How do you know if you got a good puppy?

Temperament testing can give you a better idea of what a particular puppy might excel at or which home will be the best fit. A temperament test is a snapshot of what potential a puppy has to offer. Other tests that are helpful are problem-solving tests, resource-guarding tests, and toy-drive tests. These evaluations give you an idea of which puppy might be the best candidate for the dog sports you might be interested in or which one might be the best fit for your current pack. Temperament test scores don’t necessarily reflect exactly how a puppy will grow up, but they can give a good indication. A puppy’s environment and socialization until adulthood have big impact. But temperament testing is a valuable tool that can be helpful in placing puppies in homes where they will thrive. Temperament testing can give insight into puppies’ potentials.

Figuring out a puppy’s potential helps to match it to the best owner and helps owners pick the perfect match. You can start testing puppies as early as 7 weeks old, but, if you can test puppies as late as possible—at 3 to 4 months—your tests may be more accurate. A good thing with these tests is that if you can recognize the potential for negative behaviors from assessment indicators, then you can diminish or negate these behaviors with interventions such as socialization and proper training. Ask your breeder or shelter what temperament tests, if any, have been performed and the result. They may use these tests to help choose a puppy for you based on what you are looking for, your experience with dogs, and the type of home environment you can provide. Temperament tests can measure a puppy’s stability, shyness, aggressiveness, and friendliness. But if the pup shows unprovoked aggression, panics and cannot overcome this, or exhibits strong avoidance, then that is a pup that may need more rehabilitation work or socialization than most owners can provide. Early socialization, proper training, and interventions can mitigate potential negative behaviors identified through temperament testing.