Would Your Dog Pass?

[Brattina88]

I think we've had a thread like this before, but I thought it would be interesting discussion and fun to learn more about some of our dogs.

So, I was wondering

Would your dog pass a shelter temperament test? Stranger handling, resource guarding, prey drive, getting along with other dogs / kids / cats, strange/loud noises, etc
Would you intentionally adopt a dog that didn't "pass" certain portions of the test?


..... I was going to link one but there's so many different ones, and I couldn't find one I liked lol
I'll post mine in a bit

 

[Sekah]

I don't think either would pass with flying colours, but they'd pass.

 

[Airn]

Doubtful, Gwen is very shy and takes a long time to warm up to people. Once she loves you she LOVES you. She doesn't like loud noises and most kids. She isn't aggressive towards them, she just shrinks away. As far as food aggression she's amazing. She has only growled at the cat a few times when she's had a meaty bone. She has never snapped or growled at me or any other human for messing with her food/treats as far as I know.

I think she would pass but would definitely be labeled at shy.

 

[RD]

No she would not pass by any means.

She would not be PTS for failing, as she's still adoptable and has no extreme, uncontrollable reactions to anything. She tolerates people and their presence around her food/toys/high value items very well. She really likes polite children, especially ones that play fetch with her, but displays a lot of calming signals and stress pants when they are extremely loud, stomp/run around at random, or get in her face. No babies or young toddlers who can't grasp the concept that their hands can hurt an animal.

She will tolerate another dog being nearby. She will not tolerate that dog if it insists on interacting with her or invading her space. I believe the same goes for cats. Other animals being introduced to her in an enclosed space will not have a good time, and neither will she. Her sharpness towards other animals is the reason she'd fail.

At this point in my life I'd adopt a dog that didn't pass certain portions of the test, but a dog that fails a lot of these aspects of a shelter temperament test is one that likely wouldn't be a good fit for me. I have the desire to work with a dog on a lot of issues, but I simply don't have the time.

 

[LauraLeigh]

Crosby would likely pass most of them, even cats he's good with, other adult male intact dogs? Not so much...

He's also not overly fond of small kids, he's not been around them much and is not sure how to take them

 

[Maxy24]

No, but exactly what he'd do depends on how afraid he is. For example he didn't try to bite the vet because he was too terrified to move, so if he was super fearful during the test he might not actually bite during the stranger handling, even though in a home situation he would but it would be obvious that he was petrified. I have a hard time believing he wouldn't attempt to bite someone at the shelter at some point, it just wouldn't necessarily be during the temp. test. Though I feel like he might once they stop touching him (he's the type that will bite you once you turn away from him, classic fear aggressive move).

Dog test also depends on his emotions, this one could really go either way. He could be reactive, he could freeze up until they let them interact and then snap, or he could try to initiate play, it all depends on the situation with him.

I think the way they test for aggression towards children at some shelters is absurd (large plastic doll does not equal child). I have no idea how he'd react there. He should fail a real child safety test though.

Noises would be fine unless they drop a metal pot, he's terrified of pots. But in general he doesn't spook at loud noises for very long.

He might fail the cat test. On walks when he sees cats he looks terrified but he also pushed open our front door to try and eat a cat he saw in our yard (and then became afraid once he'd cornered it and ran back to me for comfort). So he could either look scared or become reactive. Either way they would probably suggest no cats.

Resource guarding he would be fine but obviously someone he is familiar with would have to do the test otherwise he'd bite the stranger just for being a stranger.

So basically Tucker would be at risk of being euthanized. If he were a large dog I'd say he'd be put down no question, but smaller dogs sometimes get a pass with aggressive behavior. They'd see that he's fine once he warms up so might hesitate to put him down because he's very adoptable based on looks and size. If that were the case he'd be recommended for "an older single person or couple with no kids and who don't have a busy household with a lot of visitors". But he's really a bite risk.



Would I adopt a dog who failed parts of the test? Probably, it depends on which parts, how the test was performed, and what the dog did exactly. A young dog mouthing during stranger handling probably isn't a big deal, certainly not the same as him freezing and growling. I'd want to know exactly what happened during the dog test (I don't mind having a single pet only dog but I don't want a reactive dog again). Not sure if I'd adopt a resource guarder. I worked through resource guarding with Tucker and it was super easy but I'm sure that's not the case for all dogs, plus it depends what the reaction was. I would probably want a dog that passed the noise/startling section because I don't want a generally fearful dog.

I don't know, I feel like the test are sort of helpful and sort of not. It's more helpful to talk about what the dog acts like on a day to day basis or better yet get him into a foster home and see what things are like there. The tests are very specific and you really want a much bigger view of the dog. Not to mention the tests often happen while the dog is very stressed so it's not always accurate.

