Why do people think it's stupid for dogs to be checked for temperment?

Question

I was on petfinder and saw this poor dog. A Wheaton Terrier that wasn't even taken care of. Well the person who put the dog up for adoption called the temperment tests silly. How are they silly? It's a way to figure out how aggressive the dog is, especially if children are involved.

http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/19570777
The person said it was wrong to take the food away from the dog, but you need to if it's something poisonious. SO DUH! Then when the dog was eating and was poked by a rubber hand, that's to check for important things, like again something poisonious or if children can ever get near the dog. OF COURSE IT'S NOT A STUPID TEST! It may condemn quite a few dogs, but for good reasons. Even if they failed the test, they could have cleaned the dog up so someone MIGHT be interested, then train with that person to make the dog better.
So no, rude peope, it IS important to test a dog for temperment. If you agree, write it. Disagree? Argue it.

Answer 1

Temperament testing is a relative term, and loosely used and abused by many shelters across the country.



I have very little faith in the old fake hand test, as dogs in shelters are usually stressed, starving, and terrified. If I was in that condition, I might bite a hand or two myself.



I have two examples for you, from two different shelters.



The first is a 1 1/2 year old Australian Cattle Dog, in a 90 day kill shelter in Chicago. She passed all the temperament tests and was referred to as having "an unusually calm manner" and "very nice manners".

Of course the idiots at the shelter first posted her on Petfinder as a pit mix, then as an Aussie mix.



The person who adopted her took her dog with her to meet this dog, to make sure they would get along. The man who did that temperament test watched them together in a room, both on leashes, for 5 minutes, then said they were okay.

This dog was so shut down she had no personality at all. he had 15 days left before she died.

In the first few weeks the dog was in the new home, she bit three people, one of them badly enough to warrant a hospital visit. She was fear aggressive, and needed extensive training to be rehabilitated.





The second example is of a little Minpin puppy, taken in as a stray at a local animal control facility. This little boy couldn't have been more than a year old, and weighed in at about 7 pounds.

The facility called in Minpin rescue, as the dog was deemed "aggressive" by the temperament tester (a VET), and he would be euthanized if he was not pulled.

When the volunteer showed up at the facility, five people watched her walk into the HUGE dog run this poor little guy was locked in. He was cowering in the corner.

After letting the dog sniff her hand, and a few pets, she picked him up with no trouble and put him in a crate to take him.

When she asked why he was deemed "dangerous" she was told that he growled at them and showed teeth. Heavens! What a vicious dog!

Of course I couldn't burst out laughing until I left the building.



When you have worked in rescue and done your OWN temperament testing on dogs that you pull from these ridiculous government-funded places, you may learn something different than what you think now.





And those two very different dogs?



One of them, the Cattle Dog, was pulled and adopted by me and is working on getting into sheep herding. She is also working on her CGC.

The other was adopted by a family with children, and is living a wonderful life as a nice family dog. He has never bitten anyone.

Answer 2

Temperament testing has it's uses and can give a professional a good idea of how a dog is going to act or react in certain situations. It can also help place a dog into the proper home. Personally, I wouldn't TOUCH a rescue dog without first reading about it's temperament test. No test, no adoption on my part. Period.



I probably wouldn't "adopt" a dog from a person or family either - they could be offering a great dog, but again: probably no background on the dog's genetics so i would want that test to tell me this animal didn't immediately try to dismember the handler. I don't want to risk bringing a danger into my home.



Note: I do my own temperament testing on dogs that come in to be groomed. Before i even put them on the table i'm very carefully getting my hands on them to see if they have any triggers (also helps find matting or problem areas!)

Answer 3

Rayven...



You are referring to a rescue organization's posting for a dog they are trying to save...a dog they hope to be able to find a permanent, loving, patient home for. A dog that has so obviously been mistreated who they are hoping to give a chance and a brighter future to.



Two things here...



First, they are subtly informing potential adopters that this poor girl may have some issues an interested party needs to take into consideration, that a more experienced owner is mandatory, and that caution is necessary.



Second, if they cannot say they have provided information about known, possible issues with the dog, they could be held liable by a family who unwitting adopts a dog that could cause harm or injury out of fear, general temperament or the environment of abuse/neglect she was exposed to.



They are trying to downgrade the results of the shelter's temperament tests while still giving adopters a heads-up about the long road that WILL be involved if adopting this dog.



