Assessing Service & Therapy Potential

Othello. The first we donated to Guide Dogs of America in 2003. Breezed through training!

The decision to take a specific puppy from a litter to be placed with the intent to be trained for therapy or service work is a decision that needs to be made very carefully. The time and money that is put into training is not time or money well spent, unless the particular puppy has already shown indicators of having the basic nature and temperament for the work they would later be performing. There are some basic tests that can be done to assess puppies for service or therapy potential, but even one that shows promise at 7 weeks of age is not guaranteed to end up as a service or therapy dog. Puppies that show promise should go on to be exposed to as many different environments, different kinds of footings, sights, sounds, and odors as possible. Usually, an additional month or so of this exposure will reveal any important things about the puppy’s nature that would support them continuing to be trained for the intended work, or it would be revealed that they would be better suited for some other kind of work, or being placed in a pet home.

The breeder that desires to place puppies with the intent to have them trained for service or therapy work needs to be thoughtful in the choice of breeding dogs they work with, practice very specific socialization of their litters, and keep good notes on observations of the puppies in the litter. Having a trainer experienced with assessing for service or therapy work would be extremely beneficial as well. Once the puppies reach 7 weeks of age, this is an appropriate time to do specific tests with each puppy in the litter to determine those with the most appropriate nature and temperament for training.

There are different methods used to test each puppy. We have found that the following tests work extremely well at identifying the strengths and weaknesses of each individual puppy. The order of testing we do is specific. We try to do the tests that engage the puppy physically, so they think they are playing and have time for energy outlet before the remaining tests that are focused on restraint. If possible, do the testing in an unfamiliar location, and repeat the testing a week later in a different environment. If results are consistent week to week, you can reliably trust what you are seeing.

Nature & Temperament Testing

Following a familiar person.
Place the puppy on the ground and walk away encouraging him to follow with a pleasant voice. Does he follow quickly? Hesitantly? Does he stay focused on following or does he become distracted?

Following a stranger.
Do the same as above, but with a stranger. This is to test how puppy responds to an unfamiliar person.

Roll a ball. Throw a sock or toy.
Take a tennis ball or other similar sized ball and show it to the puppy, then roll it away with him watching. Does he immediately follow the ball? Ignore the ball? Pick up the ball and bring it back to you? Play with it? Pick it up and run away with it? Try again in another room with a different item.

Offer a tug toy.
Does puppy try to play with the toy? Does he release the toy easily with a little resistance pulled on it, or does he hang on tightly? Does he become aggressive about keeping the toy? Does he growl?

Going through a door.
Place the puppy on the ground next to you and open a door and walk through it. Does he follow you? Is he confident or hesitant? How long does it take for him to follow you through the door?

Walking over an unfamiliar item on the ground.
Lay an unfamiliar item on the ground, like a folding step stool, chair, coiled up hose, or an item that can easily be walked over and is large enough to be a decent obstacle. Place puppy on the ground on one end and encourage him to walk over the unfamiliar item. Does he do so eagerly and without hesitation? If hesitant, how long does it take for him to walk over the item? If he doesn’t go over the item and skirts around it, try placing him a little on the item and then encouraging him to walk over it. Does he jump off the item? Does he walk over it?

Rolling cart or stroller.
Walk around the room with a rolling cart or stroller. Does the puppy get nervous and try to get away? Does he hide? Does he follow the rolling item? If he moved away or hid, but then recovered and came out to investigate, how long did it take?

Vacuum cleaner movement and sound.
As the puppy watches you, move a running vacuum cleaner near them in a random pattern. Move the vacuum cleaner closer and closer towards him. Does he turn and run? Does he hide? Does he follow the vacuum cleaner from a distance? Does he follow it and try to play with it?

Treats and nose work.
Using a high valued treat (little piece of cheese or meat), show the treat to the puppy and let them sniff it, then throw it 2-3’ away as they watch where it goes. Does he go to get the treat? Does he use his eyes to find the treat? Does he use his nose to find the treat? Repeat the same with another treat and throw 4-5’ away. Does he use his eyes or nose to find the treat? Does he ignore the treat? If he tries to find it, how long does it take?

Now take a piece of treat and show it to the puppy letting them sniff or lick it. As they are watching, put the treat under something like a piece of paper or a small blanket. Does he try to get the treat? Does he quickly forget the treat existed? If he tries to get it, does he persist until he has found it, or does he give up? Does he use his nose while trying to find the treat?

Walking through a tunnel.
Open a tunnel and place the puppy on one end while someone on the other end calls him. Does he quickly and willingly go through the tunnel? Is he hesitant? If necessary, use a treat and throw 1-2’ into the tunnel. How long does it take for him to go through the tunnel to the person calling him? If you try this 3x’s and puppy does not want to go through the tunnel, move on to the next test.