 

[AgilityPup]

Would your dog pass a shelter temperament test? Simi, no, I don't think. Psyche, yes.
Stranger handling; Simi, nope! No way, no how. She HATES strangers to touch her, and if she was scared, like she is of most new people who insist on touching her, she may fear bite. Psyche? Hells yes. She loves anyone touching her.
Resource guarding; Both dogs would be okay with this part.
Prey drive; Simi would fail as she has a very high prey drive and no control. Psyche would pass.
Getting along with other dogs / kids / catsSimi, no to most other dogs and most kids and all cats. Psyche yes to dogs and kids, but can be rude with cats.
Strange/loud noises, etc Both would be startled, but not terrified.
Would you intentionally adopt a dog that didn't "pass" certain portions of the test? If it was one of my two dogs, sure. But in general, depends on what they failed.

 

[Elrohwen]

Yes, in general he would pass. He's great with adults. He's not great with all kids, but he just avoids them, doesn't bark or act aggressive in anyway. He would probably pass other dog tests, though he would might bark at them. Not sure about cats - he probably wouldn't be recommended to a home with cats. He doesn't resource guard at all.

So he would pass, but probably be recommended for a home with older kids and no cats.

 

[Dekka]

I doubt it.

She is great with people, great with kids. No resource guarding.

However in a shelter setting she would want to attack all other dogs. She also will go after cats and small animals.

 

[BostonBullMama]

Yes, Toby would pass.

He is playful, biddable, well mannered, good tempered, no bite history, lives with young children (5 and 1), does just fine with the 4 cats, no resource guarding, quiet, house broken, good with other dogs - even if they're trying to eat him... and he doesn't care who's touching him/walking him/vetting him. He'll happily go to the back with any of the vets at our clinic and doesn't appear to think twice about it.

We really lucked out with Toby, I think he would be adopted quickly from a shelter if he were to ever find himself in one. - Which is unlikely, because he is my dog and I'm not giving him up for anything, lol.

 

[Julee]

Em: Yup. She'd be fine.

Bloo: She would be put down. lol

Copper: Fine, but overwhelmed. Likely would just sit in a corner shaking.

Shadow: Also fine. She'd be very fearful, but nothing that would fail her.

ETA: I would definitely adopt a dog that didn't pass.

 

[JacksonsMom]

I don't think he'd pass. He would probably be listed as "super shy, reactive, doesn't like kids, etc" because without me, he would likely turn into all of these things. Even though, in general in life, he's not these things. If he was in a shelter environment, he would shut down real fast though.

 

[MericoX]

All of mine would "pass", but would probably only go to certain homes.

Kiba/Stryder - dog savvy cats, submissive dogs, older/respectful children
Lincoln - dog savvy cats, non-confrontational dogs, older/respectful children
Charlie - cats, dogs, any age kids
Nimbus - cats, dogs her size, and older/respectful kids.

And just because it bugs me, there is no "pass or fail" in the SAFER tests (as in pass/adoptable, fail/pts). There are many things a dog could fail on and still be an adoptable animal.

 

[Stillwater]

I think we've had a thread like this before, but I thought it would be interesting discussion and fun to learn more about some of our dogs.

So, I was wondering

Would your dog pass a shelter temperament test? Stranger handling, resource guarding, prey drive, getting along with other dogs / kids / cats, strange/loud noises, etc
Would you intentionally adopt a dog that didn't "pass" certain portions of the test?

Deacon: Absolutely on all of those. He might be listed as a tiny bit reserved. But it isnt reserve, it is politeness. He has a CGC as well.

Noodle: He would be marginal. He is good with all of those things, but he sometimes has a bit of low self confidence that he hides with a bit of bravado or trying to be macho. He is not great with loud noises. Better as he ages, now in storms or fireworks he just goes to bed and trembles. Nothing else. He is safe with dogs, kids and cats.

Bandit: Yes. He is not great with cats, and has high prey drive but he has very good manners. But his prey drive is appropriate for the breed.

Kimber: She will pass every test people related. She is fantastic with people of any kind any age, she loves them all, they are there to take care of her. With dogs, she is fine as long as she knows you will not tolerate her being a bully. With cats, NO. She would pass the cat test with ease for them. She will even sleep with them and pretend she loves them and sit in your lap with them and lick them. But when you are not there she is lethal. Her prey drive is off the charts. But in knowing that, she is highly adoptable. She would pass a CGC with ease.

Redford: Yes, the silly boy would pass everything but a brain test. He is not Einstein.

Gunny: Yup. He is a repeat shelter dog before I got him at 2 years old. He was returned to the shelter twice. They would not put him down because he was such a good dog.

Rodeo: If they wanted obedience, he would fail. But he is great with other things, a bit aloof with strangers, but breed appropriate. Not a mean bone in him. He is great with other dogs, kids, cats, everything. But he is an accomplished Fence jumper.