The word silly/silliness was repeated 3 times in this posting...that doesn't mean such tests are "silly" to perform for a shelter, that means a rescue organization wants to minimize fears people may have about adopting this dog, and to narrow down the field inquiring to those who are serious about taking on a dog that deserves extra care and will require an experienced owner able to work on the issues that they have listed, to change her life around, IF POSSIBLE.

Answer 4

I totally understand the tests and would use them if I got a dog from the shelter. I have a son that I could not take him to my mother's house because her husband had trained his dog to be aggressive and played with him when he fed him by thinking it was funny to reach for his food to make him growl. Now when the Jacka$$ wasn't home, I could make the dog behave quite well but never when the husband was. If that dog ever ended up at the pound, he would be given a death sentence all because of his human had the stupid idea to train him to attack when others approach his food. These tests can save a life of an child, elderly person, or even another dog. Like them or hate them, they are necessary. Even if a person does not have kids or any other vulnerable person with them, they never know when the will come across one.

Answer 5

Ask for References Any good breeder will be able to provide you references of clients he has worked with in the past. These will be people who have purchased a puppy or utilized stud services and will be happy to share their experiences with you. Choosing a breeder that was used by someone you know is a good choice as well. If your friend or family member was happy with the service and treatment he or she received from the breeder, the odds are good that you will be as well. Prepare to be Asked Questions A good breeder will have as many questions for you as you have for him, perhaps more. Good breeders work to ensure that the dogs they breed are placed with the correct people. They may ask whether you have children, what size home or yard you have, and numerous other questions to help them let you know whether the dog you’re seeking is right for you and your family. A breeder that doesn’t ask these types of questions may be looking just for the money from the sale of the dog and is probably not the sort of breeder you want to do business with. A good breeder always has the best interest of both the dog and the clients in mind. Guarantees A good breeder will have had the puppies checked for potential health risks before ever selling the animal. Some problems, however, simply are not detectable until later in life. If you purchase a golden retriever pup, for example, and six months later discover that it has hip dysplasia (a genetic defect in the animals hip joints, it is often nearly undetectable until the animal is several months old), a good breeder will issue a refund to you, no questions asked. Genetic defects like this are avoided by the use of selective breeding (hip dysplasia in dogs has between a 25% and 85% chance that it is genetic in origin), but sometimes a pup will display the disorder even if there is no trace of it in either parent’s history. Other Sources Aside from looking in the newspaper of on the internet for a dog breeder, breeders can be found through veterinarian’s offices, pet supply stores, and at dog shows. Dog shows are a very good choice since the breeders that attend these events are often showing one of their dogs or are there to see the performance of one that they bred and sold in the past.

Answer 6

A temperament test is only as good as the expertise of the person who is evaluating the dog and reliance should be based on it accordingly.



Can the person accurately read the dog’s subtle and overt body language and vocal communication and respond to it while working with the dog to test its thresholds to different everyday stimulus and not push it beyond its ability to cope with the pressure being exerted on its temperament.



Temperament testing is important but the financial constraints of rescues mean that they cannot afford the services of a professional dog trainer to evaluate the dogs in kennels, so perforce rely on people who may attribute shy behavior to abuse when it may be indicative of a weak temperament or pushy behavior to dominance when in fact the dog was uncontrolled by its previous owner.

Answer 7

I think the temperament tests are good and necessary for determining what a suitable adoption would be, but I hate to think of dogs put to sleep because they show food aggression, perhaps because they were starving and had to fight for food, or previous owners got a rise out of teasing a dog and making it food aggressive. I'd like to see these dogs be adopted to homes where they can be worked with. Some shelters foster these sorts of dogs to work on aggression. Some cannot afford to because of the overwhelming number of abandoned/ stray dogs that come through their shelter doors. So I don't think a temperament test is stupid, but I don't think a dog should be put to death, if it can be avoided, because they show food aggression if they were a starving stray, for example.

Answer 8

Of course it's very important. I guess she also thinks it's "silly" that there's a possibility that a small child can go over there, put something in the dogs bowl then try to get it out, or even go and pet the dog! That could get somebody sued! How that dog ended up in foster rather than being put down is beyond belief!



Edit:

I filed a report with the NJ SPCA about the dog giving them the link. I don't understand how that she escaped being euthanized and ended up in a foster home

Answer 9

Maybe because the dog would fail the test, or its because THEY are plane stupid, and stupid is what stupid does!

Answer 10

Not everyone looking to rehome a dog is smart.

Answer 11

Only stupid people think those tests are stupid.