Drop a clattering item.
Use an unfamiliar household item, such as a metal lid to a pan or a plastic bucket, and drop the item about 5’ away from the puppy while he watches you dropping it. Does he startle and run away? Does he run towards the item? Does he stay where he is sitting? Cower? If he runs away, how long is it before he returns to check out the item?

Stroking puppy.
Sit next to the puppy on the floor with them facing you. Have them in a sitting position. Gently rub down from their shoulders to their tail. Does he stay seated and enjoy the stroking? How long does he sit as you do this? Does he try to get away? Does he try to mouth your hands?

Foot pad pressure.
Pick up the puppy and hold him gently in your arms. Take a front paw and begin to exert pressure in between two of the pads. Slowly increase the pressure. At what point does puppy react? How much pressure will puppy tolerate? Keep pinching at different pressures until you get a reaction.

Holding in place.
Gently lay the puppy on their side on the ground. Using firm, but gentle pressure, place one hand on the shoulder and another on the hip and hold him in place for 15 seconds. Does he struggle to get up? If so, how long until he stops struggling? If he struggles and does not give up after 15 seconds, release him and move on.

Crate time.
Using a crate just slightly larger than the puppy, place him into the crate and close the door. Walk out of the room for two minutes. Does he cry? How long does it take for him to be quiet? If you reach two minutes and puppy is still crying, go to him and remove him from the crate and move on.

Unknown dog.
Place the puppy on the ground and make sure he is relaxed and having a good time. Have another person bring in an unknown and friendly, safe dog on a leash and walk towards the puppy, but stop 5’ away. Does the puppy run to play with the unknown dog? Does he turn and hide? Does he move closer to the familiar person for reassurance?

Assessing the Test Results

Now that all the tests have been done, it is time to determine which of the puppies tested are best suited for the intended training. Knowing what role the puppy will be asked to serve in is critical. With most of the tests, it is okay if puppy had an initial startle. The important factor is how quickly puppy recovers from the unexpected noise or sight.

Noise Sensitivity
The puppy that reacts severely to tests causing loud and sudden noises near them, should be evaluated for those same and/or similar tests in a different environment. If he startles to some and not to others, it may be possible to desensitize him to loud noises with a month or two of purposed socialization with sounds. If he startles severely with each test and doesn’t recover easily, then he likely has an intolerance for managing loud or sharp and sudden noises. Behavior modification for this type of puppy isn’t likely to cure the underlying nature and reaction, and he isn’t suited well for training in areas that would expose him regularly to loud and unexpected noises.

Scent Ability
Scent tests reveal interest and ability to use the nose. If a puppy showed no interest in the treats or using their nose to find them, they probably are not the best candidate for a service dog required to use their nose, such as blood sugar alert dogs or search and rescue dogs. Dogs trained for work using the nose must have high interest in scent.

Body Sensitivity
Service work that will expose the dog to close body contact with people, or moving objects, requires the dog to be able to tolerate physical contact without a strong reaction, and tolerate unusual objects throughout the day with their handler. Assistance dogs will need to be very forgiving and recover quickly from an unpleasant sensation and not be worried about being asked to tolerate proximity to something unfamiliar. The puppy that tolerates body pressure with good recovery is ideal. The puppy that reacts by trying to get away from the pressure, crying out loudly and remaining fearful of the handler, or nipping out at the hand applying the pressure, is a puppy that likely has too much sensitivity to body pressure and will not be very forgiving in required situations. The puppy that tolerates unusual objects and sights without too much concern, or no concern at all, is ideal.

Fetch Interest
The puppy that shows interest in following the thrown object and playing with it, or bringing it back to the tester is one that is showing interest and willingness to work with a person. The puppy that isn’t interested in the items tossed across the room, or if he picks it up and runs away with it, is a puppy that may be too independent to be trained as a service dog.

Raising a litter and assessing for service or therapy potential requires a lot of work and effort. Seeing your puppies go on to make a difference in others lives is incredibly rewarding. Understanding what you can do as a breeder to choose the right parent dogs to breed, and proper ways to raise and socialize the puppies, will be contributing factors in the outcome and success of a breeding program focused on service and therapy work. Everything you do as a breeder can make a difference. You can’t change or alter the underlying nature of a puppy, but you can provide an enriching environment that will greatly impact their mental development and future abilities.

For more information on service and therapy work, these are good resources to start with.

https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/training/service-dog-training-101/

https://assistancedogsinternational.org/

https://cpt-training.com/