On September 23. 2000 Puuma was tested according to the Danish Kennel Club’s Junior Temperament Assesment , the test is assessed by very experienced evaluators, who have received a lot of training from the Kennel Club as well as they have experience from similar tests of numerous other breeds. The test is aimed to show the heriditary traits in the individual dogs and is to be performed before appr. two years of age as it can be more difficult to assess older dogs instincts as opposed to learnt actions.
It was a glorious autumn day, a pleasure to be out in, which was a great luck as as it took almost nine hours to get through the nine RR’s being tested that day
link to original test paper in Danish
The scale goes from 1-5 at all tests – 1 being no reaction from the dog 5 being a lot of reaction
- 1 is contact – how do the dog react to strangers?
- a) dog and owner approach a total stranger in a field
- (1 being avoid contact, growls, bites – 5 being jumps up, barks, even before the owner greets the stranger)
P’s reaction: 4 contacts freely when I had greeted the stranger
- b) is test person taking the dog on leash away from owner
- (1 being will not come along 5 being follows happily )
reaction: 5 – follows happily
- c) handling by stranger
- (1 being will not be touched growls/tries to escape /5 accept touch with pleasure)
P’s reaction: 5- handles with pleasure
2 is Play – do the dog like to play with toys?
- a) Play with a piece of rolled cloth
- ( 1 will not play at all/5 very active play, hard to stop)
P’s reaction:4, plays actively
- b) Play – hold
- (1 doesn’t grab the toy/5 grabs it very determinedly)
P’s reaction:4 – grabs and hold the toy
- c) Play and pull
- (1 doesn’t grib / 5 grab immediately and pulls, won’t let go and keep shaking)
P’s reaction:3, grabs the toy, but lets go again
3 Coursing – on a short handpulled course
- a) speed
- (1 doesn’t start/5 start at high speed overshoot the lure with more than 10 ft)
P’s reaction: 4 starts and finishes at very high speed
- b) coursing – grab the lure
- (1 doesn’t go for the lure ignores it on purpose/ 5 grabs it and shakes it)
P’s reaction: 5, grabs and holds it right away
- 4 stress level – standing, doing nothing in the forest
- (1 not active/5 whines, barks pulls very impatient)
P’s reaction: 3 walks around sniffs a bit
5 surprise – a coat jumps up from the forest right next to the dogas he walks by
- a) fear – does the coat scare the dog?
- (1 dog stops shortly, continues/5 runs more than 15 ft away)
P’s reaction: 1 stops but doesn’t pay attention
- b) after reaction to coat
- (1 no threath/5 very threathening – attack)
P’s reaction:1 no threath at all
- c) curiosity towards the coat – will the dog approach?
- (1 not curiuos/ only gets near after it has been put on the ground/5 goes up to the doll immediately w/o help)
P’s reaction:1 – why should I go and take a look? it is just an old coat?
- d) reaction when passing the site where the “attack” happened
- (1 no reaction/ 5 end of leash away from site at least twice when passing)
P’s reaction:1, no reaction at all
- 6 – Sound- the dog and handler walks past a metal plate and a chain is dropped on it
- a) fear – does it scare the dog?
- (1 short stop/5 panics, runs more than 15 ft away)
P’s reaction: 1, she hardly flinched
- b) Sound – curiosity (will the dog approach the plate?)
- (1 approach the plate only when called/ 5 approach on own accord)
P’s reaction: 5 what is that chain???
- c) – sound- after reaction
- (1 walks straight past the plate/5 avoids getting near at least twice )
P’s reaction:1 – it’s a chain for god sake! no need for a second look
7 Ghosts – two of the testers dressed in sheets like halloween ghosts, approaches the dog very slowly from the forest
- a) fear
- (1 doesn’t try to run away/5 bolts from the field)
P’s reaction:2 – jumps away once
- b) Threaths/aggression
- (1 no threaths/5 very aggressive with attack attempts)
P’s reaction:2 one or two threaths – I am a very brave dog, I just walk a little in front of my mum and bark of those things
- c) after reaction – the dog is made to approach the ghosts and recognize they are friendly humans
- (1 wont go near or only comes after the mask is off/5 goes up on own accord)
P’s reaction: hmmmm, strange things? sniff sniff – hey hellooooo you are human?????? yesssss, poor ghost just try to ward off a happy RR when your arms are tied by a sheet – so she got a 5 first as she went and licked the dangerous ghost all by herself, but then a 1 for the next ghost as she couldn’t be bothered running up to the next (no arms? nahhhh cant pet me then)
- 8 Shots (4 shots are fired, two when the dog are playing where it is assessed if he is disturbed in his play and two when he is heeling)
- (1 no reaction/5 panic)
P’s reaction: Isn’t the least bit bothered, continues playing
This test shows that Puuma is a very strong bitch, very hard to throw offcourse. She is not fearful, trust humans to the extreme, is very playful and has not an aggressive bone in her body.
The test was conducted in a very friendly peaceful atmosphere and if any dog had shown undue reactions it would have been stopped immediately, there was plenty of time to relax between each movement.