats and I am sure that he would be perfect if you offered him treats to perform.  Clancy who gobbles his food likes treats but is much less motivated by treats than by praise.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Good point. Just because a dog doesn't "wolf down" his food or go in the garbage, that doesn't mean he isn't food motivated in terms of working for treats.

And I was told by an SAR team officer that dogs who are obsessed with chasing tennis balls have high prey drives, but JD scored very low in Prey Drive because he doesn't "stalk" cats or "get excited by moving objects like bicycles".

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Tara is like Ned too. Getting her to eat a meal is like pulling teeth. But she will do ANYTHING for a treat!

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

I agree, her numbers seem high and doodles do care if they're with you --that should be high on the list as a breed attribute.  Plus she assumes (I think) Prey equals kill -- Our doodles need a category for Prey/Play.  I'm sure Finn's Prey Drive is more like a "I chase you then you chase me" game.  This really confuses the squirrels!  And the cats! Drives me crazy. And neither one has ever chased him back no matter how easy he makes it! LOL 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

On the other hand, this certainly describes JD:

Low prey, low pack, low defense – the dog will be difficult to motivate and probably does not require any training.  Needs extra patience in case training is attempted since there are few behaviors with which to work.  On the plus side, this dog is unlikely to get into trouble, will not disturb anyone, will make a good family pet and does not mind being left alone for considerable periods of time.

 

She seems to equate the need for training with problem behaviors and corrections. Maybe Wendy Volhard is outdated, lol.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Well Luca and Call scored 200 each on the prey section without even taking it : )

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

We've seen the evidence.

[Camilla and Darwin]

lol