Temperament Testing

Pinch, Pull, and Tug

Temperament testing is neither an exact nor perfect measure of a dog’s behavior, but it does provide a window into an individual dog’s behavior under somewhat controlled circumstances. In an ideal world we would rescue all homeless pets, but the truth of the reality is very different. We must rescue those that are readily adoptable and do not require major socialization or training. SOHS has neither the facilities nor the resources (human and financial) to house dogs for extended periods of time while they are rehabilitated. So we must place all of our emphasis on safety.

We look for dogs that are relatively relaxed and ones that are comfortable with both humans and other dogs. We observe the dogs as skin and different body parts are exposed to pinch, pull and tug cues. We are looking for animals that do not mind being handled and show no indication that they will nip under duress. Many children come through our adoption center at Southern Oregon Humane Society who are not necessarily educated about proper humane/canine etiquette. We want dogs that will tolerate reasonable unexpected behavior. That being said… dogs are not humans and like humans they are not perfect.

We try our best to assure we are rescuing dogs who would make good family pets. They must tolerate having their mouth opened for medical procedures and also be okay about having their paws handled. Dogs may not exhibit aggressive behaviors towards other dogs or humans – that is a definite deal-breaker. When a dog comes in to SOHS for an intake appointment we also test for food aggression, but during a rescue operation we are not as concerned about this trait because dogs are frequently kenneled with 4-6 or more other dogs. It is fairly obvious why they might be possessive about food or other resources.

Fence running and space guarding are also two traits that do not work well in the stressful shelter environment. Shelters are stressful enough without adding those behaviors into the mix. Of the dogs we tested on Monday, 38 passed with flying colors and earned a ticket to board the Saving Train. That 38 dog total was higher than the normal adoption rate at Hanford over a two month period! This morning we are headed out at 7:30 am to begin the process all over again.