Few events rival bringing home a new puppy, but did you know that the cutest puppy may not be the best one for you? Of course, all puppies are cute, but they also grow into adult dogs with their own personalities, quirks, and idiosyncrasies. What if you could see into a puppy's future to determine his future behavior? It's possible, thanks to puppy aptitude testing.
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Puppy aptitude testing dates back to the 1930s, but it was in the 1970s that Wendy and Joachim Volhard, internationally recognized experts on canine behavior, developed the popular Puppy Aptitude Test (PAT) www.volharddognutrition.com/choosing-your-puppy-pat/.

The sole purpose of PAT is to help breeders, trainers, and owners select the right puppy for the right home.

The testing we do covers:

1. Social Attraction - degree of social attraction to people, confidence or dependence.
2. Following - willingness to follow a person.
3. Restraint - degree of dominant or submissive tendency, and ease of handling in difficult situations.
4. Social Dominance - degree of acceptance of social dominance by a person.
5. Elevation - degree of accepting dominance while in a position of no control, such as at the veterinarian or groomer.
6. Retrieving - degree of willingness to do something for you. Together with Social Attraction and Following a key indicator for ease or difficulty in training.
7. Touch Sensitivity - degree of sensitivity to touch and a key indicator to the type of training equipment required.
8. Sound Sensitivity - degree of sensitivity to sound, such as loud noises or thunderstorms.
9. Sight Sensitivity - degree of response to a moving object, such as chasing bicycles, children or squirrels.
10. Stability - degree of startle response to a strange object.