Hairball (Navi): She is fearful. So in that aspect no. But she is not mean. She would sit curled in the corner and hope you never see her. But once she likes you, she has a wicked sense of humor.

Panda and Karma: Yes, they will pass everything and probably would be adopted before they ever get to a cage. They would be considered special needs but they are not really.

 

[monkeys23]

Would your dog pass a shelter temperament test? Lily yes, Scout no.

Stranger handling: Lily loves attention, not real comfortable with others grooming her, but anything else is kosher. Scout would be completely terrified. They might pass her because she stresses down... but when she finally broke it would be really ugly. She would not do well in a shelter. Frankly even if they passed her, I would bet money she'd come back into the system pretty quickly after being adopted.

Resource guarding: Lily RG's from other animals. If she got stuck in a home with people who just threw down bowls willy nilly.... she would absolutely bully the other animals and eat all the things. ALL THE THINGS. Scout's only resource worth guarding in her opinion is me... so ... yeah.

Prey drive: They both have balls to the wall prey drive. They are fine with me.... but they'd probably fail a shelter test of it. If Scout gets over-aroused in prey she cannot think at all, just acts.

Strange/loud noises, etc.: Lily would pass fine. The only loud noise that terrifies her are fireworks. Scout jumps like she's been shot about dumb stuff when I trip over my own feet... she would fail really badly. She has very poor nerve and is very sensitive to what is happening in the environment. She's paying attention all the time to subtle noises I never would have noticed.

Would you intentionally adopt a dog that didn't "pass" certain portions of the test?: Obviously.

 

[Laurelin]

Hank and Summer would. Hank would probably be listed as no cats and Summer would probably be listed as only homed with small polite dogs and older kids. But they are both fantastic with people and very friendly.

I am not sure about Mia. I think she would barely pass and probably only due to size and with a lot of limitations placed on her- no kids, no dogs probably. I am not sure a big dog with her temperament would pass at all, sad as it is.

 

[Jadex]

Uhh probably not.

Ryker is fine with handling, but turns into the devil when I try to clip his nails. He will resource guard anything that he considers high value from other animals and people. He's fine with our cat, but will chase strange cats. I think he would be fine with children as long as they are introduced correctly because he can be rambunctious when excited. He loves other dogs and loud noises don't phase him. If he did pass and was adopted he would probably be returned the next day because of his SA.

Gypsy would pass everything except for the cat test and she is very reactive towards strange dogs but not aggressive.

I would adopt a dog that didn't pass as long as it wasn't dog or human aggressive.

 

[JacksonsMom]

I don't think he'd pass. He would probably be listed as "super shy, reactive, doesn't like kids, etc" because without me, he would likely turn into all of these things. Even though, in general in life, he's not these things. If he was in a shelter environment, he would shut down real fast though.

Meant to add- I doubt he would bite or resource guard or anything like that. Just be terrified and very shut down. So I'm sure he would get adopted. It would probably just be to a quiet type home, no kids allowed etc. It's kind of funny though- I tend to just immediately cross off "shy reactive" type dogs I see listed on petfinder. Not that I'm *seriously* looking anyway, but if that is in the description, I just know it wouldn't even be a possibility. I'd prefer not to deal with it with my nextdog.

 

[teacuptiger]

Lucky for Roxie, she got out of the shelter before she matured. Now, she would not pass with other dogs or cats. Her prey drive is out of this world, too. I think she would fail cat testing the second someone put her in a room with a cat.

Everything else she would pass. Stranger handling? Sign her up!! She loves people! Kids? Just so long as they are calm and respectful and let her lick them, she's down. She's a bit scared of noises at first, but recovers very quickly. Roxie does not resource guard anything at all.

 

[Applebear]

Rolyx, Knarly and Ripley...No, possibly and yes.

Ro would probably actually do well until the stranger handling, that takes people who respect dog boundaries. Do that and he's fine, but most can't handle that and put unreasonable expectations on dogs [imo].

Knarly would be possibly because of his age. At one time, he'd be a secure yes but now he is touch and go. For most part, probably yes...he normally is quite pleasant with new people.

Ripley yes as of now, he has shown some fear of certain men but he's a inwards not outwards type of dog there. Most the time, he's trying to pull me across the street with tail flying to greet a neighbor that's not even paying attention to him.

And lastly yes I would adopt a dog that didn't pass certain portions as long as they were made clear from the start. I wouldn't take well to being deceived just to get a dog out the door. But if I understand what it is, know *I* can handle it...then yeah, I think most of those things are BS anyway. I think the expectations humans are putting on dogs these days are getting out of line. I wouldn't like it if a stranger came up to me and gave me a big hug at the park...why should my dogs? Dogs have prey drives. Some resource guard [all things that can be worked with or managed usually]. Some times I bite too if you mess with my food....just saying.